Okay I'm back from two very boring classes.
But then again, most things would be boring after comparing them to yesterday!
So...
After learning that I was going to be able to see Kofi Annan speak to the joint HofC and Senate I was beyond excited. Poli. Sci. nerds everywhere wanted to be me!
The next morning I arrived at the East Block (where the Senate offices are) and promptly entered the wrong entrance. Luckily the guards were very nice and phoned up to Senator Milne's office to make sure I wasn't a terrorist and was actually the person I said I was. The finally let me through after much frisking, x-raying and making me swear that I didn't have any electronic devices on me. At least I didn't have the same experience as another girl who had forgotten to take the knitting she was working on the bus out of her bag. They confiscated the needles claiming they were potential weapons.
The Senator's admin. assistant Lisa was very nice and explained to me that it was she who managed to negotiate seats at the big Annan speech not only for me, but also for the other five girls who got Senators. The people who had MPs had to watch from a tv screen. Ha! So much for the Canadian senate being useless!
I then got to meet the Senator and talked to her one on one for about 45 minutes where we touched on such issues as gender empowerment in politics, senate reform and my personal interest in gun control. I was excited to learn that Senator Milne had actually sat on the Senate Committee which had fine-tuned the Firearms Act way back in 1995 and actually made her CRY when she recounted how her son had been caught in the cross-fire of a school shooting - the first in Canadian history - way back in the early 1970s. It definitely was an intense moment.
Then around 9:45 we both whisked off to the HofC for the speech. I got to sit in the Government Members' Gallery which was exciting. I sat next to two very nice people - one of which was the chief of staff for a MP who's name I forget. He pointed out a lot of people I couldn't recognize at first (mainly Senators and backbench MPs). I told him about the Canadian Alliance and their links to the NRA. We then discussed whether Pierre Pettigrew's hair was natural. A good time was had by all.
(by the way - his hair is either fake or the 8th wonder of the world)
Then Kofi Annan and Paul Martin walked into the HofC and everyone stood up and applauded. Now the only way to compare it is the same ovation given to a star makes their appearance in a show - but somehow louder (some cheered louder than others... but that's party politics for ya!)
The PM gave a short little address thanking Annan for coming and talking about how proud Canada is to be such an integral part of the UN.
The Annan spoke. The speech itself wasn't all that great - most of it was pretty basic and was generally him going "Yeaaaaa Canada.... Yeaaaaaaa United Nations". What was really great was the respect and dignity this man just creates whenever he opens his mouth. He is without a doubt one of the most outwardly classiest people I have ever seen. Almost royal in his presence.
Sheila Copps' cell phone went off right in the middle of the speech which was pretty darn funny if annoying.
Now for the greatest thing EVER...
The speech ended at 11am. I had been told that the Senator's Policy Advisor would come get me at the Members' Gallery at 11:30 which was when the speech was supposed to end. I figured I would have to wait around for him - so I got comfortable dug in.
About 10 minutes later, the entire HofC was empty. Then the Senator came up to find me and told me that she would be taking me back to her office because I didn't know the way myself.
We were walking back from the HofC to the Senate when we passed by the Hall of Honour. Here, a receiving line of sorts was being made for when Paul Martin and Kofi left, made up of all of the staff of the two houses (clerks, speakers, pages, etc.). Seeing this the Senator asked me if I wanted to shake Kofi Annan's hand.
DID I? But how? I asked.
Oh just go line up with the pages - your about their ages and will blend in.
I just about freaked out and she literally pushed me into the end of the line. The pages were laughing at me and the Senator.
Just then the chief of staff I had been chatting with before the speech walked by and asked me what I was doing. The Senator (who was standing next to me... so there was a line of pages, me and an elderly Senator in beige) explained, he laughed and promptly got in line with me.
The Prime Minister and Annan then walked in, shook everybody's hand, INCLUDING MINE. I will admit he looked a little confused as to who the three people at the end of the line were - but whatever. The Senator, who of course knew Paul Martin well, introduced me to him and we had a three-second talk about the work of "Women in the House".
It was the greatest thrill of my life.
No one else in the program even got CLOSE to Annan or the Prime Minister. Many only got to spend a half an hour or so with the person they were supposed to be shadowing.
I definitely lucked out.