from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Oct 1, 2008 at 10:29 PM
subject Leaders gang up on Harper; Harper assailli de toutes parts lors du premier débat
Dear Stephen,
Watched the french debate tonight from L’Île-Perrot. We came out to take Nataniel to the garderie tomorrow morning as Philippe has an early meeting and Jo is away on business. You were certainly under attack from all sides. And no commercial breaks! It must have been hot under those lights. I enjoyed the round table format better, but would prefer longer debates in general, maybe spread over a period of days. The 45-second response isn’t much, and a lot of empty rhetori gets thrown around, with little substance. How often can you respond that you “have a plan” before it begins to feel meaningless?
One of the more outspoken Conservative Party Facebook Group member posted a note tonight entitled “Immigration is the death of Canada”. It is a long, long letter so I won’t include the whole thing, just several comments from Yvon Sanscartier:
“as I arrived at the Mississauga Hershey Center for a game of soccer I was greeted at the parking lot by thousands of Pakistanis emerging from the Hershey center. It was like a scene right out of the “Night of the Living Dead” the parking lot full of strange looking people in pajamas. I’ve never been so embarrassed and horrified to be Canadian”
“Canada is quickly earning the reputation as the most pathetic country on earth.”
“I love all people of all cultures and feel superior to no one. However, my country is under attack due to an out of control policy that no true Canadian asked for. Although it is normal that every country should welcome a certain percentage of immigrants to open restaurants and create some diversity, Canada’s open door policy exceeds by light years what is considered normal.”
“By a landslide there is nothing more detrimental to our identity, reputation and security as our insane open-door immigration policy. Our feeble minds have been brainwashed to think that we must rely heavily on an influx of immigrants to balance our declining birth rate”
“There are large geographic areas in Canada where there are nothing but ethnics for as far as you can see. You are the minority. And they aren’t just moving, they are fighting for control. These areas will send representatives to parliament to fight for their ethnic neighborhoods, adding fuel to the fire in a country already complicated with the French -English issue. As immigration continues so will their power. Governments are whores for votes and just like Bill Clinton relinquished power to the blacks to get nominated, our leaders are following the same path to power. Steve Harper is seriously pandering for the Chinese vote in Richmond, BC”
“Maher Arar cashed in by suing Canada for $15 million and embarrassed the RCMP. Does anybody believe he was really tortured? He knew he hit the jackpot before he even landed in Syria”
“I know of neighborhoods where beautiful Canadians walked 20 years ago and now these places are dominated by visible minorities”
There is more but I can read no further. How does one even respond to this? Maybe I’ll just report him to Facebook and let the administrators deal with it. After all, I was ejected from the group simply for trying to keep the arts in the discussion.
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Oct 2, 2008 at 11:50 PM
subject Rivals demand answers from Harper; Les partis d’opposition veulent rappeler la Chambre des communes
Dear Stephen,
I’m watching the debates again tonight. Not much of a change in tone, just the langauge. Your voice is a little deeper in English, but still borders on a lulling monotone. And the attacks make sense, and Elizabeth May seems to have gained the most. After all, how high were her expectations?
And then watching her on the Hour afterwards—how ingenious was that scheduling?—really brings the Green Party voice to the forefront. Well, at least the CBC forefront. I just hope everyone votes a tad strategically and averts your coveted majority.
We were up super-early this morning to take Nataniel to le garderie. It was fascinating to hang our with a 2-year old and watch him go through his routines; getting dressed, drinking juice, eating breakfast, into the car and when we arrived at the le garderie he was completely at ease and familiar, even to the point of hanging up his coat and taking off his shoes.
I set up my third Facebook account so I can post to the Conservative Party page (my second account seems to be suspended as well). But here is some news: I received a phone call from the Conservative Party letting me know that you will be speaking in Montreal on Monnday (or was it Tuesday?). So I think I will call back and RSVP and try to be there. Maybe we can do a photo-op or something.
Oh and BTW if you ever want to buy back-copies of the PM project visit http://tinyurl.com/3pms74. I have volumes available for sale, one for each year that I have been writing. It is a publish on demand company. Just in case you are interested.
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Oct 5, 2008 at 6:22 PM
subject Arctic and Afghan issues front and centre on the campaign; Duceppe écorche Harper lors d’un grand rassemblement
Dear Stephen,
“What is it about Le Château Royal convention & reception halls that always leave guests with an irresistible desire to return? Simply put, these halls cast a spell on everyone who comes through their doors.”
