Gay MPs on International Day Against Homophobia

My second video piece is now up on the national page of Xtra.ca. This was shot at the same time as the first piece, on the 40th anniversary of the passage of Trudeau's Bill C-150, but edited separately.

The editing process for this second piece went much more smoothly than the first piece, but that had a lot to do with having more practice. I'll also note that the original version was a full minute longer, but my editor chopped out a couple of the segments, but most of those only just illustrated a couple of further points, rather than adding anything substantial, so it wasn't a huge loss (and it's also a lesson to me that I need to be tighter with my video editing - much as I've learned to be with my writing).

Also, the phrase that didn't make it into the video that I almost wish could have, was Scott Brison saying "Octogenarian pugilism aside..."

Here's the video:

Gay Canadian MPs on the legacy of Bill C-150

I have a video piece on the national page of Xtra.ca today. This was a great deal of fun to shoot, in conjunction with a piece for a second video which will go up this weekend. And despite the trials and tribulations involved with editing video (yes, I'm still learning), that's not to say that there weren't some additional complications over the course of its creation. Like for example, how my Conservative senator interviewee pulled out at the last minute. And how I was supposed to get a clip of the Liberal leader to add a statement in there as well, but the people who had said video couldn't get the clip to me in time. And having to translate Réal Ménard's comments with the aid of the only other bilingual guy at the office. But overall it turned out quite well, and I'm happy with the result.

Here's the clip:

Prime Minister playing fast & loose with the law

I have a very big story in the current issue of Capital Xtra, which hits the stands today, and it's also the featured story on the national page of Xtra.ca. On top of that, the online version also has my very first video piece, which I shot and edited (though admittedly it's pretty basic). Nevertheless, it is a bit of an accomplishment.

This was an amazing story to write, if a tad gruelling as I spent the two weeks also reading Court Government and the Collapse of Accountability in Canada and the United Kingdom, hoping that I could perhaps get Donald Savoie's input as well. Sadly, he was out of the country, but I managed to fine more than enough really great experts to interview, on top of the MPs and Senator that I interviewed. In the end, this was a fantastic feature article to write, and yet I feel as though I've barely only scratched the surface for some of it.

Given that I got this far with the piece, I'm hoping to continue working on it for a new and longer version for another venue, which I'm going to work on crafting a pitch for shortly. And hopefully I'll be able to get Donald Savoie's input for said future version...

Here's the video interview:

It is a pretty basic interview, which is why it's as long as it is, but I think it also gives the whole story on his bill, including his ruminations on the larger topic at hand. Nevertheless, it's been a learning experience that I hope to carry forward to new pieces.