APRIL 2015

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Wed, Apr 1, 2015 at 10:28 PM

subject Une sénatrice outrée d’avoir à justifier ses dépenses; Canadian diplomat’s son killed in Miami shootout over two pounds of marijuana

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived April Fool’s Day. Did you pull any pranks today? I didn’t, and didn’t receive any, although my regular Tweet last night to you has put the Dear PM project into jeopardy. I received this message from Yannis this morning:

Bonjour Chris

Tu peux m’expliquer ceci? 

@dearpm: @pmharper Le secret est maintenu sur les coûts en Irak et en Europe de l’Est; Pamela Wallin filed false Senate claims for work on boards of

So I wrote back with this:

Salut Yannis, oui bien sur! Les phrases sont tiré de les nouvelles au moment ou j’écris mes communications au PM. C’est parti du projet d’art Dear PM que je faisais depuis longtemps. J’utilise les nouvelles comme sujet. 

And later this afternoon – after spending the bulk of the afternoon at the Senselab workshop about the art of imposture – he sends me this:

Maintenant que tu es candidat j’aimerais que tu arrêtes ce projet jusqu’aux élections au moins et que tu suspendes/supprimes le compte Twitter DearPM

So I am drafting my reply, which will be the first test of not simply going along with their requests of me, as I am certainly not planning to stop or suspend my letter-writing project to you, and I don’t want to suspend my Twitter account either, as I use it for the Tim Hortons and Everyday Goalie projects as well. So I have to find a nice way to deny his completely reasonable request.

In other news, we shut the power off in our apartment tonight from 7pm – 8pm as part of a group protest against Hydro Quebec rate hikes going into effect today. We read stories to the kids with flashlights, which was fun. Tomorrow I’ll take off from work at lunch to come meet the evaluator sent from National Bank. We’re hoping to get our apartment re-evaluated at $315 so we can consolidate our credit lines into our mortgage at a lower interest rate. Fingers crossed! Off to grab a shower before bed. Tomorrow is pyjama day at daycare for the kids. Wouldn’t it be weird if adults had a pyjama day at work? Could you imagine going to Parliament in your pyjamas?

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Thu, Apr 2, 2015 at 10:55 PM

subject Joe Oliver promet un budget fédéral équilibré le 21 avril; Roxanne Dubé’s son met alleged drug dealer at Miami music festival days before both died shootout, girlfriend says

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived a very odd day! First, I was only at work in the morning, which is a bit tense as there are so many projects but very little oversight. I keep re-doing plans here and there. I came home early not to participate in the big massive anti-austerity protest but to meet the evaluator and what was there to greet me upon opening the front door?  A letter from the Canada Council for the Arts. Would you believe it but I got a grant! My first project grant ever, for the full amount, $20K! It is to make a bronze sculpture of the Everday Goalie. I now need to apply to the CALQ to get another $25K if I want to actually make the thing in bronze. A different metal may be cheaper. Anyway, the evaluation went well, the guy spent about a half hour, which is better than the last evaluation, which took 5 minutes and somehow pegged the value of our apartment at the exact dollar amount that we paid for it. 

So: Here is my reply to Yannis regarding the Twitter and Dear PM situation:

Salut Yannis, je comprends que ce projet y’a un air bizarre, surtout pour un candidat. J’arrête toutes mes tweets direct au PM, mais je voudrais garder mon compte actif car je l’utilise des temps en temps pour les autres projets. 

Autre sujet: Est-ce que je peux commander les brochures fait par ton compagnie imprimeur? Je pense que t’as dit qu’il y a déjà une modèle, il faut fournir seulement un photo et coordonnées? J’ai maintenant un nouvelle numéro cell pour la campagne : 438 – 738 – 2335. Faites-moi signe. 

And then he replies:

Ok mais peux tu supprimer les tweets des derniers mois ou tu t’adressais au PM ?

