1. Art meets politics. Red carpet night in Ottawa Tuesday saw a Prime Minister’s wife deep in conversation with a film producer and a reporter planting a big kiss on the lips of an MP before beginning her interview.
It was a scene – politicians, cabinet ministers and about 1,450 others gathered at the National Arts Centre for the sold-out Ottawa premiere of Barney’s Version, a film by Robert Lantos based on Mordecai Richler’s novel.
This was the fifth such movie premiere that Heritage Minister James Moore has organized as he attempts to put to rest the idea that the Harper Tories are not in anyway interested in the arts.
This premiere, however, attracted more ministers than previous ones. Labour Minister Lisa Raitt, Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis and Treasury Board President Stockwell Day all attended.
At the reception before the film was shown, Barney’s Version producer Robert Lantos was spotted in conversation with Laureen Harper about her husband’s cinema-viewing habits. He seemed interested in the fact the Prime Minister likes to go to the movies rather than stay at home at 24 Sussex Drive with a rental.
Mrs. Harper is an enthusiastic supporter of the NAC. She explained her husband likes to concentrate on the film he’s watching and with so many distractions at 24 Sussex – phones, kids, friends, cats – the theatre is a refuge.
Sharon Johnston, the Governor-General’s wife, was also at the premiere, as was Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.
And then arts met politics in another unusual way on the red carpet. Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, CTV’s eTalk’s Quebec correspondent, was on one side of the entranceway with her producer, Jeffrey Feldman, when her husband, Liberal MP Justin Trudeau walked past.
He stopped; she interviewed him about Barney's Version and the Canadian culture scene for her show. The interview, however, began with a kiss – something members of the Parliamentary press gallery generally avoid when doing interviews on the Hill.
Barney’s Version, meanwhile, received rave reviews from the crowd.
Liberal MP Justin Trudeau is interviewed by his wife, eTalk Quebec correspondent Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, on the red carpet at the premiere of Barney's Version at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on Nov. 2, 2010. — Jeffrey Feldman
2. Fighter-jet fight. More than half of Canadians are aware of the Harper government’s plans to spend $16-billion on the purchase of 65 next-generation stealth fighter jets but are split on whether the government should go ahead with it, according to a new on-line poll.
Ottawa’s Abacus Data found that 35 per cent of its poll respondents supported the government’s plan compared to 37 per cent who do not believe it should go ahead; 29 per cent said they were unsure.
But the proposed procurement is well known across Canada with 61 per cent of respondents saying they were aware of the issue. Not surprisingly, the poll revealed that older, male Canadians were the most aware of the initiative and supported it.
The online poll of 1,001 Canadians was conducted between Oct. 29 and Nov. 1. Respondents were also given three statements regarding the jet purchase and asked which one came closest to their own view. These statements emulated the positions of the parties.
The poll found that 27 per cent supported the Conservative view that the jets are needed and will create jobs and another 27 per cent sided with the NDP’s assertion that more study is necessary because a clear case has not been made for the jet purchase. Only 19 per cent, however, agreed with the Liberal argument that “no open competition means the planes will be more expensive and there’s no guarantee for jobs.”