Well, tomorrow night I prepare to be cast under the spell of Le Châteua Royal in Laval as I’ve been invited by the Conservative Party to attend one of your speeches. Someone called on Thursday and left a message and I RSVPed today when we returned from an overnight visit to Gatineau. Gilles, Rose-Marie, Joanne and Nataniel all had birthdays in the past week, so we were there to celebrate.
“The refined yet magnificent dining areas are filled with the sounds of celebration. Whatever the occasion, you’ll experience unforgettable moments to be shared with. There are places in our life that we think of and remember with a smile. Le Château Royal reception halls is exactly that kind of place. It is difficult to imagine a more perfect, more elegant setting for your reception.”
I’ve received a couple more phone calls from the NDP candidate, trying to get a lawnsign to me, but still nothing from the Bloc or the Conservatives. I’ve not been on the C-Party F-book group in a number of days but I just checked and here are a few interesting posts:
Theresa wrote at 9:02pm yesterday
“i wish everyone would settle down about global warming. It is nothing more than scare tactics. We as a race have not been recording our weather patterns for long enough to make an intelligent observation on what our earth is doing. Leave it to man to be so arrogant as to assume that all their scientific tests will give them the answers.
We should be recycling and “going green” because it is the responsible thing to do. Not because the earth is going to “turn” on us. Any talk in political platforms about global warming falls on deaf ears and the party of individual loses points. With me anyway.
Going green is now nothing but a trend that will fade away as soon as the media feeds us something else to be “scared” of.”
Dave wrote at 4:53pm yesterday
“CBC is nothing more than a government ‘Slush Fund’ being manipulated by French, Chinese and Russian SOCIALISTS bent on destroying America,to increase their own SOCIALIST POWER! Their mission is simply to persuade Canadian Youth, and Immigrants to vote against Canada’s founding English communities, with hopes of dividing English Canada from English America! DIVIDE and CONQUOR!Even many ‘naive’ English Canadians have fallen for their unprecedented web of DECEIPT!This is so dangerous as mostly ALL of Frances, Chinas and Russias SOCIALIST populations ARE being treated like slaves and they now burn cars in the streets out of protest,while these wealthy SOCIALIST leaders work ONLY four days a week with huge paychecks!!SLAVERY! They screw immigrants globally with their REDMedia,Food and Fashion… then blame AMERICA forall the money problems in Life(ie..Channel, Dior, Champagne!)WAKE UP ENGLISH CANADA! The French Connection is in full effect, and Canada is getting more RED for a reason!!!!!”
Blair wrote at 4:48pm on October 3rd, 2008
“Margaret Atwood is a terrible writer. I loathed being forced to read her works in University. She is a hack who basically recycles great dystopian novels into watered-down militant feminist poop!”
So we’re off to Melissa’s for supper with her and Colin, who has just landed a new job in Boston. I’ll see you tomorrow.
“As you enter Le Château Royal, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by the size and elegance of the lobby and cocktail lounge. Your guests will mingle in a beautifully appointed environment, where our professional staff will serve them graciously. Whether you are planning something grand or intimate, whether your guests number 20 or 1400, we have the facilities to handleThe halls are designed following a traditional pattern but the use of tasteful colors and fabrics bring them to life. We have selected luxurious draperies, textured walls, brass trims and wooden frames to give our halls a touch of class.”
Sounds like it will be a fun-filled, ritzy time!
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Oct 6, 2008 at 11:37 PM
subject Stocks slide despite bailout plans; Le Bloc demande un mandat de grève aux Québécois, accuse Harper
Dear Stephen,
I saw you tonight in Laval. “Stephen Harper est revenu à la charge contre le Bloc québécois lundi soir dans un hôtel de Laval à l’occasion d’un rassemblement partisan de quelque 400 personnes”, writes La Presse. “Avec la remontée du Bloc au Québec, selon les derniers sondages, le chef conservateur a bel et bien l’intention de déployer des efforts exceptionnels au cours des derniers jours de la campagne électorale pour tenter de reprendre le terrain perdu.”