 

Peux tu m’envoyer une photo de toi ainsi que te créeer un email de campagne (lloyd2015@gmail.com par exemple) et me l’envoyer je vais te faire faire les brochures

So a situation is diffused and I am making progress to having some campaign literature printed. I created a campaign email (cpcpapineau@gmail.com) and just have to send that info plus a photo to Yannis. I copied and then scrubbed from Twitter all my direct Tweets to you, at least for the month of March. My oh my I sent you a lot of Tweets over the months and years! Well, no more until after the election. Maybe never again, we shall see. Meantime I’ll post my headlines to Tim Hortons. Also, here is my new personal signature. I transferred the candidate campaign signature to the new email. 

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Sat, Apr 4, 2015 at 1:13 AM

subject Deux ministres conservateurs ne se présenteront pas aux prochaines élections; A Toronto judge, two veteran prosecutors, and a lion for the defence: Who’s who in the Mike Duffy trial

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived Good Friday, or Passover. Spent the morning with the kids. I needed to work an hour on plans for woek, but then we piled into the car and went to the library. I renewed my card and we hung out there a bit before swinging by William Street to drop off my tools and check the progress on the Allie-X props. Sol fell asleep on the way home and then after lunch we went outside to play in the mud and melting snow in the backyard. Then Clo came back from work and we switched and I headed downtown to pick up the truck from William and more materials to drop off at Skol where I met Alexis and we built a door frame to the small gallery space that will be rented out as an office for the coming months in an effort to find more autonomous revenue. I had to leave right after the first coat of plaster was up as Clo had a night out scheduled with Pip. Put the kids to bed and fell asleep with Rose for 2 hours and so now cannot fall back asleep. Will watch some more of Story of Film perhaps. I hear that Christian Paradis and Shelley Glover are not seeking re-election? The webmasters of the Conservative Party page haven’t removed them yet from the candidates section. They haven’t removed John Baird yet either! Crack that whip, only 200 days to Election Day!

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Tue, Apr 7, 2015 at 10:39 PM

subject Harper promet de rétablir l’équilibre budgétaire, coûte que coûte; Behind the curtain: A peek inside the Duffy Circus on Elgin Street

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived the Easter weekend and Monday and now Tuesday. We went out to Île Perrot on Sunday for a family Easter egg hunt and ham dinner (Clo and I ate fish) and Rose stayed overnight to spend more time with her cousins. I went back to get her on Monday and we stopped at IKEA on the way home. The place was packed, busier than I have ever seen it, even more than last winter. I warned Rose that there was going to be no waiting for the ball room and she was fine with that. We ate, then grabbed the hooks we had come for, and left. Kids were patient and good. I was as zen as possible. In other weekend news Rose and Clo went swimming at Le Patro on Saturday but Sol fell asleep on the way so we just went for a long walk; I looked at storefronts for rent on St. Hubert. On Friday I took the kids to the library and then in the afternoon went to SKOL to help Alexis with renovations…wait, I think I told you that. Yes, I did. 

So I just wrote back to Yannis with new coordinates and my photo so I can get some brochures printed up:

Salut Yannis,

J’espère que tu es passé une joyeuse pâques! Voici un photo pour les brochures, l’adress courriel est “cpcpapineau2015@gmail.com”  est en plus j’ai un numero de cell dédié au campagne, 438-738-2335. Laisses-moi savoir si tu as besoin d’autre chose. Merci!

Clo has been extra busy lately as she is on an upcoming CALQ jury. She’ll be in Ottawa tomorrow for the Governor General Awards. Will you be there? I’m home with the kids, except tomorrow Iliana is going to babysit while I go check out the Yes Men at McGill. I hope to get some tips on this slow-burning, undefined infiltration on mine. All that to say that to unwind we’ve been watching episodes of Parks and Recreation. Just thought you should know. 

