Federal NDP movie set created at Vancouver's Jack Poole Plaza
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair played the seniors' card today, promising better palliative care and pledging to help provinces build 5,000 more nursing care beds.
While in Vancouver on an election stop, he also said that if elected, the federal New Democrats would invest in home care for 41,000 more seniors in the first term of office.
I dropped by the NDP rally today at Jack Poole Plaza to catch the mood.
While party members seemed upbeat about their chances, the event felt choreographed— so choreographed, in fact, that I didn't bother to remain to hear Mulcair's speech.
I had already attended one scripted Mulcair campaign event earlier in this election campaign and I had the sense that this was going to be more of the same.
Before leaving, I noticed that the teleprompters were already in place and a crowd of New Democrats was strategically stationed behind the podium with "ready for change" placards.
The whole setup was going to provide spectacular imagery of the North Shore mountains for the national TV newscasts.
Before the leader arrived, an NDP organizer instructed the human props—err, I mean the people behind the leader—to remove their sunglasses.
This came after Vancouver Kingsway NDP candidate Don Davies had warmed up the crowed.
No doubt during this dress rehearsal, party apparatchiks noticed the towering former NDP MLA Jagrup Brar wearing shades off to the side of Davies.
It wasn't the type of image that Mulcair would want transmitted, given that anyone who's 6'6" in sunglasses can look like a menacing gangster to some TV viewers.
But outside of camera range, there was no shortage of security personnel who kept their sunglasses on.
When the man who could be Canada's next prime minister is in town, cops don't want any surprises on their watch.
Jack Poole Plaza is actually an ideal place to hold a political rally.
Not only does it offer superb imagery, it can easily be blocked off by the Mounties to maintain safety.
That's why I suspect that this won't be the last election event to take place at this location.
Comments
6 Comments
Anonymous
Sep 13, 2015 at 7:24pm
Gosh, scripted? I can't believe it!
Next you're gonna tell me that it wasn't actually Tom Mulcair personally leaving a message on my answering machine.
Are you new to politics? ....or reporting?
Richard S.
Sep 13, 2015 at 7:36pm
How many people attended the rally? Looks like thousands.
i still care
Sep 13, 2015 at 10:21pm
have you really run out of things to say?
Just wondering
Sep 14, 2015 at 9:33am
So, you wrote a review of an event you didn't bother to stay around to for. I just looked at the title page of a recently-published book. Would the folks at the Straight like me to write a book review for them?
Journalism 101
Sep 14, 2015 at 1:49pm
Why bother writing a story if you have nothing to say?
spinningsam
Sep 14, 2015 at 5:44pm
Look, I get what you're saying - choreography can make an event feel false. But I don't think that's what happened today. That's me in one of your photos, in the orange cardigan to the right of Jagrup Brar. I was NOT a prop. I wanted to be there, and was looking for a spot in the front when an organizer asked me to join the crowd near the podium. I wasn't hustled or forced - I was invited to be part of the action, and to help show the rest of the country how many of us cared enough to turn out today. I think the NDP officials and volunteers who were there were simply using a necessary strategy in an age of instant photo- and video-sharing. It's a strategy that might traditionally be associated with disingenuous right-wingers, but is, in fact, an unavoidable part of professional politics. It's incredibly naive and reductive to equate choreography with falseness. The substance of the speeches - the ones you didn't bother to stick around and listen to - was genuine and inspiring, and I was glad to be a small part of demonstrating the passion for change on display today. I'd rather this "movie set choreography" than a disorganized, poorly attended event. I'll also add that the security folks with Mulcair were friendly and gentle with the crowd, and didn't stop us from interacting with him.