Lobster, cocktails and lobbying: What N.B. did to secure the Francophonie Games
134 Comments Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Amos Methinks this is the liberal mantra in order secure governmental mandates as well N'esy Pas?
"It's our one chance to sell ourselves and touch the heart," read a note
from Hawk Marketing, the firm hired by the province for the video.
"Because persuasion is always more effective when it's emotional, not
rational."
"We've managed a tour de force! Impeccable presentation. Touching,
convincing to the highest point," wrote one government official
afterwards.
Jake Quinlan Reply to @David Amos: The approach and mindset here is something isn't it? Man.
David Amos
Surprise Surprise Surprise
David Amos Reply to @David Amos: Methinks many folks are wondering who the SANB dude "Joe Blow" truly is N'esy Pas?
Josef Blow Reply to @David Amos: I thought I was TJ ?? And someone thinks I'm a CBC undercover agent …
Matt
Steele Finally
the real truth is emerging about Brian Gallant and the SANB controlled
Liberal party . As N.B.ers struggled with surging taxes and service fees
, Gallant and his buddies were jet setting off to France , and living
the high life while using the govt. credit card . Sadly , no one will
ever be held accountable ; and it would not be surprising if Gallant was
appointed as a Judge to the Court of Queens Bench , or maybe a Senator
.It would be interesting to know just how involved that Dominic LeBlanc
and Justin Trudeau were involved in this Francophonie SCAM !
Josef Blow
Reply to @Matt
Steele: The “real” truth as opposed to the “fake” truth? So which truth
is yours? Is yours “real”, “semi-real” or “fake”?
Greg
Miller
Reply to @Matt
Steele: I'm surprised Trudeau hasn't handed out a job to Gallant by now
but maybe Trudeau has enough embarrassment on his plate!
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Greg
Miller: Gallant is still busy , sitting as an MLA in NB Legislature, has
his QC designation and is now partner in a Dieppe law firm.. Holding
onto the MLA position ,making sure he receives his nice big pension
thanks once again to taxpayers.
Josef Blow
Reply to @Mack Leigh: Copy and paste much in your writer’s circle?
Mack Leigh
Reply to @Josef Blow: For a CBC employee you certainly have a sense of humor , good for you..
Josef Blow
Reply to @Mack Leigh: oh, Mr. Amos thinks I’m TJ, whoever that is ... sorry to disappoint, CBC ain’t my thing.
Laurie Clark
Reply to @Josef Blow: Your name is fake and should be banned but someone at the contact centre is on the take!
Buford Wilson Thank God Blaine canceled it.
Josef Blow
Reply to @Buford Wilson: On a first name basis no less ...
David Amos
Reply to @Buford Wilson: Which God?
David Amos Content disabled
Reply to @Josef Blow: Methinks it far more than having no name at all N'esy Pas?
Buddy Best
Reply
to @Buford Wilson:I can't remember ever seeing this many comments get
such positive agreement. Even Mr. Wilson is getting up votes. LOL
Josef Blow
Reply to @Buddy Best: The positive agreement as opposed to the negative agreement? Are these your alternative realities?
Lobster, cocktails and lobbying: What N.B. did to secure the Francophonie Games
Internal documents obtained through access to information reveal how invested the province was to win the bid
Francine
Landry, former minister responsible for La Francophonie, and former
Premier Brian Gallant celebrating National Acadian Day a month after the
province submitted its bid in 2015. (Brian Gallant/Facebook)
Information contained in thousands of pages of internal
correspondence and documents obtained by CBC News under access to
information details just how invested the former Liberal government was
in obtaining the 2021 Francophonie Games.
Friday was the deadline for countries to submit their bid to host the Games after New Brunswick's withdrawal at the end of January.
It is unclear whether anyone is still interested in taking on the
Games, thought to be the largest sports and cultural event in the
French-speaking world.
After he personally signed off on the
bid in July 2015, former Premier Brian Gallant continued to be the face
of New Brunswick's candidacy.
During a visit of an international delegation that November, Gallant showed off his tennis skills.
He
had planned to be on the court mid-match, wearing a custom-made New
Brunswick 2021 polo shirt, just when officials would come tour the
facilities.
He would then stop his game to greet them. Everything was planned out and detailed in staff emails days in advance.
Former
Premier Brian Gallant playing tennis in November 2015 at Moncton's
Centennial Park during a visit of Francophonie officials for the bid
selection process. (Brian Gallant/Facebook)
He
hosted a cocktail reception that evening, where he talked about the
impact going to the Jeux de l'Acadie had on his life and how inspiring
he believed the Francophonie Games would be for francophone youth.
"To support people who are in a minority situation, it's incredibly important," he told delegates.
The
next night, it was up to Francine Landry, former minister of
post-secondary education, training and labour — and also the minister
responsible for La Francophonie — to host a lobster and champagne
dinner.
Francine Landry, former Francophonie minister, in Ivory Coast during the previous Games in 2017. (CBC)
"We're
in 'operation seduction' mode all week," wrote a provincial protocol
officer to ministers Donald Arseneault, Victor Boudreau, Bill Fraser and
Roger Melanson, requesting their presence at the Shediac dinner and
asking they attend as many events as possible that week.
