<nettime> FC: How Canadian politicos schmooze with tech types, from Nat'lPost

["Declan McCullagh" <declan@well.com>]

     [orig To: <politech@politechbot.com>]

> [I'm not so sure the dynamic is geeks meeting with politicos, but
> geeks-turned-businessmen meeting with politicos. (True geeks have more
> interesting things to do.) And aside from some vaguely libertarian
> sensibilities -- probably from reading Heinlein as youths -- I'm not sure
> that geek businessmen, as a class, are significantly different from other
> businessmen who have identical responsibilities to investors and
> shareholders. Still, an interesting piece. --Declan]
>
> **********
>
> Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2000 09:07:51 -0400
> Subject: Canadian politics and tech
> From: David Akin <dakin@nationalpost.com>
> To: <declan@well.com>
>
> Hi Declan --
>
> Something of interest for the Politech crowd . .
>
> [While US technology leaders have been active -- and in many cases,
overtly
> so -- in federal politics there, the dot-com crowd in Canada, and
elsewhere,
> I suspect, is still largely apolitical and disconnected from politicss.
But,
> as I wrote in our paper this weekend, some of Canada's senior politicians
> are keen to add a little dot-com lustre to their own images and are
reaching
> out to young tech leaders. I'd love to hear from those in other countries
> about the relationship between geeks and politicians - Akin]
>
>
> The birth of digital politics
> Some of Ottawa's savviest politicians are ardently pursuing a new breed of
> New Economy power brokers
>
> When historians record a remarkable shift in Canadian political power that
> is now under way, their research will lead them to a quiet, unpublicized
> dinner at Ottawa's Rideau Club in May.
>
> The host was Paul Martin, the Finance Minister, who, at 64, hungers to be
> the next prime minister. His guests were young leaders of technology
> companies, as well as an investment banker who has financed some of the
> country's best-known Internet plays.
>
> Remarkably perhaps, the issue of taxes was hardly mentioned. Instead, Mr.
> Martin and representatives of Canada's new generation of business leaders
> discussed health care, education and Canada's attitude about its place in
> the world. It could have been a conversation that took place at any
Canadian
> dinner table except for one thing: Mr. Martin had launched a determined
> campaign to court a small handful of men at the forefront of Canada's
> digital revolution.
>
> Some of his guests were flattered by the dinner invitation, but as they
are
> pursued by everyone from Jean Chretien, the Prime Minister, to Brian
Tobin,
> the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, they are beginning to realize
> their clout in the New Economy translates readily into real political
power.
> Indeed, Canada's technology leaders may soon realize their influence among
> the political class equals or surpasses that of yesterday's generation of
> business leaders -- the bank chairmen, oil barons and well-connected
> lobbyists.
>
> Gathered around the table for that dinner with Mr. Martin were Austin
Hill,
> the 27-year-old millionaire president of Zero-Knowledge Systems Inc. of
> Montreal; Philip Deck, 37, chairman of Certicom Inc., Ken Nickerson, 39,
> former general manager of Microsoft Network Canada and now a successful
> angel investor; Ken Rotman, co-chief executive of Clairvest Group Inc.,
> Scott Paterson, 36, chairman of Yorkton Securities Inc., an investment
bank
> closely associated with the New Economy, and others.
> ....
> [Full story at
>
http://www.nationalpost.com/financialpost/story.html?f=/stories/20000923/407
> 563.html ]
>
> --
> David Akin / Senior technology reporter / dakin@nationalpost.com
> National Post / http://www.nationalpost.com
> 300-1450 Don Mills Road / Don Mills / Ontario / CANADA / M3B 3R5
> VOX: 416.383.2372 / FAX: 416.383.2443 / SWITCH: 416.383.2300
>
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