Now that Vancouver has the 2010 Olympics where do we go from here ?
Who will keep an independent eye on the activities of the organising committees, sponsors, environment, contracted workers and many other aspects of the games ?
France Chretien-Desmarais, as you might imagine, doesn't ask me for my opinion. And chances are the prime minister's daughter won't appreciate my advice.
Ms. Chretien-Desmarais has been appointed to the board responsible for organizing Vancouver-Whistler's 2010 Olympic Games, an unpaid position for which her expenses will be covered.
She should, without a second of thought, seek to have the appointment annulled.
The reason? It's too tacky to sit as one of three designated federal appointees when you have no clear link to the sporting world and are the daughter of the prime minister. Third-world dictators appoint their kids to government jobs.
The appointment -- formally made last week by Heritage Minister Sheila Copps -- will reflect poorly not only on Ms. Chretien-Desmarais but on Jean Chretien as well. It's going to serve as a reminder all the way to 2010 of how patronage and questionable ethics marred Mr. Chretien's government.
Now, the PM would doubtless rush to his daughter's defence, saying it wouldn't be fair to punish Ms. Chretien-Desmarais because she's his daughter. True.
But another question involving fairness needs to be considered: Does her father's being prime minister unfairly place her in a preferred position over other, equally worthy -- and possibly more qualified -- individuals who might wish to serve on the 20-member board that will oversee the B.C. sporting extravaganza?
Ms. Chretien-Desmarais, a 45-year-old mother of four, studied law and economics at the University of Ottawa, and now lives in Montreal. She's to be admired for having served on numerous boards and institutes that work for Canadian unity as well as health, educational and cultural causes. She's married to Montreal business mogul Andre Desmarais.
Since 1996, she has been president and co-owner of Maxi-Crisp, a snack-food company based in Lachine, Que.
But where is the connection to British Columbia or the Olympic Games that would explain her being granted such a position? Yes, she was one of 90 board members on the now-disbanded Vancouver 2010 bid committee -- but, come to think of it, how the heck did she come to hold that post?
As a bid committee director, she was able last July to travel with her father to Prague for the announcement of the winning bid by the International Olympic Committee.
Clearly people will be inclined to believe she has had the privilege of involvement in the Olympics because of her prime ministerial connection.
For that reason, it's poor judgment for the PM to allow the appointment to stand, equally poor judgment for Ms. Chretien-Desmarais to accept it.
That Mr. Chretien has allowed his daughter to be put in such an awkward situation goes to demonstrate one of his great weaknesses -- he believes patronage is acceptable and does not consider ethical issues carefully enough when making decisions.
It would be unfortunate if any aspect of the 2010 Olympics were to become politicized. The Games are a celebration of athletes and their sporting pursuits, and an opportunity to showcase this province. The focus must be kept on the tasks at hand, getting Vancouver and Whistler, and Canadian athletes, ready for the big event.
So far, it would seem the feds are doing a poor job of keeping politics away from the organizing committee board.
Ottawa appoints three of 20 board members. In addition to Ms. Chretien-Desmarais, two others who have been named are raising eyebrows.
One is Vancouver millionaire Peter Dhillon, said to be a close ally of Natural Resources Minister Herb Dhaliwal, a loyal footsoldier to Mr. Chretien.
The other is Tony Tennessy, a friend of Ms. Copps' husband, Austin Thorne. Both Messrs. Thorne and Tennessy have been highly involved in the union movement.
It's one thing to appoint cronies to the Senate, quite another to burden the Olympics board with Liberal pals.
The Games are all about competition, individual athletes giving it their personal best and winning or losing entirely on their own merits. Politicians should take a message from that.