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 11:35 PM

subject Les conservateurs recrutent le maire de Victoriaville; Less than a day after his Senate appointment, Mike Duffy was at the public teat

Dear Stephen,

I am, as you can guess, still alive. Survived another typical day at work, then a delayed ride home on the metro to pick the kids up a little later than usual, but not too late. I swear the Montreal metro claims to have incredibly low breakdown rates only because they calculate the entire operating time. If they were just to calculate rush hours, say an hour in the morning and another in the evening, they must have the worst rating of any industrialized city with a metro system. Anyway, I got the kids fed before Iliana came over and I went out to catch a screening and talk by The Yes Men. Have you heard of them? It was a fun presentation and I spoke with both Mike and Andy afterwards about my candidacy and some of the options ahead of me. Michel Debroin was there too, we also talked a bit about what I could be doing with this. I want to rait until the election is called before going off-message, of course, but now am thinking that I could be completely erratic, on a daily basis. Some days issue a completely conservative-sounding communiqué (maybe a bit further right than expected, but still in the ballpark), mixed with things ridiculously to the right, mixed with actual bizarre strategies (If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em) or … oh wait I see through Facebook that the metro was slow tonight because there was an argument and altercation and someone got stabbed quite badly. Sheesh. Now I feel a bit bad about complaining. OK late already off to bed. 

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Fri, Apr 10, 2015 at 11:04 AM

subject L’ex DG du Carnaval de Québec se présente pour le PCC; Mike Duffy trial: Day Four

Dear Stephen,

I am still you know. I didn’t write yesterday as I was KO after an early morning with the kids and another late pick-up. This time the metro announced a twenty-minute delay and just after I exited the platform at Laurier the doors closed and the train continued on. I decided to walk home anyway. Clo arrived home shortly after us and we made supper for us and the kids and talked about the GG awards and the Yes Men and work. But yesterday lots happened on a couple fronts. 

First, Carlo from National Bank emailed to say that he received the new evaluation and it puts our apartment at $350K! Another holy shit moment. That’s 100K over the evaluation made at the time of purchase. Granted, the kitchen is brand new, and other renovations made as well, but still, wow. He offered us a bunch of Mastercards but we will decline, as all we want is the all-in-one line of credit so we can dump all our other lines of credit and credit cards on it. We don’t want more credit cards!

Second, I was tracked down by a journalist at CBC radio who wants to interview me about the Dear PM project and my candidacy. I sent the following request off to Yannis and Marc-André but have yet to hear back:

Salut Marc-André,

Une journaliste avec CBC Radio (anglais) à me contacter pour faire une entrevue la semaine prochaine dans l’émission la matin. Elle veut parler des mes projets d’art aussi que ma candidature dans Papineau. Peux-je le faire? Merci

The journalist will contact me again today if her producer wants to do a story and then it would happen Monday or Tuesday morning. I think I can do it straight. It makes me a bit nervous, a fine line to walk. I plan to say I am running on Conservative policies and it is my job to consult to the residents of Papineau to see if those policies are indeed shared, or even, as you yourself say, that Canadian values are in fact conservative values. It’s hard for em to say that without thinking of Orwell but if I practice I can get it right. 

What else is new? I took the morning off work to wash some laundry and attempt to clean up my papers a bit, but I’m going to head out soon to collect some of the DHC tools I left at SKOL last week. Then I’ll spend the afternoon at Skol conducting interviews with Stéphanie for John’s former position. Our apartment remains a mess. We might go to Nominingue this weekend to water the plants and maybe perhaps possibly Clo will take Rose downhill skiing at Tremblant. Possibly maybe. How is Panama? Are you going to visit Arthur?

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Sun, Apr 12, 2015 at 10:29 PM

subject Réduction des GES: Ottawa veut connaître les intentions des provinces; PCs have ruled for last 43 years — predecessor served for 36: Here’s why political dynasties thrive in Alberta

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. Survived the weekend and the undeniable arrival of Spring! Today I was walking along St. Hubert in a T-shirt it was so warm, and tomorrow the mercury should top 20. I was on The Plaza to buy a pair of Converse, as my boots, though made for walking, are a too high-cut and a tad too warm for the warm weather. 