Would you like to hear how I saw the event? I arrived at the hotel just before 5pm, one of the first “public” guests at the event, and waited close to forty-five minutes in the corral as more guests arrived and passed around signs. I received a sticker. Once inside I listened to the playlist of ambient music: AC-DC, Steve Earle, Bruce Springsteen, The Tragically Hip, Fleetwood Mac, Shania Twain and what I could have sworn was a song by Foreigner. I had some random conversations about digital cameras and how I thought my candidate would do in Papineau. I answered truthfully, that it would most likely go Bloc or possibly Liberal with young Justin Trudeau. The man asking me seemed surprised that immigrants would vote for the Bloc. I saw my candidate there, Mustaque Sarker, as well as the three Laval PC candidates, as Jean-Pierre Belisle introduced one after another PC candidate. I think everyone from all of the Montreal and environs were there, which makes one think that a rally of 400 people really wasn’t that much.
“Avec la remontée du Bloc au Québec, selon les derniers sondages, le chef conservateur a bel et bien l’intention de déployer des efforts exceptionnels au cours des derniers jours de la campagne électorale pour tenter de reprendre le terrain perdu. Il est déjà prévu que M. Harper revienne au Québec à la fin de la semaine.”
A small group of protestors were ejected; they had banners but didn’t get a good look a them. I was wondering why younger, artsy-looking folks were doing there. My bag was searched early on, and then I overheard the security guard saying that I “fit the profile”. I elected to stay quiet, even when you tried to twist the facts on the arts cuts. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of being ejected and detained. I must admire your ability to stick to the program, reciting bits and pieces from your daily media releases, even if they don’t quite add up when you think of them.
I saw Rick Mercer there, who was yawning as you were going on about the economy.
After the banner-waving and multiple, uneccessary standing ovations, I was yawning too. When it ended I left right away, guessing I wouldn’t be able to get through the throngs of die-hard supporters to ask you a question. There were a couple real political nerds there, wanting autographs I guess. I had a programming meeting at SKOL to attend to that went on later than I had anticipated; I only arrived home at midnight. Claudine had locked herself out of the apartment and is mad; she went to bed already without speaking a word. Not fun.
Now I’m off to cruise the Conservative Party Facebook page and perhaps incite a few more extremists to write inflammatory comments. Did you know that you have a fan who has made a scrapbook website dedicated to you? You should check out Harper Girl:
http://www.harpergirl.com/HarperGirl.com/HarperGirl.html
Have a good trip through Quebec. You should try visiting prettier sites than Laval.
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 10:11 PM
subject Accused child abductor faces more sexual assault charges; Opérée au coeur, Aline Chrétien se remet bien
Dear Stephen,
I received campaign lawnsigns today. I received a call while at work on my cell and I arranged to have them waiting for me when I got home. Guess from which party? Not the Conservatives, nor the NDP (even though they called and left another message on my home phone today), nor the Liberals. So now I am the proud owner of a big portrait of Gilles Duceppe: Présent! pour le Québec and two smaller Vivian Barbot signs. I haven’t put them up yet; I had a Skype conference call meeting with the board of Third Space Gallery, and then Claudine arrived home while I was making supper. We cooked together and ate watching a little TV. The only campaign ads we saw were for the NPD, a cute animation, and for the Liberals, an earnest, straight-talking Stéphane Dion.
I must admit to being surprised by your drop in the polls, not only in Québec, but across the country. This is starting to become a real race. Back when you were at 41% a majority seemed a forgone conclusion. Now everything seems up in the air.
And speaking of air, today you finally released a platform. Not many surprises in there, and actually a number of things that sound good at first glance: the first-time homeowner tax rebate, for example, or the spousal income-splitting (though it would be nice if you would take Layton’s lead and apply a similar formula to artists). But what does “Open up the regulated airline and uranium mining sectors to allow increased foreign investment” actually mean? Or “Invest $50 million to strengthen slaughter capacity in various regions of the country to support our beef and dairy industries, and other livestock sectors”. What does ‘slaughter capacity’ really mean? Is it about safety, or quantity? And I love this part: “Prevent export of raw bitumen to higher polluting countries”. So do you really plan to cease exports to the US, since they would be a higher polluter? Don’t we already export more oil products to the US than we ourselves consume? Or do you simply consider us more polluting in the first place? And the only mention of the arts anywhere is the $500 child tax credit, which is great, but doesn’t help already struggling artists. And if you’re going to slash arts programs for practicing artists why give more incentives to kids to experiment in that field in the first place?
Anyway, the whole election / Conservative Party Facebook extremists / work and planning / while trying to not catch a cold is giving me a pounding headache. I’m off to bed.
