Thread: 1/About 15 years ago, on a plane from LA to Toronto, I was struggling to get my bag into a crowded overhead bin. An old man offered to move his suitcase into a different position so I could fit mine in.
2/ I ended up sitting next to him. He was talkative and charming. We ended up talking for hours about Canadian film and art. He was an encyclopedia when it came to these things.
3/ After a while he pointed to a photo of a Conservative cabinet minister on the front page of the Globe and asked me what I thought of him.
4/ “Not much” I said. He asked why. I said I didn’t know where to start. For one thing – Conservatives didn’t support the arts which he was clearly so passionate about.
5/“Well” he said, “there is actually a long conservative tradition of supporting the arts.” I laughed. I said “Look, I grew up under Mike Harris. For me, conservatives do not support the arts. They hack away at social programs and the arts and everything else that matters to me.”
6/He looked off, thoughtfully. “Interesting,” he said. I felt I should clarify.
7/ “Maybe it’s a generational thing" I said. There haven’t really been Red Tories in my time. I'd never be conservative but maybe if I’d grown up under Bill Davis I would think that Conservatives had some connection to the arts. Maybe I’d think a bit differently."
8/“What a lovely thing to say.” he said. “Why?” I asked. He put out his hand to shake mine. “Because I’m Bill Davis.”
9/ I then remembered that early in our conversation I had asked what he did for a living. I assumed he was an artist or an arts administrator. He had said "I'm on some boards. And for 14 years I was premier of Ontario."
10/ It was such a good joke, I thought, and he had delivered it so drily.
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