News and Features
Gordon Campbell in the Bell Jar
By Monte Paulsen published May 1, 2009
Gearing up for a third term as B.C.’s premier, Gordon Campbell still hasn’t fully come to terms with the demands of political life
In a small meeting room at the Marriott Pinnacle Hotel, a couple of months before the provincial election, the premier was singing the praises of his staff. “They’re the ones who get to see me when I’m frustrated and angry,” he said. “And they’re the ones who get to see me when I’m feeling high.” On really rough days, he added, “I’ll go down into Tim Hortons and have 12 doughnuts because I need the comfort.”
His press secretary, Bridgitte Anderson, who was also taping the interview, winced theatrically.
“Okay,” the premier said. “Not 12 doughnuts. Six.”
Anderson again shook her head, adding a mock scowl. She used to work in television news; her expression was picture-perfect. I wondered what sort of worst-case-scenario headlines were scrolling through her mind. “Premier Pounding Dutchies”? “Gordo Gorging on Crullers”?
“Not even six?” Campbell asked, not missing a beat. He turned back to me. “One. One doughnut.
“See, that’s the kind of support I get,” he added. Then, pretending to be her, he deadpanned, “Hold yourself back, Mr. Premier. Hold yourself back.”
Anderson smiled and inched away from the table. Behind her, beyond the glass door, a security man stood guard. It’s his job to keep uninvited visitors away from the bell jar they’ve placed over the premier. It’s her job to keep him in the jar.
Gordon Muir Campbell has lived in the glass house of public life for 25 of his 61 years. His bio is well-known: he was raised by a single mother on the city’s far West Side, attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire on an alumni scholarship, and married an athletic New Westminster girl named Nancy Chipperfield, whom he had met on a ski trip to Whistler. Together they spent two years as volunteer teachers in northern Nigeria. Upon his return to Vancouver, Campbell went to law school at UBC but dropped out to work for Mayor Art Phillips. He earned his MBA at SFU while working as a real-estate developer. He was mayor of Vancouver from 1986 to 1993 and leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 2001, and has been premier since 2001, one of only five B.C. premiers elected to consecutive terms. If the Liberals are returned to power on May 12, he’ll join Richard McBride, Thomas Pattullo, and the Bennetts, W.A.C. and Bill, as one of the only B.C. premiers to be twice reelected. “You look at pictures of yourself,” he said, “and you think ‘Boy, I’m older.’ ”
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I think it's great to see the personal side of the Premier. It's so easy for us to judge him, but he is human and obviously likes donuts. I really appreciate the work he has done so far. It can't be an easy to be criticized for trying to do the right thing. It's a big province, he can't please everyone. It's certainly a job and responsibility that I would not want to take on, so I appreciate him taking the reigns.
Having just seen the film Frost/Nixon, this interview comes across as the interview sessions 1 to 3 of the movie. In those interviews, Nixon walked over Frost. It was the famous fourth taping session where Nixon made his startling admissions of wrong-doing.
Sorry Monte and VanMag, this is nothing more than a puff piece for Gordon M. Campbell. I mean, this is the party that perfected the masterful spinning ability of many cabinet members on the taxpayers coin. This 'interview' shows it yet again and illustrates why the Campbell Liberals will probably win the election again, even though we shouldn't trust them and they don't deserve another four years to take this province even further away from what the public really wants.
You lost a reader with this story, VanMag. This is a discouragingly gushy puff piece. Is this who you think your readership is; is this what you think will please them? Campbell has done more social and environmental damage to this province than any other politician of any stripe. Every page of this article made me absolutely cringe. Doughnuts. Lord.
