Martin movie coming to town
Ellwood Shreve, The Chatham Daily News
March 3, 2004.

The heat has been on Prime Minister Paul Martin over the sponsorship scandal and a few local political groups are about to turn it up a notch.

The Chatham-Kent chapter of the Council of Canadians and the Chatham-Kent Labour Council have arranged for a local showing of the controversial Waiting for Martin documentary, which is about to go on a nationwide tour.

The documentary is being billed as a Canadian version of Roger and Me, which featured political activist Michael Moore dogging former General Motors chairman Roger Smith.

Waiting for Martin, which has been filmed over the past three years, depicts the lengths David Bernans goes to try to meet and debate Martin on various issues.

Bernans who won't take "no" for an answer, even ran against Martin in his Montreal riding. He has encountered many obstacles, including security guards, police on horseback and Martin's campaign manager Lucy Castelli.

Local Council of Canadians spokeswoman Carmen McCauley admits the recent sponsorship scandal, involving $100 million purportedly going to Liberal-friendly businesses for doing little or no work, may make the documentary even more appealing.

However, she said local efforts to bring Waiting for Martin to Chatham-Kent began three months ago. It wasn't in reaction to the sponsorship scandal, she said.

But McCauley noted the documentary is still being filmed, so there is a good chance references to the scandal will be included.

The film is a collaboration between Academy Award-winning director Terre Nash, veteran documentarian Magnus Isacsson and animator/editor Sophia Southam.

The local showing will be April 3 at the Maple City Centre For Older Adults, beginning at 2 p.m. Admission is $2.

Bernans is scheduled to be at the screening.

Copyright 2004 Chatham Daily News

Prime Minister Paul Martin is the unwitting star of a new documentary that pokes fun at the stage-managed politician and debunks his "man of the people" image.

Filmed over a three-year period WAITING FOR MARTIN trails the PM-in-waiting in a bid to reveal his weak commitment to social programs during his years as finance minister. It begins cross-Canada screenings next month - just before Martin is expected to call a federal election.

The theme is reminiscent of ROGER & ME, director Michael Moore's seminal 1989 documentary on his fruitless pursuit of GM CEO Roger Smith.

Director Magnus Isacsson said his initial plan for the project - a hybrid of animation and documentary - was to make a one-evening film about a globalization accountablity session in 2000. When Martin cancelled his appearance, the story developed into an expose of the impact of his economic policies - with star David Bernans stubbornly seeking an audience.

"There are many interesting twists and turns to the story," said Isacsson. "It's very political, rather experimental, a little unusual and highly critical of the current prime minister."

While the hour-long film is "fun", it has an underlying, biting message with discussion on the consequences of Martin's policies, including an interview with Martin nemesis, NDP Leader Jack Layton.

Bernans, who even camped outside Martin's office to pin him with a question, said he learned the PM avoids all unscripted public encounters.

"The hide-and-seek game is sort of a fun backdrop and it makes the film pretty entertaining," he said.

"It's important for politicians to be accessible and my cat-and-mouse game shows clearly that he's not. But the main point is to call Paul Martin to account for his record as finance minister."

Ed Cashman, VP of the Public Service Alliance of Canada's National Capital Region, said the satire reveals a different side of the nation's new leader than Canadians see in "staged" town hall meetings.

"I think Canadians should be concerned about this guy. He talks the talk, but we haven't seen him walk the walk," he said.

This movie pokes behind that and shows there's a facade there, but you've got to be careful because what you see is not what you get."

The majority of the film's $150,000 budget came from federal grants.

Ottawa, January 24--An audience primarily made up of public service workers roared with laughter at many points during a sneak-preview of a documentary that pokes fun at their boss, Prime Minister Paul Martin.

The one-time-only pre-release preview of "Waiting For Martin" -- an hour long documentary chronicling one activist's pursuit of a debate with Martin himself -- was hosted Saturday evening by the Public Service Alliance of Canada National Capital Region (PSAC NCR).

"We needed some feedback before we do the final cut," said Waiting For Martin co-director Magnus Isacsson. "And we certainly got plenty of useful suggestions tonight. It was a great discussion."

PSAC NCR, CUPE and other grassroots organizations are also helping the controversial independent film in other ways. "We're getting much needed funding from our union and social movement allies and all kinds of local groups have offered to host showings in about 25 cities Canada-wide," said national tour organizer and Waiting For Martin star David Bernans.

PSAC NCR VP Ed Cashman said his organization is happy to give the cross-Canada tour a financial boost, "People need to know who their new PM is and this film shows the real Paul Martin."

"Send a copy to Bono!" shouted one member of the audience after seeing Martin in a brief consultation with the rock superstar. Bono gave a speech at the Liberal Party convention/coronation that put Martin in the country's driver's seat.

