VANCOUVER – James Moore was born in 1976, the year Canada first played host to the Olympics. Now, Mr. Moore is not only the youngest member of the Harper cabinet but, as Heritage Minister, he is the man in charge of Vancouver’s Winter Games.
It is the biggest event in his lifetime. “We need to get this right,” he says.
He hopes they have – a $1.3-billion investment in athletes, infrastructure and cultural events, including the Olympic Torch Relay and security from the federal government; about $24-million from the federal government for its portion of the opening ceremonies.
He says Vancouver has never looked better; the energy and enthusiasm is palpable.
But the pressure is on. Three billion people will watch the opening ceremonies; the city is full of tourists, athletes, government officials and business executives from around the world.
The quality of these Games and the impression they leave on the world is as crucial for Canada’s reputation abroad as it is for his government’s reputation domestically.
Mr. Moore, however, dismisses the theory of the so-called Olympic “bounce” – that if Canada wins many gold medals, the outpouring of patriotism from Canadians would propel the Harper Tories to a majority government. And he says the cabinet is not sitting around plotting how many gold-medal wins it would take for the Prime Minister to try to provoke an election.
“Nobody is talking politics and everybody is talking Canada,” he says.
Well, not quite.
He is concerned that “too much politics has been pumped into the Games,” from interest groups disrupting the torch run, to the Vancouver protest this week that blocked the Prime Minister.
And the Liberals, he says, are playing games with the Games.
“Only their Leader [Michael Ignatieff] is participating and they protest the fact that we are participating … going to events even though we are paying our own way,” he says.
He is critical of the NDP and the Bloc for not participating in the Olympics. The NDP, he says, has always opposed the Games; the Conservatives have always supported them.
As for the Bloc, Mr. Moore says that the party has missed an opportunity, as more than one-quarter of the Canadian athletes are from Quebec. The federal government has invested heavily, he says, in trying to ensure that these Games are bilingual.
“Quebec has a great deal to be proud of about these Games. And, obviously, if the Bloc is not interested, it’s unfortunate. Our athletes will do well regardless.”
Mr. Moore was the youngest in his caucus when he was first elected to the House of Commons in 2000. He grew up in British Columbia – the youngest in his family, too – with his dad, Jim, as his biggest supporter; his mother died of brain cancer when he was just 16.
In an interview Friday, he said he thought he was a one-term wonder, given that about a week after he was elected a civil war erupted within the Canadian Alliance. Leader Stockwell Day was eventually pushed aside, and Stephen Harper took over.
And in this weird world that is politics, the three men now sit together in cabinet. All three are in Vancouver and are using their time wisely.
The Prime Minister met with other world leaders Friday afternoon. He has also scheduled bilateral meetings with foreign counterparts, as has Mr. Moore with his. Trade Minister Peter Van Loan is involved in high-level meetings with top CEOs from around the world.
“We’re rolling out the red carpets in a very responsible way to the international community,” Mr. Moore says.
And he is rolling right along with it, enjoying every minute.
(Photo: The Heritage Minister, far left, greets International Olympic Committee chief Jacques Rogge, center, along with B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, and Canadian Olympic Committee president Michael Chambers at the Vancouver airport this month. Matt Dunham/AP)
