by
      Jeff
      Coll
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      was
      driving
     
     
      down
      Queen
      Street
      on
     
     
      my
      way
      to
      City
      Cinema
     
     
      when
      I
      first
      saw
      the
     
     
      flashing
      lights.
      There
     
     
      was
      a
      police
      van
      in
      the
     
     
      middle
      of
      the
      intersec-
     
     
      tion
      of
      Queen
      and
      Wa-
     
     
      ter.
      I
      thought
      there
      might
     
     
      have
      been
      an
      accident,
     
    

    
     
      but
      I
      turned
      left
      onto
     
     
      King
      Street
      before
      I
     
     
      could
      get
      a
      better
      view.
      I
     
     
      parked
      in
      the
      parking
      lot
     
     
      outside
      of
      City
      Cinema
     
     
      and,
      with
      a
      half
      an
      hour
     
     
      to
      spare,
      I
      decided
      to
      go
     
     
      to
      the
      Prince
      Edward
      to
     
     
      piss
      and
      get
      something
     
     
      to
      drink.
     
    

    
     
      As
      I
      walked
     
     
      toward
      the
      hotel,
      I
      got
      a
     
     
      better
      look
      at
      the
      scene:
     
     
      There
      was
      an
      officer
     
     
      standing
      in
      front
      of
      the
     
     
      police
      van.
      He
      was
     
     
      directing
      traffic
      while
      a
     
     
      few
      other
      officers
      milled
     
     
      around
      the
      intersection.
     
     
      As
      I
      crossed
      the
      intersec-
     
     
      tion,
      I
      noticed
      the
      Prince
     
     
      Edward
      was
      getting
     
     
      some
      renovations
      done
     
     
      around
      the
      side
      entrance.
     
     
      I
      went
      up
      to
      the
      side
     
     
      entrance
      and
      saw
      a
     
     
      neatly-typed
      sign
      saying
     
    

    
     
      -
      “Please
      Use
      Main
      En-
     
     
      trance.”
      Jt
      must
      be
     
     
      because
      of
      the
      renova-
     
     
      tions,
      I
      thought
      to
      myself
     
     
      as
      I
      went
      down
      the
      steps
     
    

    
     
      -and
      turned
      toward
      the
     
     
      main
      entrance.
     
    

    
     
      Then
      I
      noticed
     
     
      the
      crowd
      of
      people
     
    

    
     
      ..
      Standing
      gathered
      across
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      street
      from
      the
      main
     
     
      entrance.
      Thoughts
     
     
      quickly
      ran
      through
      my
     
     
      mind:
      Was
      there
      some
     
     
      sort
      of
      horrible
      murder?
     
     
      Why
      is
      everybody
      so
     
     
      calm?
      As
      |
      got,
      closer
      I
     
     
      could
      hear
      a
      woman’s
     
     
      voice
      clearly
      addressing
     
     
      the
      crowd.
      When
      I
      got
      to
     
     
      the
      main
      entrance,
      I
     
     
      could
      see
      a
      lot
      of
      men
      in
     
     
      suits
      standing
      around,
     
     
      but
      few
      others.
      I
      paused
     
     
      a
      moment
      to
      assess
      the
     
     
      situation.
     
    

    
     
      At
      this
      point
      the
     
     
      woman
      was
      saying,
     
     
      “Tonight,
      this
      hotel
      is
      a
     
     
      hotel
      of
      shame.”
      I
      saw
     
     
      her
      standing
      across
      from
     
     
      me
      in
      front
      of
      a
      micro-
     
     
      phone.
      Three
      candles
     
     
      were
      lit
      on
      the
      ground.
     
     
      Are
      they
      protesting?
      Do
     
     
      they
      not
      like
      the
      renova-
     
     
      tions
      or
      something?
      The
     
     
      woman
      then
      said,
      “Bon
     
     
      appetit,
      Mr.
      Chretien.”
     
     
      Suddenly
      things
      got
      a
     
     
      whole
      lot
      clearer.
      I
     
     
      looked
      around
      the
      ho-
     
     
      tel’s
      entrance
      with
      a
      new
     
     
      outlook
      on
      the
      situation.
     
     
      The
      men
      in
      suits
      had
     
     
      their
      hands
     
     
      pressed
      to
      their
     
     
      ears
      and
      were
     
     
      talking
      into
      their
     
     
      lapels:
      The
      Prime
     
     
      Minister
      is
      in
     
     
      town
      and
      these
     
    
   
   
    
     
      guys
      are
     
     
      Mounties!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .
      I
      knew
     
     
      there
      was
      no
      way
     
     
      I
      was
      going
      to
      get
     
     
      into
      the
      hotel
      to
     
     
      piss
      without
     
     
      getting
      frisked,
      so
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      immediately
      vacated
     
     
      the
      entryway.
      I
      stood
     
     
      near
      the
      entrance
      to
      the
     
     
      parkade,
      with
      a
      clear
     
     
      view
      of
      both
      the
      en-
     
     
      trance
      and
      the
      mob:
      J
     
     
      may
      not
      get
      to
      piss,
      but
     
     
      at
      least
      I’m
      going
      to
      see
     
     
      the
      Prime
      Minister.
     
    

    
     
      The
      woman
     
     
      protestor
      wrapped
      things
     
     
      up
      and
      the
      MC
      intro-
     
     
      duced
      a
      Charlottetown
     
     
      youth.
      To
      my
      surprise,
      I
     
     
      knew
      the
      young
      fellow
     
     
      from
      high
      school.
      He
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      dealt
      drugs,
      and
      to
      my
     
    
   
   
    
     
      knowledge,
      he
      still
      owes
     
     
      some
      stuff
      to
      a
      couple
      of
     
     
      my
      friends.
      He
      told
      the
     
     
      group
      about
      how
      the
     
     
      Liberals
      made
      promises
     
     
      that
      they
      did
      not
      keep.
     