I also survived a somewhat hefty auto repair bill. The shocks on the right rear finally broke completely, and some sort of “link” apparatus was “bang-out” as well. We still need to replace the ball-joint but Marco at Canadian Tire said he could find a generic part during the week for $113, half what the part is on the weekends. In any case, the car is road-worthy again, though Sol and I missed the free swim at Patro while waiting for the repairs to be completed. And we missed final swim lessons Sunday morning as I was a tad hung-over and Clo let me sleep in until 9 – though I was up at 6:30 with Sol giving him breakfast and setting up Netflix on the laptop for him and Rose. Our kids never sleep in. I had gone out the night before to meet with Sergio and a friend who is pitching a humorous Canadian politics episodic video and is considering having my campaign be a segment. The discussions were going fine until some pot was produced and, more curious than anything, I imbibed, and then everything just went to pot: a standard blend of paranoia, anxiety, dread, inability to speak coherently or synchronize the multiple imaginings in my head with the halting words coming from my mouth. In fact, for a good chunk of the remainder of the evening I was half-convinced that are meeting was being filmed and recorded and as such I was guarded in my responses. So I don’t really know where we go from now, I think a follow-up meeting with their “researcher” sometime soon. Ultimately what I gained most is more self-doubt regarding the artistic validity of the infiltration project as a whole. Am I ridiculously-naive or incredibly stupid and ignorant about how much I reveal to you through these letters? 

Oh, you’d better check with the webmaster for the conservative party website: John Baird, Christian Paradis and Shelly Glover are all still listed as candidates. And my photo hasn’t been added yet. I’m going to bed, we’re going to start watching The Candidate. 

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Mon, Apr 13, 2015 at 10:20 PM

subject Projet de loi antiterroriste: 4772$ pour accéder aux opinions juridiques; P.E.I. gunman given life sentence for deadly act of revenge over sister’s death in 1970

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived another Monday. The whole family was up early: Rose peed the bed at around 6:30 and got both Sol and I. It was a real soaker! But it got us all up early which was good as Clo needed to be downtown for her CALQ jury by 9, so I was on time again for work. Unfortunately I felt a bit like a third wheel at work, like I mostly get in the way. When I make decisions they always seem to be overturned, so I’m done. To hell with initiative. I’m just going to do the minimum required. 

In other news, Marc-André just responded to my request to do a CBC interview. He said, somewhat bluntly, “pour l’instant, non”. Which is fine since she never followed up so I’m guessing there was little interest in my story. I played it too straight, I guess. Anyway, I have candidate training coming up this Sunday, hopefully I’ll learn all sorts of fun tricks. Meantime, I should really start working on the companion CALQ grant so I can maybe start working on that bronze of the Everyday Goalie… but tonight I’ll just finish watching The Candidate instead. Clo and I dragged all the brush to the curb that had been sitting in the alley since my parents last visit and when my dad had trimmed the tree. Finally to the trash, after the entire fall and winter out back. So I feel like something was accomplished today. 

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Tue, Apr 14, 2015 at 11:06 PM

subject Le Parti vert invité à une rencontre de préparation au débat télévisé; Alberta election polls show unexpected ‘left-right squeeze’ that threatens PC dynasty

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I am surviving the installation, despite my low morale and sense of being of little help. Also I couldn’t finish watching The Candidate last night as it is suddenly no longer available for free on Youtube, unless I want to watch it dubbed in Spanish. Clo had a VIVA board meeting and so was out until 10 tonight, I had the kids and it was fun and relatively easy, went to the park after daycare, made a simple supper, had baths and showers together and then stories then bedtime. Tried again to get Sol on the potty, he sits for short spells, but then he still ended up having a caca elsewhere. Tonight it was on the couch. Luckily it fell on a pillow and a book about the magic of baking soda, so easy to clean. Certainly one part I will not miss about kids growing up is dealing with all the shit. I’m getting a little sick of the shit. 

A random Jenny Holzer truism: KNOWLEDGE SHOULD BE ADVANCED AT ALL COSTS

Doesn’t seem to jive with an austerity movement, does it?

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Wed, Apr 15, 2015 at 11:12 PM

subject La Russie critique la mission canadienne en Ukraine; Why the hysteria about balanced-budget legislation?

