We Canadians

Yes Oui Can

Ottawa, February 19, 2009

Icy roads, driving snow and a  security clamp-down could not keep  thousands of  fans away from Parliament Hill this morning, as they lined up to catch a  fleeting glimpse of President Obama on his first official visit to Canada. World leaders come and go in this capital city and evoke hardly any public interest. But the Obama presidential visit was something else.

The major roads around the Parliament building had been cordoned off, but the people kept coming in by foot.. There were quite a few people gathered at 7:30 a.m, before the road blocks took effect. By 9:30 a.m. there were a few hundred people on the Parliamentary lawns. By 10:30 a.m. the numbers ran into the thousands.

Many people just walked over from their downtown offices; others walked a kilometre or more in freezing weather, including many from the government office complex on the other side of the Ottawa river. There were busloads of visitors from Montreal and quite a few from places as far away as London, Ontario.

Some carried placards and posters; the most  popular, by far, was a bilingual take on Obama’s election slogan “Yes, we can.” It read, simply, “Yes, oui CANada”

Security was tight around the five access points to the Parliament ground; backpacks and carry-ons were searched and some visitors were even asked  to unbutton their coats .  Many students from nearby schools skipped classes to attend  this event. As one student from Merivale High School explained “Mr Obama is  smart and he talks really well. I so wanted to get a glimpse of this very cool dude”.

Inspite of the overpowering security presence, the atmosphere was very upbeat with people chanting “Obama, Obama” again and again as they waited patiently on the lawns.

There was a buzz  in the crowds around 10:30 a.m. when some people heard that Air Force One had landed. This started another round of the Obama chant, punctuated with the “Yes, we can” refrain. By 11:00 a.m. people started flocking towards the East entrance when there was a rumour that the motorcade was arriving.  The motorcade did arrive, about 30 minutes later. It was a  convoy of over 20 vehicles that included security vehicles, the US press fleet and an ambulance. The Presidential   armoured vehicle, dubbed “The Beast” by the press, was flown in especially from the US in advance of the Presidential visit.

The convoy drove up to the Parliament’ main entrance where the President disembarked; at this point, he  was barely visible to the crowds as he was inside a  plexiglass barrier erected at the entrance to the Parliament. Then he turned around and waved to the crowds who simply went ape. For most people, this was the crowning moment of a two hour wait  on a snowy Ottawa morning.

Protestors were hardly in evidence; there had been talk about Greenpeace activists who wanted to protest against tar sands activities but they took down their banners a few hours before the visit. Protests were also planned against American protectionism. But it seems the protestors succumbed to the upbeat mood of the crowd and stopped protesting. Most people in the crowd appeared disinterested in the politics of the situation and the momentous discussions going on inside the Parliament.

The crowd dispersed shortly after Mr Obama entered the Parliament Building and then for many people it was a mad rush to the nearest Tim Horton’s outlet. The President came out of the Parliament building in the afternoon but by this time the crowds had thinned to about a thousand people.

There was, however, a final Presidential twist to the story. On the way back to the airport Mr Obama took a detour to the Byward Market to do some tourist-style shopping. He won the heart of Ottawans by asking for a beaver-tail, a food speciality of this capital city. When he arrived in Ottawa, Mr Obama enjoyed an 80% popularity rating in Canada. By the time he left, it had surged to well over 95%, according to local media sources.