    

    
     
      As
      I
      listened
      a
     
     
      young
      woman
      ina
     
     
      baseball
      cap
      came
      over
     
     
      and
      asked
      me
      if
      Jean
     
     
      Chretien
      was
      coming
     
     
      today.
      I
      said
      that
      I
     
     
      guessed
      so
      and
      she
      told
     
     
      me
      that
      she
      heard
      some-
     
     
      thing
      about
      it
      when
      she
     
     
      flew
      in
      that
      day.
     
    

    
     
      I
      assumed
      she
     
    
   
   
    
     
      was
      a
      guest
      at
      the
      hotel.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “So
      where
      are
      you
     
     
      from?”
      I
      asked
      casually.
     
     
      “Toronto,
      origi-
     
     
      nally.
      But
      I
      live
      in
     
     
      Boston
      now.”
      She
      told
     
     
      me
      that
      the
      last
      time
      she
     
     
      was
      in
      Canada,
      she
      was
     
     
      in
      Vancouver
      and
      Jean
     
     
      Chretien
      was
      in
      town
     
     
      then.
      Apparently,
      she
     
     
      was
      a
      few
      blocks
      away
     
     
      when
      that
      whole
      pepper
     
     
      spray
      incident
      took
     
     
      place.
      We
      both
      waited
      in
     
     
      silence
      for
      the
      Prime
     
     
      Minister
      to
      arrive
      as
      the
     
     
      drug
      dealer
      spoke
      on.
     
     
      Suddenly,
      a
     
     
      group
      of
      about
      four
      cars
     
     
      sped
      down
      the
      street
      and
     
     
      around
      to
      the
      main
     
     
      entrance.
      The
      mob
      got
     
     
      very
      excited
      as
      doors
     
     
      started
      to
      open
      and
      men
     
     
      started
      to
      get
      out
      hur-
     
     
      riedly.
      Chretien
      got
      out,
     
     
      someone
      yelled
      his
      name
     
     
      and
      the
      mob
      broke
      into
      a
     
     
      monotone
      growl.
      Mr.
     
     
      Chretien
      waved
      and
     
     
      quickly
      entered
      the
      hotel
     
     
      within
      like
      a
      rat
      into
      a
     
     
      hole.
      My
      companion
     
     
      seemed
      content
      and
     
     
      walked
      away.
      The
      mob
     
     
      went
      back
      to
      its
     
     
      speeches
      and
      I
     
     
      went
      to
      City
      Cin-
     
     
      ema
      to
      have
      a
      piss.
     
     
      Feeling
      fully
     
     
      refreshed
      and
      with
     
     
      twenty
      minutes
      to
     
     
      spare,
      I
      decided
      to
     
     
      join
      the
      mob.
      It
     
     
      was
      beginning
      to
     
     
      rain
      and
      the
      mob
     
     
      had
      just
      started
      a
      *
     
     
      sing-along.
      I
      was
     
     
      disappointed
      that
      I
     
     
      did
      not
      know
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      words,
      but
      I
      did
      my
      best
     
     
      to
      seem
      like
      I
      cared
     
     
      about
      their
      cause,
      raising
     
     
      my
      fist
      in
      the
      air
      like
      I
     
     
      had
      seen
      people
      with
     
     
      causes
      do
      in
      movies.
      Not
     
     
      that
      I
      was
      sure
      what
      the
     
     
      cause
      was.
     
    

    
     
      After
      hanging
     
     
      around
      for
      twenty
      min-
     
     
      utes,
      I
      understood
      what
     
     
      their
      goal
      was.
      Chretien
     
     
      was
      having
      a
      political
     
     
      fund-raiser
      and
      they
     
     
      were
      protesting
      poverty
     
     
      in
      Canada.
      When
      I
      got
     
     
      back
      to
      City
      Cinema,
      I
     
     
      told
      the
      owner
      about
      the
     
     
      protestors.
      He
      seemed
     
     
      fairly
      sympathetic
      to
     
     
      their
      cause:
      “These
     
     
      people
      in
      the
      upper-
     
     
      levels
      of
      government
     
     
      just
      don’t
      know
      what
      is
     
     
      going
      on.”
     
    

    
     
      On
      my
      way
     
     
      home
      that
      night,
      I
      re-
     
     
      flected
      on
      what
      I
      had
     
     
      heard
      from
      the
     
     
      protestors.
      I
      suddenly
     
     
      realized
      that
      I
      was
      no
     
     
      better
      than
      Chretien.
      Are
     
     
      there
      really
      children
     
     
      going
      to
      school
      hungry
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .
      and
      barefoot?
      Why
     
    
   
   
    
     
      haven't
      I
      heard
      of
      this
     
     
      before
      today?
      Have
      I
     
     
      buried
      myself
      so
      far
      into
     
     
      the
      world
      of
      fantasy
     
    

    
     
      that
      I
      do
      not
      know
     
    

    
     
      what
      is
      going
      on
      in
      my
     
     
      own
      country?
      Is
     
     
      Chretien
      the
      anti-
     
     
      Christ?
      Images
      of
      maple
     
     
      leaves
      and
      .
     
    

    
     
      babies
      starving
      in
     
     
      gutters
      and
      old
      ladies
     
     
      dying
      in
      hospital
     
     
      hallways
      haunted
      me
      as
     
     
      I
      drove
      into
      the
      night.
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ae
     
     
      pmvol