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 9:59 PM
subject Edmonton sex offender wasn’t ‘high-risk’: Ex-cop; Charest veut convoquer ses homologues au sujet de l’économie
Dear Stephen,
Had a regular day at work (I mostly wrapped and organized cable, it was actually fairly relaxing). I’ve been hard at work this evening, harassing the poor Conservative Party Facebook members. Here are a few more choice words from our friend Blair, amongst others:
Blair Skulmoski wrote
at 6:11pm
Christophe is the reason you type such diahhrea because your stool has been pushed in far to far and now resides in the cavity you call your head or is it the fact that the Conservatives are going to win a majority and you are just an angry little Liberal? Boo Hoo!
Blair Skulmoski wrote
at 6:12pm
Christophe get a job! I’m sick of paying for your internet connection with my tax dollars. Bum!
Blair Skulmoski wrote
at 6:30pm
Cory is definately not my, “Buddy” and youtube isn’t exactly Maclean’s is it? I don’t care if a bunch of welfare bums are pissed off at Stephen Harper.
Yvon Sanscartier wrote
at 9:15pm
Christophe is concealing his face for a reason. He is clearly not one of “we” rather he is one of “them”. Canadian by passport only. Stop dignifying his comments with responses. A faceless coward.
Blair Skulmoski wrote
at 9:24pm
Stop dignifying his comments with responses. A faceless coward.
But it’s so much fun destroying his hypocritical arguments. I guess it’s really not fair bashing Liberals they are, after all, stupid enough to vote for failure and corruption as opposed to stability and progress.
I could go on and on but I have to clean the kitchen and finish preparing a few documents for Felicity Tayler’s show at Third Space next week. Tim flies!
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 9:33 PM
subject Invisible Tory incumbents face tough battle in Quebec City; Harper se sert d’une entrevue difficile de Dion pour l’attaquer
Dear Stephen,
wow, you really can’t catch a break this week. Still slumped in the polls, massive arts rallies occurring everywhere, Dion suddenly energized and climbing, and now news of the actual cost of the Afghan mission amid accusations that your government has not been transparent. I heard you on Radio Canada this afternoon and you sounded a little bit frustrated.
Well, I’m frustrated at the moment too. I’ve been kicked off the Conservative Party of Canada Facebook page AGAIN. This is the third time and by baseball rules I should be out for good, but I have one more trick up my sleeve: another email account. So I’ll join up yet again and launch another offensive. In the meantime, I present some of the conversations from today, that I missed while at work:
Agnes Wood wrote
at 7:55pm
to Yvan
i don’t have balls but i’ll be happy to talk about it…i agree wiyh most of what you say lol,and right now i’m so mad i could spit nails,i just found out on friday D. Henry Morgentaler will receive our Countrys highest award,and for what,the murder of innocent babies…surely we can do better then that
Yvon Sanscartier wrote
at 6:01pm
..An exert from “Death of the West”. Canada’s Immigration policy is a dead-end and SHOULD BE our top priority. And nobody has the balls to talk about it.
Yvon Sanscartier wrote
at 5:57pm
“Our world is turned upside down. What was right and true yesterday is wrong and false today. What was immoral and shameful-promiscuity, abortion, euthanasia, suicide-has become progressive and praiseworthy. Nietzsche called it the transvaluation of all values; the old virtues become sins and the old sins become virtues. In half a lifetime, many Americans have seen their God dethroned, their heroes defiled, their culture polluted, their values assaulted, their country invaded, and they themselves demonized as extremists and bigots for holding on to beliefs Americans have held for generations.”To make us love our country, our country ought to be lovely”. In many ways America is no longer lovely”, said Burke. Some feel that she is no longer their country. We did not leave America, they say, she left us. As Euripides wrote, “there is no greater sorrow on earth, than the loss of one’s native land.””
Agnes Wood wrote
at 9:14am
i fear for the defence of this Country if liberals or NDP got elected,these are dangerous times we live in…support for our forces is very important in my opinion.
Nigel Austen (Vancouver, BC) wrote
at 3:41am
I went to the rally in Vancouver tonight. Prime Minister Harper gave a great speech to the crowd!