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. Survived another big day at work. Pacart had a mechanical problem with their lift, but luckily it was resolved soon. Also a photo arrived in a much-larger crate than anticipated. Turns out we only had image dimensions, not the FRAMED dimensions. After pursuing many options for getting the picture to the third floor we decided to move it to the lobby of 465. This is the fun part of putting on these shows in very, very small spaces with a small passenger elevator. Aside from that challenge, I spent the day slowly unpacking the pieces for the Kant piece with the courier from the Milwaukee Art Gallery. Made supper tonight while Clo picked up the kids and took them to the park. They love, love the park. And after the kids were in bed we both took to cleaning up a bit the basement, clearing junk, washing laundry, organizing and cleaning and getting the space ready for my parents, who come for a visit next week. 

IT’S BETTER TO STUDY THE LIVING FACT THAN ANALYZE HISTORY

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Thu, Apr 16, 2015 at 11:26 PM

subject «Fier. Fort. Libre.», un slogan partisan? Four people arrested after five shot in front yard of Toronto townhouse

Dear Stephen,

EXPIRING FOR LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL BUT STUPID

I am, as usual, still alive. A smooth, active, fulfilling day at work. Amazing how much fun can be had simply opening crates and moving pictures around. Sad but true? The crazy option of moving the big picture up to the third floor was on the table again, however briefly, until a much tighter solution was found, placing it on the first floor and moving one of the sculptures down to the first floor, and the photos slated for the first floor up to the third floor. Voila! 

IT’S BETTER TO BE A GOOD PERSON THAN A FAMOUS PERSON

In other news, I confirmed my attendance at the campaign training session offered this Sunday in Laval, and also spoke briefly with Wahid, the new president of the Papineau EDA. He might attend some of the session as well, and we made a tentative plan to meet in the coming weeks to discuss the launch of my campaign. As well, I’ll be meeting Sergio and Noelle again soon – right after the next conference call with Denis Lebel, in fact. I wonder if I should start recording these calls? Or perhaps record myself in my office on the phone during the call? Maybe I’ll ask Clark if he’s be willing to do that…

Oh no! I’ve been trolling the Canadian Conservatives Facebook page, and have become somewhat embroiled in a thread that started out about Kathleen Wynne that has since turned into an exposé on your supposed hidden agenda to criminalize abortion. Is this true? Should I ask about this on Sunday? The best evidence for this policy shift comes from a woman named Jacqueline who seems to read minds:

Jacqueline: honestly Daniel, do you really think that Harper supports abortion? I feel your pain and I wish they could immediately do something about it, but he has to bide his time. If they can stay in power they will gradually deal with “the devil” so to speak. Unfortunately it’s not possible right now. Just be patient. Help him to make the changes by keeping him in office.

Daniel: Jacqueline are you implying then that PM Harper actually has a “hidden agenda” in regards to making abortion illegal in this country?

Jacqueline: Can’t you feel it? I have always understood Harper and I have often been accurate in predicting his actions Daniel.

Jacqueline: My earlier rather lengthy post explains my feelings about that quite well I thought. Why do we have to wait for others to SAY with their lips and not discern what’s really going on? I mean, looking into the nature of a person and knowing where they stand, when they’re unable to completely say it openly. Why do we have to hear the literal words before we know the intents of others. I knew when Kathleen Wynne was elected that she would push the Homosexual agenda, that she could hardly wait to get started, I could FEEL it long before she introduced that sickening sex ed bill. Do you not know who Harper really is? Don’t work against him because you’ll actually be working against your own ideals.

Me: Hmmm, a hidden anti-abortion anti-choice agenda would be news to me. Why didn’t he do something on that file in the past 5 years?

Daniel: PM Harper has had 9 years to bring to light a hidden pro-life agenda. Apparently all the pro-abortion advocates on this page aren’t buying the premise that PM Harper will be selling them down the river as long as he is the PM and/or party leader and neither am I. If he is, he’s been lying all along and I don’t find that a very trustworthy trait in a PM or a “conservative” party leader. Pro-lifers are the ones who will be “working against their own ideals” if they vote for any Red Tory Harperite in the next election!

Jacqueline:  What I’ve said to you is the truth and no amount of quibbling can change the truth….So when I don’t answer your various questions, It’s only because it doesn’t affect the hidden facts and would simply be a pointless exercise. Chris, if you ponder it more intensely, you’ll figure it out.

