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The National Capital Commission

Two of the most secretive organizations in Canada's capital city, Ottawa, performed their versions of the dance of the seven veils before unappreciative audiences in September and October.

Billed as its first annual meeting to be open to the public, the National Capital Commission staged its meeting at the Palais des Congres in Hull.

Despite its location, the event drew an attendance of some 200 people, many of them anxious to express their views on contentious decisions made by the Commission, all of whose members are government appointees.

Press reports of the meeting were uniformly critical. As the unelected commission members sat in silence, the chairman and staff officials undertook the task of answering questions posed by members of the public.

"Patronising" was how one reporter described the responses.
"Paternalistic" was another description of the entire presentation.

As an exercise in public relations, the meeting served to reveal an attitude reminiscent of "l'etat c'est moi."

Pity.


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