Blair Skulmoski wrote
at 2:22am
being annoyed that some art you don’t like being funded with your tax dollars is like being pissed off at the taxes you pay for roads (if you don’t own a car) or cancer treatments (if you don’t have cancer) or our military in Afghanistan (if you are not Afghani)
Come on Chris you can’t compare the Arts to Essential programs in the government. Our road ways bring you food Chris. No roadways = Chris starves. You’re not going to starve if there are no arts in Canada tomorrow. But you are going to starve if the roadways crumble! I can live without the arts but I can’t live if I’ve got cancer al over my body…and by the way I take real offense to you comparing the loss of a government grant to passing away from cancer! That’s certainly uncalled for! Plus you have again insulted Canada’s armed forces! What do you think they’re doing over there Chris? They are trying to make the world a better place. Are you too blinded by political rhetoric and falsehood to see that?
Teresa Worobetz (Saskatoon, SK) wrote
at 1:18am
well, this is about as exciting as watching Christophe’s paint dry….think I’ll go to bed. Goodnight all.
On that note, I’ll say goodnight myself. Claudine and I ordered pizza tonight, and watched the film Like water for chocolate. We’ve cleaned the apartment; Gilles and Rose-Marie are coming tomorrow for the weekend. We, however, will be in New York, visiting with Greg and Rebecca. We head out tomorrow morning.
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sat, Oct 11, 2008 at 8:50 PM
subject Harper urges voters to disregard polls; Flaherty se fait rassurant face à l’avenir économique du pays
Dear Stephen,
Hello from New York. Brooklyn to be exact. Having a fun and relaxing visit with Rebecca and Greg. The drive here yesterday was mostly OK, a bit bland, and then the traffic and confusion of crossing from NJ to Manhattan and then finding R&G’s place in Greenpoint was a little harrowing. After calming down a little we hopped on the Metro and met Greg at a little bar called Ben & Jerry’s. He was with a bunch of his coworkers, art-handlers and assistant regisrars from the Whitney. Eventually Rebecca joined us, then Andrew and Beth, and we went to grab a late-night snack at S’mac. Stopped for a nightcap on the way home, and had a great night’s sleep in the guestroom.
Greg had to work today as the Whitney is trying to finish installing an Alexander Calder exhibit that will open on Tuesday. In fact, he’s still there. Rebecca, Clo and I wandered Williamsburg and around the Lower East Side shopping and taking in the sights. We ate at an Indian restaurant “where chili-pepper lights and christmas-tree lights meet.” Now we’re getting ready to go to the Music Hall of Williamsburg to see some bands, notably the Heartless Bastards.
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 10:04 PM
subject Atlantic polls close, count starts; Discrimination : Gaz métro interjette appel
Dear Stephen,
We’re back from New York. Visited the MoMA yesterday afternoon, checked out the Van Gogh show that Greg had helped hang. Ate at a fabulous burger joint nearby, tucked into the lobby of a hotel, with service that rivals Reggie’s in Saint John. The museum was packed; I don’t think I have ever seen that many people in a museum. Of course, the MoMA is huge, but combined with the Columbus Day holiday even its spacious halls and galleries were dense with bodies.
We got lost twice trying to leave; first in New Jersey, we missed the turnoff the George Washington Bridge, and then later on missed the turnoff the Palisades highway. Overall it was a nice drive; we took turns, and listened to Jack Kerouac’s On the road. Got into Montréal shortly after 1:30am.
So today is the election. I voted after work, for the NDP. I never did hear from the vote-switch website. I’m watching the results now, switching between Radio-Canada and the CBC. Ugh, doesn’t look terribly good for us Lefties, but at least it doesn’t smell like a majority. I really hope you all learn to work together a little more productively.
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Oct 15, 2008 at 9:44 PM
subject Harper turns focus on economy; Des explosifs retrouvés dans une voiture à Montréal
Dear Stephen,
“Global Economic Storm”? Sounds like Dion’s speechwriters have conveniently abandoned the “green shift” in fear of losing jobs, homes and retirement security. Near the end of his speech he made a few passing mentions of the environment, but it is still a far cry from merging the two and understanding their absolute need to exist together.
And did you just say “protect our Irvings” instead of “protect our earnings”? Was that a well-lubricated Freudian slip? And now you’re saying we need all-party support to “weather” this global economic crisis. I like how this mix of metaphors keeps going on all night and into the papers today.
Had a busy day at work, then met with Felicity at Artexte to go over a few things before she leaves tomorrow for Saint John. Her show opens Friday. Then I rushed up to our apartment, grabbed the car and raced to the airport to pick up Meghan. Arrived on time, paid $4 parking and then we got stuck in traffic on the 20 east. Met Claudine at Aux Vivres and had a nice meal, then headed home.