Me: Well, if he sustains majority status after the fall election he’ll have another 5 years and so perhaps the abortion issue is in Phase 2 of the Remaking Canada playbook…but in all my years of involvement in the Party it doesn’t appear on any radar. Jacqueline, you must have uncanny political instincts!

EVERYTHING THAT IS INTERESTING IS NEW

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Sat, Apr 18, 2015 at 11:13 PM

subject Élections fédérales: Lawrence Cannon nie qu’il se présentera; Durham, Sudbury could be first teacher-strike targets

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived a full week of work. Friday became a bit intense. My team unpacked and assembled one of the vitrines and had almost assembled the final second vitrine until it was discovered that the bases to the vitrines had been switched and the glass panels would not slide in properly. So we have to switch them on Monday. The other team, which had a slow few days as they needed to install a couple posts embedded in the drywall base for Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, were able to install that piece and I did a temporary lighting schema to satisfy the courrier that we could indeed light the piece to their specifications. Then James went all gung-ho on building a wooden enclosure for the Homeless Child as the the rep from Toledo was concerned about light exposure when we swap the blinds next week. Then we had beer-o-clock, and then Karen’s rental car was broken into three minutes before they arrived to their car. We watched the security camera footage to find the moment of the crime but not enough details emerged, except that it was 2 guys and one had a red backpack on. 

Today I didn’t sleep in of course, the kids are up at 7:30 the latest, ready to start their day. Clo and I ran separate errands with each of the kids and then had brunch slash play-date with Mina and her folks and a visiting artist and then back home to meet Sarah to babysit as we were participating in Sophie’s Isegoria performance at Optica. It went really well, a good 25 participants, the space much smaller than last time, back in 2011 at UQAM. I’d dig through my Dear PM archives to see what I wrote then but can’t be bothered. Tomorrow is Campaign training day, after all, and I want to go to bed soon and get as much sleep as possible. Also today I sent emails to William Shatner’s website asking permission to use his cover of Common People as my campaign theme song. It’s a pretty catchy song and who knows, maybe they’ll let me use it for free. Otherwise I’ll pay a SOCAM licensing fee but I’m waiting to hear back from them exactly which form to fill out. Speaking of out, Clo is out with Pip about to go dancing. She’ll have to be up early tomorrow to help drive me to the Best Western in Laval for this training session. I need to be there at 8:30, ugh!

Oh, and that abortion thread I was following in Canadian Conservatives has wound down, I think. Here are the last two posts from Jacqueline:

• No actually Chris, I don’t. I just know Harper.
• Y’know, every politician has a hidden agenda. For better or for worse, they simply cannot blurt out ALL their goals and aspirations. The conservatives have not always known how to play this game as well as the Liberals do. The Liberals learned long ago that the electorate in general either do not want to or are unable to bare the truth, something that Tim Hudak and his predecessors discovered too late.,,so while the conservatives were bumbling around baring their thoughts, the Liberals were scheming cunningly and waiting for them to fall flat on their faces, which they did very handily. If Harper had tackled the abortion issue he’d be basking in the same regrets as Tim Hudak. I strongly believe that if and when the right moment comes, he’ll deal with that issue to the best of his ability, but he’s got to be in office in order to achieve it.

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Sun, Apr 19, 2015 at 10:12 PM

subject Ottawa dénoncera «l’agression» de la Russie envers l’Ukraine; Alberta’s election about nothing: PCs looking like a party that will say and do anything just to maintain power

