Decisions to go to war, vigorous disagreement on whether the country should even stay together—all have provided emotional raw material for building Canada. But many of the key battles were not between parties, but between factions in a single party.
By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on December 17, 2018.
OTTAWA—If only the walls could speak.
Stories emanating from the mothballed Centre Block chart the history of a country and the warring political parties that have made it work.
The final parliamentary debate for at least a decade was held last week in a building that has borne witness to the greatest political moments in our history.
Decisions to go to war, vigorous disagreement on whether the country should even stay together—all have provided emotional raw material for building Canada.
But many of the key battles were not between parties, but between factions in a single party.
John Diefenbaker became prime minister in 1957 and within a year in a snap election he was returned with the largest majority in the history of the country. The charismatic Progressive Conservative leader stumbled in the following two elections and was ultimately ousted by his party in a leadership convention that brought Robert Stanfield to power in 1967.
Dief the Chief, as he was affectionately known, was bitter about the ousting and spent the rest of his time in Parliament seeking to destabilize his own party.
As a gesture of respect, the former leader secured an office directly across from the new leader’s digs, which include multiple offices and a caucus room for important private meetings.
One of the jobs of Diefenbaker’s assistant was to keep a diary of everybody who stepped across Robert Stanfield’s hearth. The assistant kept detailed notes and reported weekly how long visitors stayed and, when possible, the subject matter of the meeting.
Oftentimes, positioning of an office would actually give the occupant direct insight into some of the deeper secrets hiding within the inner sanctum of Parliament.
Prime minister Pierre Trudeau was the first leader to move his office to the third floor.
Prior to that move, all prime ministers were housed on the fourth or even the fifth floor.
Mackenzie King occupied personal offices on the fifth floor, where he commissioned a fresco featuring a portrait of his mother as an angel, and his beloved dog Pat. Both bore daily witness to his work.
At one point, the fresco colour was going dark. Someone sent in to clean it, started the work with an abrasive that managed to scratch his mother’s face. A halt was quickly called to the cleanup.
When prime minister Pierre Trudeau relocated from the fourth to the third floor, he created a unique problem for those coming in and out of his office. In those days, most of Parliament was open to the media, including the third floor corridor.
It was almost impossible for caucus members to meet privately with the prime minister, as every move was usually overseen by a reporter stalking the halls of power.
When I was planning to resign because of the government’s refusal to replace the hated goods and services tax, I received a call to attend the PM’s office. A crowd of journalists were gathered there waiting for news on the breaking story. Instead of attending, I arranged a private phone meeting.
That kept pundits guessing on what was happening until an announcement on my resignation was made the following day at a weekly caucus meeting.
Some of the most salacious stories were not restricted to Centre Block.
Probably the most notorious was the story of a backbench Member of Parliament who went running through the halls of West Block stark naked after a cleaning lady broke up a twosome with his assistant.
He was hiding behind a potted plant, begging for help, when a colleague came to his rescue. The dalliance with his secretary was allegedly consensual and nothing other than wild rumours ever came from the event.
Sex in the corridors of power was a sideshow. The real game was politics.
The move to the newly renovated West Block will be a place to make new memories.
Future leaders and parties will continue to plot against each other, both within their caucuses and between.
Government officials are suggesting the politicians will return to Centre Block in 10 years.
I suspect it might take a little longer. The plan to renovate Centre Block was presented to cabinet by Public Works minister David Dingwall back in 1993. It took 25 years for the reality to unfold.
New memories will no doubt be made in the new power centre.
Most stories will remain behind closed doors. The times have changed since a Member of Parliament hid behind a potted plant.
Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.
But the secrets of Centre Block are over.