We’re all exhausted. The last month of election rhetoric, and the spending of $300-million in taxpayers money for an election you felt was needed, breaking your own fixed election date law in the process, just so we could end up in a similar position, well, it leaves me feeling empty and exhausted.
The “victory speeches” on the Conservative Party of Canada Facebook page are ridiculous as well:
Ronald Ngai (Burnaby North Secondary) wrote
at 10:32pm
Y NOT TO CHOOSE LIBERALS!!!
THEY ALWYAS WANT THE CARBON TAX( R U THEY IN LOVE WITH IT..?) ALL IT WILL DO IS WASTE MORE $$…BUT WILL DO NOTHING TO HELP US…. THEY TAKE THE MONEY AND GO TO SAFEWAY OR SAVE-ONS TO BUY GROCERIES…
Cid Centeno (Toronto, ON) wrote
at 8:05pm
BIG CONGRATS TO MR. HARPER AND A BIG THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED. What a campaign it has been. Amidst all, Mr. Harper turned out to be the underdog against the 4 united opposition. yet, sound principle and amazing candour triumphed all. cheers to the conservative party!!!
Benjamin Holmes (UNC Greensboro) wrote
at 5:28pm
Congratulations from a Yank! Nice to see your party strengthened; the GOP could learn a lot from Canada.
John MacDonald (Vancouver, BC) wrote
at 3:44pm
Thank you everyone for your support for Stephen Harper and the Conservatives. We are still believing for a Harper Majority. We must educate our friends on the issues. I ask all my fellow Conservative to be patient and not bash Quebecers. FUTURE CONSERVATIVES WILL HAVE THEIR VICTORY IN QUEBEC
FRIENDS THIS IS NOT OVER UNTIL STEPHEN HARPER HAS A MAJORITY
Rich CL’z-up Myles (Hamilton, ON) wrote
at 3:13pm
HARPER IS THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Blair Skulmoski wrote
at 2:43pm
The most important issue of this election was defeating the Liberal / Green phony tax grab. Canadians stood up and said, “NO” to fake taxes robbing the West. The new N.E.P. is dead and gone. Thank God!
Blair Skulmoski wrote
at 2:42pm
Green Shift is dead! Hooray for Saskatchewan and Alberta! Let the economy grow!
Frank Lively (Halifax, NS) wrote
at 12:20pm
Thanks to the sweet baby Jebus! When the majority comes, (pray!) we can finally round up those liberal lovin’ faggots and burn em all!
Scott Dillon (University of Lethbridge) wrote
at 11:42am
CONGRATULATIONS CONSERVATIVES!!! What a showing. Too bad about not having a majority, but I feel that is the next step. A larger minority this time around is very good!! Now let us hope that the Conservative agenda can flow through the House of Commons with greater ease. I myself feel very proud to be a Conservative today. And the icing on the cake is NO Green Party seats AT ALL!!
Ugh, that’s enough, it makes me feel queasy.
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sat, Oct 18, 2008 at 12:29 PM
subject Anxious residents demand answers on bomb attacks; Les pharmaciens à bout de souffle
Dear Stephen,
I was stuck in traffic with the rental van from work yesterday and it cast a pall over my entire evening. That, and the fact that I was already exhausted and starving. Still, I stopped by François Lemioux’s apartment gallery for an opening, then met Clo, Meghan and Caro at Cagibi before heading to Galerie Clark for a performance by PME. Which was a lot of fun. All I wanted to do was go home but the gang continued on to Brasserie Laurier—the pub we watched a few playoff hockey games from—and played pool and selected songs from the jukebox and danced and drank cheap pitchers of beer. Caro and I grabbed a bite Chez Claudette—a rental meal, as I like to call them—and discussed contemporary are and authentic kitsch decor. Just past midnight it was decided we were going to Casa del Popolo, which was too crowded, then Sala Rosa, which was a bit too mellow. By the time we left and hailed a cab I was in a foul mood again.
And the bad mood has continued this morning; I feel like I didn’t get enough sleep and work up on the wrong side of the bed. We had breakfast at the apartment and Clo took Kuan to be shaved, and now we’re all going gallery hopping for the afternoon. I hope my mood improves.
Maybe I am suffering from some form of post-traumatic stress disorder, due to the election?