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived the campaign training session that was held all day out at the Best Western in Laval. Met a few new candidates and made small talk with others I had met before. Took some pics of Denis Lebel’s motivating teamwork speech wherein he changed into five different hockey jerseys. I would have asked for another photo with him if I had had the foresight to bring my Team Canada jersey that I wear for the Everyday Goalie performances. Anyway, the sessions were intense, packed with info, tightly-run, and made me feel nervous to embark on a “real” campaign. It’ crazy how little is about ideas: it’s about how to win an election. GOTV. Voter ID tactics. Go through five pairs of shoes going door-to-door. Ask for support but engage not in debate, it’s a waste of time. The national campaign director, Jenni Byrne, spoke to all the candidates and the setup, and her demeanour, reminded me of a Parks and Recreation scenario. After leaving I grabbed a few groceries at Provigo and then met Clo and the kids at the Patro park where they gathered after a short afternoon swim. We finished watching Harry Potter 4 as a family, though it has some gruesome and nasty scenes, and Rose will probably have nightmares. She seemed to be more affected by an ONF animation about Kasper Hauser she watched the other night. He gets stabbed in the end. At the playground she twisted or sprained her ankle and it is a bit swollen and painful for her at the moment. Well, at the moment she’s asleep, but she is walking with difficulty. I hope it gets better tomorrow as she has a much-anticipated outing to the indoor play park calledZig Zag Zoo in Vaudreuil on Tuesday. Everyone is asleep at the moment, I need to shave and then do a cleaning blitz on the bathroom. I wonder who will win the Habs-Sens game that is currently in overtime? 

-chris

IT’S A GIFT TO THE WORLD NOT TO HAVE BABIES

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Tue, Apr 21, 2015 at 12:08 AM

subject Budget: les règles encadrant les FERR assouplies; Alberta company not counting the cost to protect Canada goose pair nesting on construction site

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived another Monday, a steady day at work (uncrating photos, switching glass on the vitrines, levelling and taping out a projection surface, changing lightbulbs), and a conference call with M-A and Denis Lebel and thirty or more conservative party candidates from throughout Quebec. Not a whole lot of new info, especially following the intense training from yesterday. A bit of talk on the budget (no-one except a small handful know the details), and a bit of clarification on environmental policy (waiting for the provinces to furnish numbers so Ottawa can take those numbers to Paris). Then tonight I was at Noelle’s for a larger meeting with a writer and researcher and of course Sergio, and the concept of the episodic, satirical Canadian political show was fleshed out a bit more. I won’t go into much detail at the moment, as it is now past my bedtime and tomorrow should be another big day, suffice to say it was an animated conversation, lots of fun ideas tossed around, and this time no pot, so no paranoia. 

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Tue, Apr 21, 2015 at 10:43 PM

subject Budget fédéral: le gouvernement québécois reste mitigé; No evidence victim’s past brushes with the law are connected to deadly Toronto house explosion: police

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived work, which had the teams switched up again and suddenly I was installing a projector instead of hanging pictures. I also survived Budget Day – even though I haven’t had time to read through even the broad lines of it, but it seems largely comprised of things you’ve been pushing the past number of months: the income-splitting, tax breaks here and there, the UCCB increases, etc. There has been some quick criticism, like about the bargain-sale of the GM stocks, which I guess is to be expected. Anyway, I just wasted an hour and a half of my evening reading articles and Facebook and Twitter posts and really all I want and need at this moment in time is a shower and in bed before midnight. I stink. 

-chris

DYING SHOULD BE AS EASY AS FALLING OFF A LOG

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Thu, Apr 23, 2015 at 11:12 PM

subject Ottawa impose une limite de vitesse aux trains de marchandise en zone urbaine; Confusion over euthanasia: Third of doctors wrongly believe it’s family’s call, Quebec poll finds

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive (just like the Ottawa Senators!). I survived my parents’ arrival last night. The kids were thrilled to see Buddy, who has spent most of the past 30 hours or so hiding underneath the bed in the basement, though he certainly didn’t seem very scared or skittish. We all had supper together, except for Clo who was out for the night. The kids were a bit wired from all the excitement, to the point where Sol was enjoying his new rubber boots that Nana and Big Papa brought him that he demanded to “go outside” at 8:30. In his pyjamas. He and Big Papa threw a Frisbee back and forth for twenty minutes and it was another battle to get him to remove the boots once he came in. Today was a bit intense at work as we get closer to the wire. Borrowed the Genie lift from Phi to better place the lighting in G6. Still some oversize crates to remove, video issues to resolve, audio issues to resolve, lighting in 451 and a shit-ton of cleaning. Last night started watched Louie, and might cap off the night with an episode or two tonight. Or a bit of the Flames-Canucks game. Clo is out at the Papier launch. Oh, we met at the bank after work tonight and signed the documents to open our tout-en-un, or all-inclusive line of credit. It should be active by next Wednesday, and then we can consolidate our other lines and credit cards, yay! It’s not exactly Freedom 2015, just Less Interest On Our Debt 2015, but that’s good enough for me. 

