Feeling insecure about Charlevoix summit

The last time a divisive, globally loathed, intellectually dubious Republican president, elected with a minority of votes, came to this neck of the Quebec woods, it was, to use a polite f-word, a fiasco of epic proportions. That’s a fact, not an opinion.

It’s never been adequately explained why then-prime minister Jean Chretien chose to host the Summit of the Americas in the heart of Quebec City for three days in April, 2001. The historic, precious jewel of exquisite architecture and populous residential area was transformed, for the occasion of the visit of George W. Bush and about 30 other leaders from the Americas, into an armed, walled encampment, besieged and breached by thousands of motivated protesters.

Those who witnessed or were caught in the violence in the streets of the old city, choking on tear-gas, horrified by the tactics of police and protester alike, would likely say, as is habitually the case in the wake of shocking incidents, “never again.” I have my souvenir riot puck, a locally flavoured protest projectile, to remind me of the clash.

Here we are, 17 years later, with plans unfolding for another important gathering of world leaders in Quebec. This time it’s the G7 Summit, to be staged in mid-june at the Fairmont Manoir Richelieu hotel, in La Malbaie, in the picturesque Charlevoix region, about 140 km or two hour’s drive from Quebec City.

The site was the choice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, seizing the chance to show off the presumed famous hospitality of the area, and, naturally, boost the Liberal brand in a riding that has not seen a Grit MP since his father was PM. (Provincially, the seat held by former Parti Quebecois premier Pauline Marois, went Liberal in the 2014 election).

Trudeau said, in making the announcement last May, he’s sure his political counterparts “will fall in love with the region, just as Canadians have done for generations.”

That is, if they actually venture beyond the ultra-secure confines of the luxury hotel with the spectacular sweeping view of the St. Lawrence River. Work is already well underway on the construction of a $4 million, six-foot high, 2.5 km-long wall around the hotel environs, a structure that may well please the president of the United States, but maybe less so the local residents.

(As mentioned in a previous column, a former U.S. president, William Howard Taft, whose family had a residence in the Charlevoix, officially inaugurated the golf course at the Manoir Richelieu in 1925.)

On the bright side, long after the G7 wall comes down, the residents of the Charlevoix will be enjoying improved cell phone service, thanks to a $17 million infrastructure upgrade, a reward from the federal government for hosting the event.

The prime minister made a stop at the Manoir last week, speaking at a gala dinner hosted by the local chambre de commerce, obviously thrilled the G7 will put the region on the map, despite security inconveniences.

While plans call for a “free speech zone” at a safe distance from the hotel where the leaders are meeting, the buzz is the real protest action will be back where it was in 2001, in the heart of Quebec City. The G7 International Media Centre, where some 2,000 journalist from around the world will gather, will be set up at the convention centre.

That’s the same place the Summit of the Americas was held, right across the street from the National Assembly. It is more than likely, according to media speculation, the inevitable legions of protesters will set up shop downtown rather than trying to make a scene in the Charlevoix woods.

Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume is of the same mind. He said, in the wake of the ultra-right clash in the city in November, such a scenario is a small taste of what might befall the city come June.

DEAR EDITOR;

T“If there are going to be demonstrations, I’m not sure they will be at Les Eboulements. It’s more likely they’ll be in Quebec.”

The mayor says he’s been assured by Ottawa’s G7 sherpa Peter Boehm the city will be compensated for whatever extra security measures it needs to put in place to prepare for the G7.

Need we brace for QC summit riots, prise deux? he Record (Wednesday, January 17) had a story about Donald Trump’s performance on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MCA). Scores on a standardized test are usually confidential, but Mr. Trump’s score (30 out of a possible 30) was made public (I assume with his permission) by the physician who conducted his complete medical examination.

This seems like a great score, and is perfect by definition. However, no psychological test score is perfectly reliable. Results are usually reported as a “confidence interval” or range of scores around the obtained value. Technically, in Mr. Trump’s case, the range in which we could be 99% confident is 28.7 to 31.3. A score of 31 is of course impossible, but his true score almost certainly lies between 28.7 and 30.

Furthermore, as noted in the story, the MCA is designed to screen for cognitive impairment. It is not a high level intelligence test, which would be required to assess Mr. Trump’s claim that he is a “stable genius”. In fact, 26 is the usual cutoff for classifying a person: 26 and above is “normal”; below 26 suggests a possible problem (which would be decided with further investigation). Mr. Trump’s score range certainly meets the criterion for normal.

Finally, a 2015 paper in “Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition” provides average scores for different age groups with various education levels. Of most interest here, for people between 70 and 79 with more than 16 years of education (Mr. Trump’s group), the average score was 27.6. Mr. Trump’s true score (28.7 to 30) is close to or at the maximum, but is also just above average for his peers.

STUART MCKELVIE, DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY, BISHOP’S UNIVERSITY.

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