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 8:11 PM
subject After record-high fuel prices, economic uncertainity to hit Canadian airlines; Stéphane Dion rend son tablier
Dear Stephen,
So Stéphane is stepping down. I received an email from him this afternoon, mostly asking for money to help re-invigorate the Liberal Party to be better-prepared to counter heavily-funded attack ads. makes sense, I suppose. You did a good job demonizing the Green Shift into a tax grab, as opposed to tex relief for living a greener life. Seeing as most Conservatives don’t believe in Climate Change it becomes even easier to ridicule change, especially when we all benefit, to a certain measure, to maintaining the status quo. Why even bother to Reduce, Re-use or Recycle?
I had a bustling, yet also relaxing, weekend. Clo, Meghan and I visited some galleries on Saturday—Vox, for Kelly Mark, and the Belgo builidng—while Alex and Darren arrived late Saturday night and only stayed part of Sunday. I slept in Sunday and felt completely rejuvenated after a great brunch at le Baron de Faillon. Hung a couple pictures for Patti Schmidt, the former Brave New Waves host, before starting work Sunday afternoon. We started prepping the spaces as soon as the exhibition closed. Well, right after a celebratory glass of champagne. The show generated over 12,000 visitors, which is not bad for the third exhibition of a small foundation. Did you get a chance to see it? Too bad.
Today we started quickly with the de-install, pulling up carpet and bringing the crates from storage, setting up packing stations and clearing out a few galleries. Everyone was efficient and lots was accomplished. Despite the fact that the window removers did not arrive, we are ahead of schedule. Alex and Damien have arrived from France and are already hard at work. Unfortunately Sandrine is not part of the de-install team; it would have been nice to work with her again.
I’m going to view a studio space tomorrow. It belonged to a young artist named Patrice Duhamel, who passed away a couple weeks ago due to complications arising from Diabetes. It is truly a sad way to find an available studio.
Hey, I haven’t received any recent email since the election from the Conservative Party of Canada. Now that I am a member, will I get an invitation to the convention?
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 10:50 PM
subject Torture victims want public apology; Ignatieff et Rae ont conclu un «pacte de non-agression»
Dear Stephen,
We had a good day today and are in fact a little ahead of schedule. All of the Sophie Calle works are now packed and crated, including the A/V equipment. Everyone is working really hard and steadily.
In other news, I’ve been kicked off the Conservative Party of Canada’s Facebook page AGAIN! This is the fourth time! It’s getting ridiculous because I’ve run out of email addresses with which to make new accounts in order to post comments. What should I do? I like how the “dialogue” sort of dovetails with my email project to you, and want to explore it further as a potential medium. But it is really annoying to go through all this hassle to build an account only to have it blocked after a few days.
I’ve thus sent a letter to all the administrators of the site. This is how it goes:
“Hi there ______,
I’ve been kicked off the conservative party of canada facebook page a few times now, and don’t know why. Can you provide a reason and/or re-instate me? I really enjoy the dialogue. Thanks,”
I met with Sebastian Cliche this evening to visit his studio space in the Galerie Clark building and he accepted me as co-tenant. I’ll pay $253 beginning in November. I’l start moving my stuff in gradually as Patrice’s things are still there. It’s exciting to have a space to do some work. There is a great view of Mont Royal and downtown.
Meghan came back this evening after a brief visit to Ottawa. Clo had made supper and we ate and then Meghan packed; her flight is early tomorrow morning. She’ll be gone a year.
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 10:55 PM
subject ‘Extremely violent man’ sought after woman killed in shooting; Près de 30 millions $ pour la sécurité de Harper
Dear Stephen,
I apologize for not writing for awhile. Had a fairly busy week at work: packing up work, cleaning up the gallery spaces, getting the spaces prepped. And managed to squeeze in a fair bit of socializing after work; met with Melissa on Wednesday for drinks at Reservoir and supper at Patati-Patata, then Chris Flower on Thursday for drinks and an opening at Galerie Clark (then more drinks at Helm, then missing the last Blue Line train), then an opening at SKOL on Friday for Stephen Kelly, then supper at NYX with François and Caroline, then another opening/party at François Lemoux’s apartment/gallery, where Claudine and Caroline decided to bake a cake. On Saturday it rained, I went grocery-shopping a couple times and then Chris Flower picked me up to go to a hobby shop on Decarie, then I baked a roast, and Sarah came over to watch a movie with us but we ended up disliking My blueberry nights and watching Bleu Nuit instead. Sunday we had brunch at Sarah’s with Rudie, Braden, Amy, Sam, Ashley, Neil and Sarah’s new date Michael. Afterwards I took Sarah to IKEA and ended up buying a bunch of little things. I kept it under $100, which was good. Tonight we watched Lars and the real girl, which was a really sweet movie, very touching in how a community comes together. Too bad there isn’t more of that in real life. Darren arrived on his way back to the Maritimes tonight. He had a bite, we drank some beer and chatted and he’s watching Lars right now. I’m hoping for another good night’s sleep to start work on a fresh note tomorrow. Since nobody is responding to my recent posts on the Conservative Party Facebook page—with my fifth identity—then I’ll be off to bed fairly early.