Gallant
would host another cocktail reception in Paris the next month, before
shooting a promotional video talking about Acadian culture for a
presentation in Ivory Coast in February 2016 — the final touch in New
Brunswick's candidacy.
"It's our one chance to sell ourselves and
touch the heart," read a note from Hawk Marketing, the firm hired by the
province for the video. "Because persuasion is always more effective
when it's emotional, not rational."
"We've managed a tour de
force! Impeccable presentation. Touching, convincing to the highest
point," wrote one government official afterwards.
Gallant is pictured with Francophonie officials after playing tennis in November 2015. (Brian Gallant/Facebook)
Efforts
were made to beat out Sherbrooke, who also submitted a bid to host,
including advising Gallant to lobby Justin Trudeau to support New
Brunswick rather than Quebec.
The documents also cast doubt on
whether Gallant was involved in some discussions as late as March 2018,
despite saying he recused himself earlier because his close friends were
the organizers.
At that time, public servants were preparing a note to send him regarding a debate over whether to add cycling as a discipline.
Didn't have experience
The people behind the original $17-million bid are referred to as a "group of citizens" in the documents.
At
least two, Eric Larocque and Eddie Rutanga — who both went on to be
part of the organizing committee — were close friends of Gallant.
After
New Brunswick had won the bid in March 2016, one note read there wasn't
"much trust" in the committee, but it wasn't clear why.
"There
were some very good people involved in the bid process," wrote the
province's director of sports and recreation in an email, after finding
out the true cost of the Games in early 2018.
"However, it may be
unfair/unrealistic to assume they had the experience, expertise, and
capacity to fully appreciate the full magnitude of the resources
required for Games of this level/calibre."
Eddie
Rutanga, left, and Eric Larocque were two key members of the 2021
Francophonie Games bidding and organizing committees. Both men have
close relationships with Gallant. (CBC)
Rationalizing
the difference between the original bid and the $130-million budget was
referred to as a "stumbling block" and a "hurdle."
"They didn't
offer much explanation for this huge difference," wrote another tourism
official. "Typically, the business plan is developed prior to applying
for these types of events," he noted.
It was our Premier who wanted these Games.- Jeffrey LeBlanc, director of sports and recreation
Little
is found in the documents in terms of explanation, except that the
province couldn't benefit from Sports Canada experts because Ottawa did
not want to show favouritism between the two competing bids.
"It resulted in a 'fend for ourselves' situation," one note said.
Even after the skyrocketing cost began casting a shadow on the success of the bid, Gallant's name was brought up again.
"It's also important to remember it was our Premier who wanted these Games," wrote a tourism official.
Public perception mattered
The
documents also mention the decision to submit an initial low budget was
a "more prudent approach from a public perception point of view."
In
reviewing newspaper articles in January 2016, Eric Mathieu Doucet
— another friend of Gallant's who went on to be on the Games organizing
committee — noted Sherbrooke had come out with a proposed budget of $50
million.
"I think that's an advantageous argument for our candidacy," he wrote in an email to government.
The Francophonie Games are thought to be the largest sporting and cultural event in the French-speaking world. (Hussein Malla/Associated Press)
Even
after organizers went to government with their budget ask, they
suggested elected officials not make the dollar amount figure public
until after it was signed off on.
"In order to favour these
discussions go well, in a climate of discretion, it is strongly
recommended not to make any public communication regarding the budget
before the conclusion of the discussions," the committee's presentation
read.
Treasury Board worried
But in early
2018, the Treasury Board was worried about the numbers and even
wondered whether certain items on the budget were inflated.
"What
makes this more reliable than the previous numbers?" asked one of its
senior advisors, noting government had been presented with three sets of
vastly different figures to date.
In April 2018, the Treasury Board decided to finance the organizing committee on a month-by-month basis, rather than yearly.
It had also created a committee of deputy ministers to try to find savings and get explanations from the organizing committee.
Banking on federal help
The
documents reveal just how much New Brunswick was banking on the federal
government upping its contribution toward the Francophonie Games, even
long before the scandal broke out publicly.
Canada has a long-standing policy of funding up to 50 per cent of the cost of big sporting events, but no more.
A
note from March 2018 said the organizing committee wanted the province
to convince Ottawa to contribute a much larger percentage.
In the
following months, that idea was floated around quite a bit, with public
servants calling the funding objectives 'unrealizable' for a place like
New Brunswick.
The
cost of the Moncton-Dieppe Games skyrocketed to $130 million, leading
officials to begin questioning the price tag and feasibility of hosting
the event. (AFP/Issouf Sanogo)
By mid-October, the cash requirement from the province was estimated at $60.5 million, and it had already reached out to Ottawa.
"Potential solutions may include tapping into other sources of federal funding, such as infrastructure funds," read one note.
In the end, the province spent close to $1.7 million on the scuttled Francophonie Games, and the federal government close to another million. The province told CBC News this week it was not expecting any additional cost.
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