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Canwest News Service
The Olympic Winter Games are as much a political as an athletic event, with attendance confirmed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and at least seven of his cabinet members.
Ot tawa has inves ted a whack of cash in the Games and has a number of goals it wants to achieve by way of the extravaganza.
Lest there be any doubt about ownership, the federal government's website, canada2010.gc.ca,
makes it clear: "Although the 2010 Winter Olympics will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler, they are Canada's Games." Accordingly, the PM plans to be on hand for both the opening and closing ceremonies at the very least, reports press aide Andrew MacDougall in the Prime Minister's Office.
"He's a big sports fan" and may try to find time for the hockey or other competitions.
Treasury Board President and minister in charge of the Asia-Pacific Gateway Stockwell Day, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl, Trade Minister Peter Van Loan, Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, Minister of State for Tourism Rob Moore and Minister of State for Sport Gary Lunn also will put in appearances.
Indeed all MPs and senators have been given Olympics accreditation and parliamentarians also got special access to ticket allocations. Liberals and New Democrats eschewed the government's ticket-buying program while Conservatives who participated paid out of pocket for their event tickets.
Government politicians who schedule time at the Games, unquestionably, will derive a good deal of public relations benefit from the high profile feel-good event.
Some political observers have speculated that a Games in which Canadian athletes dominate the podium could translate into positive feelings toward the Harper government, reversing a recent trend in which Conservative polling numbers have been declining, with the party now tied with Liberals.
But Conservative politicians also have a job to do — promoting the national and international goals that Ottawa has designated for the Games.
Among the national objectives: fostering athleticism, official bilingualism, aboriginal participation and environmental sustainability.
Politicians will also use the Games as a platform to try to enhance Canada's tourism potential, with the government spending $26 million on international tourism promotion.
The feds also want to court investment.
The hope, declares the website, is that "global business leaders [will] consider Canada a dynamic nation with strong fundamentals and world-leading capabilities in a range of sectors."
Ottawa, from the start, has worked closely with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the Games, by way of its 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Secretariat.
And Harper designated two B.C. ministers as lead federal point persons for the Games: Moore (Port Moody-Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam) and Lunn (Saanich-Gulf Islands).
A $10.4-million Canada Pavilion, located at the corner of Georgia and Beatty in Vancouver, was shown to the media last week.
The feds have been fairly generous to the province in terms of Games funding, with a total commitment of $1.23 billion, reflecting some $650 million for security and nearly $300 million for venue construction.
In addition, Ottawa kicked in $222.5 million toward a new $883.2-million convention and exhibition centre for Vancouver.
And the feds contributed $450 million for a $2-billion subway line through the centre of the city, not by accident named "the Canada Line."
The senior level of government, despite strong financial involvement in the Games, to date has remained unscathed from a public relations perspective.
The province, meanwhile, has borne the brunt of criticism, for spending on bread and circuses to the detriment of health care or social housing for the poor.
And Vancouver's municipal government probably experienced the biggest challenge with cost overruns on housing at the athlete's village.
byaffe@vancouversun.com
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I had to read your headline several times and then hope that the article was satiric.
Do you honestly believe that seeing Harper or any other MPs at the Olympics is going to make us feel all warm and fuzzy?
It will only be a reminder that they are at the games when they are supposed to working.
And for the record, that is OUR money that they are throwing around and at a time of economic instability, it again only makes me wonder if Harper is really trying to pilot us through this recession or is simply charting his own course.
Besides, if these were really Canada’s games, as they suggest. Why did they have an American firm build the Canadian pavilion?
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Emily, I could not agree with you more. I will not feel warm and fuzzy, after what this PM has done with shutting down the people’s house for his own political reasons.
I have never felt so ashamed to be a Canadian, and now with being on a world stage, I hold my breathe for the next global embarrasement by Stephen Harper.
The public opinion is swaying far away from this man and his regressive policies.
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You can’t be serious? Do you really think Canadians are that stupid and easily swayed by a big red ball? Wait and see.
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Bread and circus…Harper fiddles while Rome burns. Enjoy the games but don’t confuse them with open and transparent government.
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You underestimate the Canadian people if you think all someone needs to do is dangle a gold medal in front of our eyes to hypnotize us into trusting the Harper government again.
The chief pollster for EKOS said the Conservatives’ big drop in the polls that has not reversed at all for four weeks is “structural.” It’s not a temporary reaction. This is proven by the fact his response to the Haiti earthquake did not even put a dent in the loss.
Anger and outrage may fade, but PM Harper has lost the trust of the majority of Canadians, and distrust can last forever, and will not be restored by seeing him having fun at the Olympics.
Canadians are perfectly capable of rooting for our athletes without transfering that to our politicians. Canadians are smart enough to distinguish athletes from politicians. Besides, British Columbians did all the hard work to make this happen, not Harper’s government in Ottawa.