Like Bono, Waiting For Martin star David Bernans seeks an audience with Canada's most powerful politician/businessman. To that end, the social activist runs for the NDP in Martin's Montreal riding. But unlike Bono, the pesky Bernans is brushed off over a period of three years. Still, the game of hide-and-seek is an adventure in itself that reveals more about Paul Martin than any candid interview ever could.

Liberal Party security, campaign managers and handlers are slowly driven mad by Bernans' pigheaded persistence. The PR gloss is slowly peeled away. The true Paul Martin, his socially destructive policies and broken promises are stripped naked for all to see.

Carol-Anne Grenier, Chair of PSAC's Ottawa Regional Women's Committee, said the film would complement the work of the union movement to inform Canadians about Martin's long socially regressive record.

"People have forgotten that Paul Martin cut Unemployment Insurance back in the 1990s when he was Finance Minister. Only 38 per cent of laid-off workers now qualify for benefits. The Canadian Labour Congress and the Ontario Federation of Labour are launching an awareness campaign on the issue. This film will remind workers about how Martin robbed their EI fund contributions to give tax cuts to the rich."

In the latest security breach involving Parliament Hill, an unaccredited freelance journalist who has been trailing Paul Martin for the past three years for a documentary film found his way into the prime-minister-in-waiting's news conference yesterday.

David Bernans, who ran against the Liberal MP in his Montreal riding in the 2000 election, was asked to leave the National Press Theatre after unsuccessfully asking Mr. Martin a question during the press conference, which was televised live on CBC's Newsworld.

After being recognized by the moderator, Mr. Bernans began asking his question concerning municipal affairs before it was noticed he was not accredited for the news conference.

Mr. Martin appeared ready to answer the question but told Mr. Bernans he didn't want to get into trouble with the parliamentary press gallery, which oversees the question-and-answer sessions in the theatre and cut Mr. Bernans off.

Mr. Bernans later said the documentary, being filmed by director Magnus Isacsson, is called: Waiting for Martin and is styled after Michael Moore's popular film Roger and Me, in which he pursues Roger Smith, the chairman of General Motors.

The $150,000 film is being partly financed with $50,000 from the Canada Council, he said.

John Waterfield, a spokesman for the National Press Gallery, said while Mr. Bernans' film crew had been turned away at the door, the self-acknowledged "actor" slipped through to take a seat as Mr. Martin entered the theatre.

Mr. Waterfield said there will be greater vigilance at the door checking passes in the future.

A spokeswoman for the RCMP said she had not received a report about the incident, adding the press gallery was responsible for monitoring access to the theatre.

Const. Nathalie Deschenes said Mr. Martin's RCMP detail provided security inside the theatre during the news conference.

Mr. Bernans said he simply wanted to ask Mr. Martin a question and when he was asked to leave by the RCMP, he promptly did.

He acknowledged the incident will be seen in the documentary and that it well served the purposes of the film.

Scott Reid, a spokesman for Martin, downplayed the incident, calling the security breach a "reasonable mistake."

"The press gallery run a pretty tight ship -- we don't have any anxiety or complaints," said Reid. He said the Martin camp is familiar with Bernans, who ran for the NDP in 2000, since he was also tracking the Liberal leader's moves at the recent Liberal leadership convention in Toronto.

"This is what you get from the Jack Layton NDP -- stunts and stooges. He has filmed Mr. Martin in a variety of places, in a variety of locations. This is not a legitimate documentary effort -- this is a partisan effort," he added.

Although not as serious as previous incidents, it is the fifth security breach in the Parliament Hill precinct since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

It is the second breach this month after a woman ignored security at the base of the Hill and used an entrance reserved for MPs and senators to make her way to the Peace Tower. The incident resembled another in August, when a man driving a car carrying two containers of gasoline broke through a chain barrier and came to a stop in front of the Peace Tower.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2003

OTTAWA (CP) - Incoming prime minister Paul Martin will star in a new film, but he probably won't like the script.

Waiting for Martin is a comedic take on one social activist's failed quest to debate the former finance minister on his axe-wielding days as a deficit slayer. "I think it will show the real face of Paul Martin," said David Bernans, who camped outside Martin's campaign office for three days during the 2000 election in a vain bid to confront him.

Bernans unsuccessfully ran for the NDP in Martin's LaSalle-Emard riding in Quebec.

Martin refused to attend an all-candidates debate on social issues and has avoided him ever since, Bernans says.

"I think he's gotten an easy ride."

The one-hour documentary highlights Martin's sweeping cuts to social spending in the mid-1990s as he battled a $42-billion deficit.

A cross-country tour is planned for next spring just before an expected federal election, and talks are ongoing with television networks to air it.

People should be reminded that trickle-down economic theories widened the gap between rich and poor, Bernans said in an interview.

Deep cuts to health care, social housing and tighter restrictions on employment insurance are still felt today, he said.

Attempts to reach the future prime minister or his spokesman for comment on the film were unsuccessful.