Question: why has your security costs gone up so much? Do you really take threats of being beheaded seriously? Have you ever been threatened with pies?
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 8:42 PM
subject Brad Cooper has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Nancy Cooper; Les Québécois ne veulent pas d’élections
Dear Stephen,
Have you seen any good art lately? As I told you last night, I went to a bunch of openings over the weekend but I didn’t really explain anything. Stephen’s exhibition I liked a lot. He built four machines, two that hang from the ceiling and two mounted on the wall. They turn, rise or fall, with speakers that move along or swing on these metal structures that mostly resemble long narrow boxes. Two of the machines get their direction from data dent from a buoy near the Grand banks, and the other two from a buoy off the coast of BC. Stephen created a program that takes the data supplied by Fisheries and Oceans and converts it to tonalities, so the speakers make sounds that approximate the length, height and speed of the waves. I’d like to go back to hear the piece when it is less crowded.
I’ve been engaging a lot in arts-related debates on the Conservative Party of Canada Facebook group. I started a topic called simply “art”. There are some folks who are so vehemently opposed to any form of government support to art or artists, and I’m trying to find out why. Here are some recent remarks:
Theresa Mcintosh-Abbey (Kelowna, BC) wroteon October 25, 2008 at 9:03pm
no public funds should ever be spent on the arts apart from school and medical and continuing to preserve CANADIAN history(not art) It should always be privately funded. And you cannot define here in this forum what art is. It is too personal which is why the government should keep their noses and my tax dollars out of it.
Gustav Nelson (Winnipeg, MB) wrote8 hours ago
How do we know that a painting is a cultural icon?? Who decides that??
Don’t you think that it’s Canadians that should decide that based upon their habits.
You seem to have a preliminary understanding of supply and demand since you say that it’s the buyers which ultimately determine the value of an object, that being said if an artist can only make about $20 000 a year, don’t you think that there is an abundance of artists or art?? Or perhaps it’s just that Canadians do not find art is worth their time or money and there is just low demand?? Either case, if art was something that needed to be funded, we would be doing it already with our daily spending habits.
And of course it couldn’t be a conversation with Conservatives if the Voice of Fire didn’t take up a good chunk of it. I think it must be that Conservatives just don’t like abstract art!
OK, I’m off for a shower and hopefully, some sex!
-chris
from chris lloyd <dearpm@gmail.com>
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Oct 30, 2008 at 9:21 PM
subject Canadians prefer Trudeau; Steve Carbonneau en avait gros sur le coeur
Dear Stephen,
I’m beginning to think that my letters to you are a funny parallel to my own inbox: it is full of messages I don’t read. Ha! Except most of my messages are from galleries and eFlux and Akimbo that I just don’t have time to read.
I wish I were better at time management. Work tires me out and I find it hard to concentrate on anything else. I should be working more on my presentation for the conference next week. Last night I went to a CD launch with Claudine at le Divan Orange for Stefan and his band Avec pas d’casque. Sarah came for a bit too and brought us up to speed on her relationship with New Michael, which is confusing at the speed with which it changes. The life of single people seems unduly complicated! Avec pas d’casque played for about twenty minutes and they previewed a great animated video for the song Dans la nature. Afterwards Clo and I took the bus home, she grabbed the car to pick up laundry while I ordered soup tonkinoise to go. Ate in front of the telly.
This morning I was at work by 7am to meet the electricians. They always start early. Same story for tomorrow, so I didn’t feel like going out tonight. Stayed at home and made paté chinois and watched CSI. I still haven’t moved into the studio. Plan to do so this Saturday, as I don’t have a magnetic pass yet for the building after 6pm. I’m never home from work before 6pm.
ntgggg
(words of wisdom from kuan, as she steps on my keyboard)
-chris
DEAR PM 