This will blow your mind: I asked a politician a question and he didn’t answer it.
Yep, that really happened.
It occurred last week when I got an opportunity to ask Liberal leader Justin Trudeau some questions regarding his announcement that he will work with the City of Vancouver and provincial government – if his party wins the Oct. 19 election -- to “extend rapid transit service along Broadway to Arbutus.”
That’s kind of a big deal, considering the price tag for a subway is in the $1.9 billion range.
I was surprised to get a turn at the mic because the way these things go, national reporters travelling with federal leaders usually hog question time. Thankfully, that didn’t happen, with yours truly the fifth in line to demander quelque questions a monsieur Trudeau.
But when I got to the mic, I screwed up. I committed a journalism faux pas by asking two questions in one. This never works because, if you’re lucky, you’ll get a response to one of the questions, not both. And that’s what happened.
My question: “How much of the $20 billion in transit infrastructure that you’ve announced today will go to rapid transit along Broadway, and do you prefer that money go to a subway or light rapid transit?”
Trudeau: “Thank you, that’s an excellent question. Do I prefer subways or rapid transit, or light rail? I don’t think that’s an opinion that the federal government should have. But we’ve been conditioned to look at the federal government as the one who decides which projects get built, even though the expertise is right here at city hall.”
So, yeah, he didn’t answer my “excellent question” and tell me how much Vancouver would get for a subway. I asked one of his staff to get back to me on this. As of Monday, I still hadn’t heard what kind of cash Trudeau would shovel Vancouver’s way, although he did mention $1.7 billion would be spent across Canada in each of the first two years.
But then I had a thought: Maybe Trudeau had every intention of telling me how much the Liberals would contribute to rapid transit in Vancouver but was rattled by the guy with the props who took the mic before me. And, come to think of it, I was just a little off my game following the guy’s performance.
Damn you, Nardwuar The Human Serviette!
For those of you unfamiliar with the tartan tam-wearing off-beat interviewer/musician/memorabiliac, I recommend you Google him. This is the same guy who asked Mikhail Gorbachev this: That of all the political figures you have met, which one had the largest pants?
Nardwuar wasn’t interested in pant sizes when he spoke to Trudeau. His goal was to get the Liberal leader to do what Jean Chretien, Paul Martin, Michael Ignatieff and Jack Layton had all done before him: the “hip-flip,” which is best described as a zany party toy that requires two people to use their hips to rotate a long plastic piece in a loop to cause the ringing of a bell.
Trudeau agreed to do the “hip-flip” after the news conference, much to the excitement of Nardwuar, whose disarming, respectfully polite approach also worked Monday with NDP leader Thomas Mulcair, who was in Vancouver. Green Party leader Elizabeth May is next on Nardwuar’s list. Conservative leader Stephen Harper declined to do the “hip-flip” and, according to Nardwuar, had security carry him away.
So what’s the takeaway from all this?
Yes, I know, only ask one question at a time.
More importantly though, bring props to news conferences to get quality time with a politician.
And maybe wear a tam.
@Howellings
