The major festivals and events that are members of FAME contribute to Canada being recognized worldwide as a cultural, vibrant nation.
I applaud you for holding these hearings. For me, it's never too early to talk about an initiative as far-reaching as the 150th anniversary.
Allow me to begin with a very personal story. In 1967, the year of Canada's Centennial Anniversary, I was 12 years old. I was almost done elementary school and was about to enter secondary school, grade 8, in the fall.
Canada's Centennial Anniversary coincided with Expo 67 in Montreal, a formative—or should I say transformative—experience for me, my friends, their older brothers and sisters, and their families; in fact, for our whole society. Quebec was emerging from a dark period and was in the midst of the Quiet Revolution. For people of my generation, and for myself as well, there isn't really any point of comparison. We were leaving childhood behind, and Expo 67 was a defining experience for us. I discovered Canada, my country, its provinces, and the world by visiting each of those pavilions. I visited various pavilions more than once, during the day and at night. I literally lived on that site all summer. I was often the first in line at the Île Sainte-Hélène ticket booth, my belly pressed against the barriers waiting for the exhibition to open so I could explore the site. I discovered the people, images, music, and food from all countries and cultures. My passport—do you remember the passports we had?—was full of stamps from the first to the last page. I still have it.
I think that if it were held today, I would have the Centennial Anniversary and Expo 67 logos tattooed on both my shoulders.
The scale and scope of holding the world's fair and celebrating our centennial awakened Canadians to the limitlessness of our capabilities and the opportunities of success in Canada and abroad. It inspired a generation of entrepreneurs, especially in the arts. It was, in a sense, a Canadian renaissance. Its legacy of cultural centres, plazas, and community infrastructure has shaped the Canadian consciousness and our lives since that date.
It was also the era of Perspectives Jeunesse, a program that gave a sense of direction and future to a generation and developed a spirit of initiative, entrepreneurship, and social responsibility.
I spoke recently to Normand Legault. Normand Legault was the owner and promoter of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal for over 20 years. Today, he is the chairman of the board of Parc Jean-Drapeau and of Montréal International.
I asked him what inspired a generation of cultural and sports entrepreneurs like him: Gilbert Rozon, the founder of Just For Laughs; Alain Simard, the founder of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the FrancoFolies, and Montréal en Lumière; and Guy Laliberté, the founder of Cirque du Soleil. What gave them the courage to start their events? What gave them the confidence to pursue their vision and their dream? His answer was “Expo 67”. Anything was possible.
To me, those events, the centennial and Expo 67, set off a chain reaction.
One of you asked a question about technologies. I'll get back to that right now. In the early nineties, I had the privilege of working in Toronto for IMAX Corporation, a Canadian company that was actually started from an Australian patent for the rolling loop projector. It was a unique and exceptional professional and personal experience. Today, the IMAX brand and motion picture experience is recognized worldwide.
The founders came together and created the company in the wake of Expo 67. If we remember, the most popular pavilions were cinematic pavilions, interactive multi-screen cinemas with stages and screens that would whirl around. Three of these people were involved in the production of two films: one was for a theme pavilion on the north and the other was for the Labyrinth, one of the most popular pavilions, and was produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
Their dream for their company was to build an Expo pavilion in every city in the world and base the film experience on the best motion picture quality experience that was available at that time--and still is today.
Also, I can mention worldwide pioneers in 3-D, which is now part of the motion picture experience.
It may be a little-known fact, but Normand Legault, who was quite an erudite man, did some research in our National Archives. Rightly so, the credit for Expo 67 is given to Jean Drapeau, the legendary mayor of Montreal; however, what made Expo 67 possible was the work of then Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and Sarto Fournier, who in 1962 was mayor of Montreal between two stints of Jean Drapeau, and who had actually supported Montreal being the host city after Moscow retired.