Bernans believes tax cuts and exemptions under Martin's watch disproportionately helped rich Canadians and top corporations.

Martin's calls at last week's Liberal leadership conference for "a society based on compassion and caring" rang hollow at best, he said.

Martin has often cited tax breaks for working poor parents in defence of his social track record.

He has promised, when he takes over as prime minister Dec. 12, that health care, education, the disabled and poor native living standards will be priorities. But he has also stressed that budgets will be tightly controlled. "Dynamic" social programs will happen "as long as we are constantly reviewing spending on a line-by-line basis and making sure that we are reallocating to the highest priorities," Martin told reporters last month.

The documentary by Montreal filmmakers Sophia Southam and Magnus Isacsson is in the spirit of Roger and Me, Bernans said.

That cult-favourite documentary chronicles Michael Moore's fruitless attempts to question General Motors boss Roger Smith on plant closures that devastated Moore's hometown of Flint, Mich.

Bernans sports a devil suit, a giant papier mache likeness of Martin and a range of protest tactics throughout the film.

It crescendoes with Bernans lobbing questions at Martin during last week's leadership convention, with no response.

"He has had every opportunity in the world to respond," Bernans said.

The project received $40,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and $40,000 from the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund, said Southam, one of the filmmakers.

"What we really want to do is mobilize people to organize protests during the election to call Martin to account."

© The Canadian Press, 2003

David Bernans got as close to Paul Martin at this week's Liberal leadership convention as he has in three years of dogging the former finance minister and future prime minister in an effort to ask him some questions.

But still not close enough to get any answers, which perhaps was just as well. Had Martin responded, it might have spoiled the movie Bernans is making, which is all about Paul Martin not answering questions.

Bernans and director Magnus Isacsson, both Montrealers, were at the convention to wrap up shooting for the film Waiting for Martin, which they plan to release next spring, hopefully at the same time Martin calls a federal election.

It will be something of a Canadian version of Roger and Me, by American documentary filmmaker and political gadfly Michael Moore, in which he hounds General Motors chairperson Roger Smith in a fruitless effort to get him to answer for a devastating plant closing in Moore's home town of Flint, Mich.

For Bernans and Isacsson, the scene at the Liberal convention unfolded pretty much as they had scripted it six months ago: they got hassled by security and snubbed by Martin when they crashed a mainstream media scrum.

"I got to shout a few questions, like how it is that a third of the most profitable corporations don't pay taxes and about his tax shelter in the Caribbean," said Bernans. "I'm sure he heard me because I shouted them pretty loud."

"Some of the press people were amused, but definitely not any of the Martin people."

"It was a good shoot," said Isacsson.

"It was kind of striking, here were about 100 film crews all pointing their cameras in the same direction, while we were the only ones there with a different agenda."

Bernans, a 33-year-old researcher for the Concordia University student union, has been an annoyance to the Martin people ever since he ran as the NDP candidate in Martin's home riding of LaSalle-Emard in the 2000 federal election.

While he finished a distant fifth, with fewer than 1,000 votes to Martin's more than 30,000, Bernans managed to get more publicity than of any of Martin's opponents by camping out in a tent in front of Martin's Ville Emard campaign headquarters.

Bernans said his purpose was to flush Martin out for an all-candidates debate, which Martin doggedly declined.

He did, however, get his fellow opposition candidates to join him in his demand, if not for his campout.

By then he had hooked up with Isacsson, a prize-winning independent director of documentary films with a social activist bent.

Isacsson's other projects include Power, a film on the James Bay Cree battle against the Great Whale hydro project, View From the Summit, on the tear-gas-soaked protest at the 2001 summit of the Americas in Quebec City, and The Choir Boys, on the choir formed by men from the Acceuil Bonneau homeless shelter in Montreal.

The genesis of the Martin project goes back to the late summer of 2000, when Martin ducked out of an appearance at Concordia when it became evident he'd get a rough ride.

"Some of us planned to protest, go in with placards and puppets," said Bernans.

"We didn't want to stop the event, but put forward another point of view to ask a lot of pointed questions. They were afraid it would turn into a circus."

Isacsson had planned to make a film out of the evening alone. He had six cameras in position and a crew of 40 on hand.

When the event fell through, he figured he could salvage something from the effort by casting Martin as a virtual presence in the film.

"This week's event is the only time he actually appears on film, but he's always a presence, on television or the front page of the newspaper," Isacsson said. "He's everywhere, but never really there."

Isacsson said the film aims to be funny and serious. At one point, Bernans dresses up in a devil's costume to debate a Paul Martin puppet.

"We thought it was an interesting way and a humorous way to get at some serious issues and the state of democracy in Canada," he said.

hbauch@thegazette.canwest.com © Copyright 2003 Montreal Gazette

*NB* The Gazette article does not mention the important work of co-director Sophia Southam. Her animation of Paul Martin cartoons is one of the most original and entertaining aspects of the film.