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Sun, Apr 26, 2015 at 10:13 PM

subject Investiture conservatrice: Pascale Déry défaite dans Mont-Royal; Smiths Falls man swept into the ocean off Nova Scotia seaside resort

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. Having weird political dreams of giving speeches. I survived the weekend and a talk about my Dear PM and infiltration project to the Department of Art History faculty association on Friday after work. Good reception and keen questions surrounding the legality of my project. Made a note to check with a lawyer sometime soon. Stayed for some wine afterwards. Saturday was a big push at work, a long day too, trying to get everything done for Yinka’s visit today. Today we took the kids to the pool at le Patro along with Nataniel, who came in with Jo but she and Clo went to see the Papier exhibits. The kids all loved the pool of course and stayed over an hour in the water, then Sol had a meltdown in the locker room post-showers as he hadn’t yet napped and was beyond the pale. He fell asleep in my arms on Castelneau. I made a version of the Jamie Oliver fish pie recipe for supper but ate after everyone else as I went to the Mount Royal candidate announcement. As you probably know by now, Pascale did not win the nomination, it went to Robert Libman. I was hoping for a photo op but there was only a weird congratulatory scrum at the end, so I left. Came home in time to get the kids to bed. We’re trying to get them back into their routine. Once they were asleep we finished a game of cards called Aggravation (it is) with my folks. Little Buddy has ventured up the stairs a bit more frequently and just had a nap on the clothes on our bed, but he is still not eating much, so my mom is a bit concerned. 

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 10:25 PM

subject Népal: le Canada bonifie son aide sur fond de critiques; It’s time to get serious about election debates

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived the final day of install before the preview tonight. There wasn’t too much to do, mostly adjustments to lighting and of course the fourth floor. Spencer figured out the video and 5.1 surround sound transfer to Bluray and I drilled holes and installed the shelves for the rear two speakers with Miles, but otherwise I was puttering around. Bought sandwiches and met Clo after work and we ate outside before going to the Phi Centre for Yinka’s talk, which was good despite the technical problems (poorly-placed mic, delay getting slide images), but Cheryl is a great host and moderator. Closed the video works afterwards so Clo got her own sneak peak. We grabbed the metro home, I had a shower, my parents reported that the kids were asleep by 8:15 and had eaten lots of supper (of course, it was pâtes tout nu, so big surprise). Now I think I’ll get to bed early, maybe watch an episode of Louis CK to unwind and prepare for the opening and after-party tomorrow night. 

-chris

from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca

date Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 11:39 PM

subject Le NPD s’attaque aux candidats-vedettes Deltell et Rayes; How a 2004 Toronto gang murder could help Mike Duffy walk free

Dear Stephen,

I am still alive. I survived the after-party last night, which was held at Luwan Bar in Chinatown. It was a fairly small turnout, but the bar is a nice spot, and the cocktails were delicious. Almost managed to drag the education crew to Cleopatra’s, since the new Midway looks way too trendy and hip, but we all balked at the $2 cover, and perhaps smell, or overall aura. Anyway, it was a late, late night. I slept in until 9, had a shower and eased into work around 10:30. I was mostly on call to see if I would be needed to complete the VN/Scanner Booth Hut/change booth in the Rhino Lounge, but luckily I was not called. Working on that project yesterday was an unmitigated disaster, and left me with fairly poor morale. Today I didn’t work on much at all and left early due to a bad headache. Met Clo briefly on avenue Mont Royal – she was having a bad day at work – and then went home and made supper. My folks had the kids at the park. The kids love the park and just being outside in general. They tend to fall asleep easier, though Sol has got up and come back into bed with me. I noticed that the conservative.ca website has been updated and more candidates are listed with more photos, but now Papineau is not up at all. Is this a glitch? I emailed Yannis and Marc-André asking about the photo and promotional materials. It would be nice to get “official” business cards made. 

-chris