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

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well 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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