An Afternoon with Bernard Landry

Today I’m going to turn back the clock about 3 weeks. While the eyes of Quebec, and to a certain extent, Canada, were focused on Dawson College and the sheer insanity that took place that day, I was walking from my office near Mont-Royal down to Old Montreal. I had heard what was going on, of course, which was the reason I was walking. The metro lines were stopped along the route I needed and although I had given some thought to trying to reschedule, I felt it was better to go ahead with the interview. After all, Monsieur Bernard Landry was a busy man. If it was going to be a major problem, then his assistant would call and cancel. So far, no call. So off I went, through the light mist and rain.

I had over-estimated how long it would take me to get there, so I had a bit of time to look around. I noticed that his name was absent from the lobby directory listing of businesses and offices that occupied the building. I suppose it’s best to keep a low profile when one is the former leader of the Provincial government’s opposition party. It ensures a certain amount of privacy can be maintained, especially now since he’s no longer officially a public servant. I checked the address for the umpteenth time and headed to the designated floor.

Obviously I didn’t get a guided tour of the office, but it wasn’t quite what I expected. The door was unmarked, except for the office number, so I was a bit unsure of whether I was in the right place. Fortunately, the portrait on the wall gave it away. I checked in with his secretary and then took a seat. There was a TV in the waiting room, tuned to the latest happenings over at Dawson. I had pretty much tuned out at this point, trying to keep my mind on the matter at hand. In a few minutes, I would be meeting with Monsieur Landry.

Next time, the interview. Til next time…

Continue on to Part 1.