Another international success story was born at the time of a national celebration. In 1984, during Quebec's 450th anniversary celebration of Jacques Cartier's discovery of Canada, the province sought an event that would bring the festivities to all Quebeckers. Guy Laliberté, the founder of the Cirque, convinced organizers that the answer was a provincial tour of Cirque du Soleil performers, who walked on stilts, juggled, danced, breathed fire, and played music.
That was founded by Gilles Ste-Croix in the small town of Baie-Saint-Paul on the St. Lawrence, and it hasn't stopped since. So I think you should measure the ripple effect that celebrations of a centennial can have.
I spoke to Daniel Gélinas, executive director of the Festival d'été de Québec. He had one message for me when I called him to say I would be meeting you today: build on the platforms that exist today, such as our festivals, big and small, that animate cities and towns across the country.
If I may say a few words about Just For Laughs, in un peu d'autopromotion, in 1982 Gilbert Rozon had a crazy idea. Creative at heart, he realized that all major performing arts had their festivals, except for comedy. The Juste pour rire festivals were started on July 14, 1983, with 16 francophone artists presenting some 35 shows in four venues across the city to an audience of approximately 5,000 people, with galas on television.
In 1985, we added Just For Laughs. In 1988, we added our outdoor activities. Today, the Just For Laughs Montreal festival, presented by Vidéotron with the support of Loto-Québec, is one of the biggest cultural events in the country, is the biggest comedy festival in the world, and attracts more than 1,250,000 people every summer in Montreal.
More recently, what characterized the 2010 Olympic Games, I believe, were the national involvement and engagement. The national pride it created was like a high-voltage electric current, a magnetic field across the country that brought a nation together to celebrate hosting the games and welcoming the world. Our unprecedented success in medals, with the culminating golden goal, was the crowning achievement.
The torch relay brought the Olympic spirit to every region of the country and allowed Canadians to take ownership of this exciting event. Through the Cultural Olympiad and the on-site provincial pavilions, the Olympics showcased the Canadian people in all our disparate charm and beauty. They created a pan-Canadian experience that won over visitors and lifted spirits of Canadians from coast to coast.
The 2010 games left a legacy of state-of-the-art training facilities, but the more important legacy is the shared sense of belonging and pride that brought our nation together, and the belief that anything is possible is still burning within us. Canada 150 must reignite that pilot light that continues to burn in Canadians and get them excited about our sesquicentennial--I had to say it once. Let's call it Canada 150. It is as much about celebrating our past accomplishments as it is about the limitless possibilities ahead of us.
Moses Znaimer, a celebrated media pioneer and innovator--some would say maverick--once suggested that the current concept for the Olympics is passé. Rather than the huge infrastructure projects that it creates in one city and the concentration of athletic events, he said, in this global era--and this is before the explosion of the Internet--why not have one major event in all major cities of the world? That would make a difference in terms of time zones, and each country could own a specific event. Maybe you could inspire yourself from that vision for how we would manage Canada 150.
Even in today's world of instant messaging and trending tweets, a national initiative needs time to grow and roots to spread. Vancouver 2010 is a great example of the proper buildup of awareness, the development of the event, and finally the celebration.
Internet 2.0 brought us the world of consumer-generated content. Our stages and screens have evolved since 1967. Today there are many more platforms that entertain, inform, and enrich us at work, at home, and just about everywhere we lay our eyes on and lend an ear to.
The planning and design of our 150th celebration requires the general input of all Canadians. It's important to leverage existing organizations and to bring brand and messaging continuity across all platforms. Let us not forget certain institutions like the CBC, the NFB, and the National Arts Centre that have participated in these events and have made a great contribution in the past.
Canada's major festivals and fairs are among the best in the world, with programming showcasing the best that Canada and the world has to offer. These events from across the country celebrate all aspects of Canadian culture, from fine arts and comedy to tragedy, from culture to agriculture--which have more in common that we would sometimes think--and sports. This network of world-class events should be engaged to develop programming to celebrate Canada 150 and provide a pan-Canadian showcase of Canadian achievement and talent.
Thank you.