Fleishman Hillard: The Political View

Just over a week ago, I was one of thousands of Canadians who logged into the Vancouver 2010 Olympic ticket website and spent the better part of my Saturday in the online “virtual waiting room”, for the chance to purchase a couple of seats at a hockey game, a snowboard qualifier or a curling match. After six hours (!) I finally made a purchase… round one men’s ice hockey: Sweden vs. Germany. Not the most sought after tickets to be sure, but that was the best event available by the time I was given access to the site.

I’m pleased to have an opportunity to experience the Olympic Games as a ticketholder. This privilege doesn’t come cheap, and it certainly wasn’t easy to obtain tickets. So it’s no surprise that the notion of Canadian politicians getting front-of-the-line access to Olympic tickets has generated controversy. The issue has given opposition parties and pundits across the country fresh ammunition to criticize federal, provincial and municipal governments over Olympic spending.

There are some who don’t believe elected officials should have any preferential access to Olympic tickets. Let them spend hours in online ticket purgatory just like the rest of us, critics say. Others believe governments have already spent enough on the 2010 Games; these tickets for Mayors, MLAs, MPPs or MPs just add insult to injury.

And there are some (like me) who support the idea of elected officials attending Olympic events – after all, we elect these people to represent us in dealings with foreign governments and industry, so it makes sense that politicians should act as hosts to visiting dignitaries, CEOs, investors and other VIPs coming to Canada to experience the Olympic Games. The international spotlight will be on Vancouver in just 80 days and we had better take advantage of this attention to further our interests, whether that means bolstering relations with other countries, attracting business investment or promoting Canada as a tourism destination.

So why all the fuss over those precious tickets? Partly, it comes down to mixed messages. The different levels of government have adopted varying approaches to obtaining, paying for and using Olympic tickets. Some governments have outlined exactly how the tickets will be used, and others have been vague. So what are governments actually planning and how much are they spending? Here’s an overview based on announcements so far:

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Number of tickets: 2,000 in total. Of these, 350 are being offered for sale to Conservative MPs, 240 to the Liberals, 90 to the Bloc Quebecois and 65 to the NDP.

Cost: $432,000

Who will use the tickets: Most of the tickets will be used to host guests for the purposes of international trade opportunities, while some of the tickets will be purchased by politicians at their own expense.

Opposition party positions: The NDP is refusing the tickets offered to them: “I think that members of Parliament shouldn’t be jumping in line in front of ordinary Canadians who would like to participate,” NDP Leader Jack Layton was quoted in a recent Canwest News Service story. When asked about the program in early November, Liberal House leader Ralph Goodale said the party had not yet discussed the issue, but said he wouldn’t personally buy tickets.

Government message: The Hon. Gary Lunn, Minister of State for Sport, said the tickets being used for hosting “are [for] very, very good business opportunities,” according to Canwest.

B.C. GOVERNMENT

Number of tickets: 3,000 – half of these are for three hospitality suites at Olympic venues.

Cost: $900,000

Who will use the tickets: As part of the B.C. Liberal government’s ‘Olympic Ticketing Strategy,’ tickets will be distributed to visitors, investors, community leaders, government MLAs and cabinet ministers. The government has also indicated that some of the province’s tickets will be offered for sale at face value to provincial guests and delegates.

Opposition party position: The NDP has charged that the ticketing program amounts to government having their “hand in the cookie jar,” and has also criticized crown corporations for buying tickets. Approximately $1.4 million has been spent by B.C. Hydro, B.C. Lottery Corporation and the Insurance Corporation of B.C.

Government message: According to government records, the Olympic Ticketing Strategy “aims to enhance provincial business or investment strategies, encourage diplomacy between B.C. and other jurisdictions, and engage B.C. communities and residents in the excitement of the Olympic Games.” The Hon. Mary McNeil, the minister responsible for the Olympics, has said “none of the tickets will be used by MLAs or ministers unless they are asked to be part of the official hosting business for this province.”

METRO VANCOUVER

Number of tickets: 100

Cost: $30,000 for tickets, as part of a $1 million initiative called the Metro Vancouver 2010 Partnership Investment Program. Nine Metro Vancouver municipalities will spend $20,000 each to participate in the program, which will host 100 international business representatives in Vancouver during the Games. The federal government is picking up $805,000 of the cost through Western Economic Diversification.

Who will use the tickets: Participating municipalities are Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver City, North Vancouver District, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey and Vancouver.

Other municipal programs: Some Metro municipalities are also doing their own ticket programs, in addition to the Partnership Investment Program. According to records obtained by the Seattle Times, the City of Vancouver bought $377,000 worth of tickets, while the Calgary Herald reported that the City of Richmond spent $200,000, and the Resort Municipality of Whistler purchased $37,000 worth of tickets.