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There may have been some truth to your claim about politicians reaping PR benefits from the feel-good event of the Olympics before the Prime Minister prorogued Parliament for the second year in a row in order to avoid accountability to Parliament and the Canadian people.
However, many of us have wised up to him lately, thanks to the hugely informative and popular (222,200+ members) Facebook site Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament. I doubt that politicians who should be back in Ottawa doing the jobs they were elected to do will be looked on favourably by Canadians as they swan around the Olympics costing taxpayers still more money, in addition to the millions wasted through proroguement.
As for the point that *The senior level of government, despite strong financial involvement in the Games, to date has remained unscathed from a public relations perspective.* this may well be THEIR time to share in the pain of public disapproval while in the glare of the Olympics spotlight!
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To quote Barack Obama, “”You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig,”
Canadians are waking up in droves to Stephen Harper’s award worthy performances as he attempts to distract us while he systematically dismantles our democracy.
His recent prorogation of Parliament, so he could attend said Olympics, casts a pall over the whole event.
If I could prorogue my responsiblities and was given tickets to my favourite events I would turn my back on the Prime Minister to show my disdain for his leadership.
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The Harper Conservatives were NOT elected to ”reap political gains’. I voted for them as my choice to administer this country.
With 37 bills left on the session table, Parliamentary committees unable to conduct their business or levy reports, and expenditures of millions of dollars being authorized at the Cabinet table without debate or oversight, this is not happening.
On the contrary, the nation is running itself by the use of the Star Chamber. With a minority government, the PMO controls the agenda, the cabinet, evidently the Governor-General, stacks the Senate and the oversight commissioners with their own appointees, and leaves elected Members powerless to even have a letter of inquiry to the PM acknowledged.
You want to reap political gains? Run the government you were elected to do, under the rules and the Constitution you swore to Canadians and the Queen to defend.
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I can’t believe that you think the sight of the Prime Minister and other Canadian MP’s at the Games is going to make people glow with pride. Hardly! Given that Mr Harper has used the games as a cover to avoid accountability and questions in the House Of Commons, I am incensed!!
I am always amazed at the way in which money is given for projects; the assumption being that we should be impressed with the government’s largesse. The money is coming out of our, the taxpayer’s pockets, so lets get real.
And a question. Don’t we have architects in Canada? I believe we do. So why use an American firm to design the Canadian Pavilion? I am disgusted!
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I am also amazed at the theme of this article is that the Canadian public is so naive that they cannot celebrate our wonderful young dedicated athletes, their coachs, the organizing committee of the Vancouver games and all the volunteers that will dedicate themselves to making the games a success and still be royally angry at the prorogation of the Canadian parliament.
Politicians trying to get some “opportunities” at the games will just add to our outrage.
Unlike the government, we can walk and chew gum at the same time.
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Does the Media actually think that Canadians are that Stupid? Emily Dee is correct!
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Oh great, these MPs are the best Ottawa could send. I hope they don’t say too much if they want to make a good impression. The National Objectives are smoke and mirrors; environmental sustainablity from a government that doesn’t believe in climate change and official bilingualism when one of the reasons why Peter Van Loan became Conservative was because of Trudeau pushing bilingualism? And, if I recall, Treasury Board President Stockwell Day claimed that man walked with dinosaurs because the earth is only 6,000 years old, I are good at figurin’.
If Canadian athletes have success in these Olympics it’s not going to change my opinion of the Harper government and, keep in mind, that tourists visit this country, we have to live here.
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The arrogance of Stephen Harper putting the Conservative Logo on Olympic wear for our games,is shameful,and further prof of his plan to hijack the games for his political gain.I will not attend the games,nor purchase Conservative propaganda.Since Harper prorogued parliament to use the games as a vote getting photo op.,I predict it will backfire.
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I agree with the comments already posted. If the Conservatives think seeing Harper and Company at the Olympics is going to be good PR, it is further proof of how out of touch with reality they truly are. It will only serve to remind us of his blantant disregard for democracy and his stop-at-nothing self-promotion. I half expect to see him on the podium with one of our gold metal winners…wearing his lovely sweater vest, holding a kitten, and trying to wrestle the metal away from the winner. “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!!”…..I want an election NOW!
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Using the Olympics for a political agenda WOW first time in it’s history…. really.
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When will commentators/pundits in the media start to give the Canadian public some credit for being intelligent citizens?
Do they truly believe for a second that Canada hosting the Games will somehow make us view the Harper government more favourably and forgive them for their crimes against democracy?
Suspending democracy in the name of the Olympics is Harper’s bald faced attempt to avoid accountability to the Canadian people.
Having the PM’s name or government associated with the Games only serves to sully them.
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you all have it wrong. Harper was at the games looking for future senators. Preferably those that can’t read and write. Stop wasting our money. Better than that stop taking our money.
Please continue discussion on the forum: link