Preston Manning is a name that is well known by most people who follow Canadian politics. He is admired by many and is equally disliked by others; however, no one can refute the fact that he has achieved much in his lifetime. At the top of his rather long list of accomplishments, his role as one of the principle founders of the Reform Party of Canada in 1987 is what he is best known for. His pro-life beliefs and controversial immigration policies have garnered much attention as well. He served as a member of the House of Commons for nearly a decade, and is currently serving as a “Distinguished Visitor” at U of T and the University of Calgary. He has recently written a book about his political and parliamentary experiences entitled, Think Big! My Adventures in Life and Democracy. But now that his public political career is winding down, he has been faced with a new and different type of challenge; living with 1,200 university students.
Manning is currently living in the former Colony Hotel which U of T bought in order to accommodate the increased enrollment associated with the double cohort.
Usually he is seen briefly as he quickly moves from the lobby to the elevators. In order to actually contact Preston I had to turn to the front desk for assistance, because obviously they wouldn’t tell me the room where his apartment is located, in case I wanted to tell some rebellious left wing students where they could harass a right wing politician. However, they did connect me to his room by telephone from the front desk. After I left a polite message on his machine I told myself I was probably never going to hear from him. I decided if I were ever to actually have the opportunity to talk to Manning that I would have to take matters into my own hands.
I thought I could search for his room, perhaps it will say PRESTON on a big yellow star stuck to his door like how all of the student occupants have their names exposed. Sadly, this plan failed miserably and I am still waiting to hear back from him.
My roommate is one of the few people who has actually had the opportunity to talk to Preston. They were on the elevator one day and she described the experience as “eighteen floors of awkward silence.” She said it was strange because she knows about him to a large extent, but he had no idea who she was. “It was difficult to tell whether or not we are on a first name basis. Should I call him Preston or Mr. Manning?” Many students have spotted him, including myself; however, I have met very few who have spoken to him. Like a phantom, he appears out of nowhere, spotted by turning heads, to be disappearing just as quickly into a car or an elevator.
My quest to reach Preston continues, like a love stricken teen waiting anxiously for their crush to call, I wait by the phone for Preston, if not for the article, than for curiosity’s sake. If I do ever see him I would like to know how he liked the fire alarms sporadically going off for the first month and a half, or when the elevators act up, resulting in us walking down seemingly endless flights of stairs. I want to know what he thinks of U of T and if he likes living in the hotel. It would also be interesting to see where he lives and how much nicer it is than my room. However, unfortunately for me, all these questions and more will have to wait until the fateful day when the phantom and I meet in one of Chestnut’s elevators.
