The Written Word
for November 28, 2001

When my staff told me that, alas and alack, Brian Tobin was just somehow unable to make it on my show, I instantly had that little flash of anger that by now shouldn’t happen. After all, I’ve been on the Liberal Party of Canada’s shit list for some years now. The reasons for refusal vary with the minister and the mood of the moment. In the case of the Prime Minister he’s always too busy – talking to a Grade VI class or at a photo opportunity on the Capilano Suspension bridge, or whatever. Ministers like David Anderson are punishing me for calling Hedy Fry a political whore – which she clearly is. Others come up with one tailored to the moment – usually the minister’s schedule just doesn’t permit the him or her to talk to 150,000 British Columbians.

The reason is, of course, they fear a bad sound bite. In Jack Webster’s day, the ability to instantly get a bad sound bite across the land was limited. Not so today and these cowards know it. They know that I will not only ask the right questions but that I will persist until I get a responsive answer or it’s clear one is not forthcoming.

Mr Tobin, of course, wants to lead the party when President-for-life Jean Chretien retires. He knows what I’m going to ask him and that I will persist until I expose him as being a huge fan of appeasing Quebec on constitutional matters. We’ve been through that one and Mr Tobin doesn’t want British Columbians to know that he’s a died-in-the-wool Meechkin. This is the same reason Joe Clark won’t come near me – he remembers, as do his handlers, a memorable appearance on my show during the Charlottetown Accord referendum campaign.

Am I offended, perhaps hurt that these big wigs avoid me? Doesn’t it hurt my ratings?

The answer is, honestly, that I would do anything to have these people as guests – anything, that is, except what they want. They want deference and tough questions asked once only, with no follow-up after the inadequate answer. They’re not going to get it so it’s idle for me to be concerned. As to ratings, I can’t believe that one’s listenership is much affected by the presence or absence of a politician. But even if it were, I wouldn’t change because I couldn’t if I tried.

The pity of it is that the candidates for leadership will not be put under proper cross-examination before the public they say they want to serve. It’s not my loss but the public’s.

But the public can sleep easy at nights knowing that it doesn’t mean a damned thing one way or another who takes Chretien’s place. For British Columbians it will simply be business as usual. We don’t count electorally and that means we don’t count period. I mean, why should Mr Tobin or Mr Martin risk a bad sound bite that could hurt them in Ontario and Quebec just to satisfy the curiosity of some yokels in faraway British Columbia that doesn’t matter?