INDEPTH: ISRAEL ASPER
A Man called 'Izzy'
Larry Zolf, CBC News Online | August 3, 2000
In his book, A Nation of Immigrants, John Fitzgerald Kennedy argued that immigrants have become the main part of the American dream. But by the 1920s, America had become xenophobic and convinced that European immigration was a menace to the American people. Canada, then not yet a full-fledged nation, was still convinced that immigrants were a key to the fulfillment of the Canadian dream.
One immigrant dreaming the Canadian dream was Leon Asper, the father of 'Izzy' Asper, the entrepreneur a recent National Post headline proclaimed "the nation's media king". Leon had been a teacher of violin at the famous Odessa Conservatory of music in tsarist Russia. In 1924, Leon emigrated to Winnipeg and played violin for the Winnipeg Symphony until it went bankrupt in 1929.
Despite this setback and the Great Depression, the Aspers bounced back. Leon took over the Lyric, a rundown movie theatre in the quiet country town of Minnedosa, Manitoba.
Izzy Asper grew up in the picture business, cleaning the Lyric Theatre by hand and pulling the gum off the back of the movie theatre seats. In the town's soda fountain, Izzy was always talking about the movies. His constant, easy contacts with small town people and farmers provided him with a bit of a populist streak early on in life. It also kindled Izzy's love of mass entertainment as both a suitable and profitable way of life.
Izzy's easygoing familiarity and contacts with the people of Minnedosa led him to believe that a life in both Canadian business and politics was possible; it also led him to feel that his Jewishness was no hindrance to that life. From an early age, Minnedosa-born Izzy Asper dared to dream the Canadian dream.
By the 1970s, Izzy was one of Canada's top taxation lawyers. The Globe and Mail gave him a very widely circulated column. He used the column to push his fiscal conservatism and show his distaste for Trudeau state socialism. Izzy wrote a book called The Benson Iceberg which shot giant holes in the Benson-Trudeau White Paper on tax reform.
The Benson Iceberg and the fuss it generated was one of the reasons why Trudeau had a disastrous minority in 1972. John Turner was Asper's close friend and Asper's clout in the Liberal party helped Turner become finance minister. Trudeau was not amused by Asper.
In 1970, Izzy also decided to run for the Manitoba Liberal leadership. In all modesty he told the Toronto Star: "The Liberal leadership was not a highly sought after office. But the Victoria Constitutional Conference was coming up (in 1971) and I wanted to be the premier of Manitoba who went to Victoria because I thought I could make that 1971 Constitutional deal happen."
Izzy also thought the socialist premier of Manitoba, Ed Schreyer, would be easy pickings. Schreyer, after all, was no pillar of intellect and had no entrepreneurial skills. The Tory leader, Sidney Spivak, a close friend of Izzy's wasn't half the entrepreneur Izzy was. Izzy properly felt that he, not Sidney, would get the business vote, the small town and rural vote plus the votes of the River Heights wealthy crowd.
Nor was Izzy Asper perturbed by the idea that if he became Manitoba Liberal leader, he and Spivak would be two Jewish leaders running and splitting the Jewish vote, driving many gentile votes to Ed Schreyer. Izzy was convinced that his Minnedosa populist roots would avoid all such problems.
Schreyer referred to Asper and Spivak as "the gold dust twins from River Heights." Schreyer called Asper a "shyster." Izzy called Schreyer's remark "a racial slur but I hope he didn't intend it racially."
I had known Izzy Asper since we were both campers at B'nai B'rith Camp in Sandy Hook, Manitoba. Our counsellors were Nathan 'Tuzzy' Divinsky (later the husband and mentor of Kim Campbell) and Allan Gotlieb, later one of Canada's legendary mandarins. Both Gotlieb and Divinsky played chess all the time, oblivious to the cries of campers drowning in the lake nearby. Asper, two years my senior, once rescued me from Lake Winnipeg oblivion.
Early in 1970, I ran into Asper in the halls of Manitoba's legislative buildings. He beckoned me to a small room and closed the door. "Larry," he said, "you're the best television political reporter in the land. You know everybody in the media. Be my press secretary. I'll give you a no-cut contract for $70,000 a year."
I gulped long and hard. Then I told Izzy he didn't have a chance, a prayer in leading his Liberals to power; his Jewishness alone would kill him. "I'd be stealing your money if I accepted," I said. Izzy became an MLA, but his Liberals came a very poor third. We parted friends.
Now Asper has become the biggest media magnate in Canadian history. Now Conrad Black's views and political agenda will be tempered by Asper's convictions and intellectual toughness. Asper, a close friend of Paul Martin, does not share Conrad Black's communion with Stockwell Day.
Izzy Asper is a charter member of the River Heights Mafia in Winnipeg. Fellow charter members are Sidney Spivak and his wife, Senator Mira Spivak, the reddest Red Tory ever appointed to the Senate, and by Mulroney no less. Charter members are brilliant lawyer Faigie Fainman, a high school classmate of mine and the wife of the very handsome Dr. Jack Fainman, a doctor shot at and often threatened for performing abortions. The River Heights Mafia are not Stockwell Day's kind of people.
Asper himself has views on religion that could turn Stockwell Day a premature grey. Asper openly defied the Jewish community of Winnipeg when he opposed Jewish content being provided in Winnipeg public schools and opposed public funding for Jewish private and parochial schools. Izzy Asper is good news for the Chretien Liberals and bad news for Stockwell Day.
One thing is certain: a man called 'Izzy' has successfully dreamed the Canadian dream. Izzy Asper and his media empire could enhance everybody's Canadian dream and provide Canadian culture with the powerful jolt it really needs.
Or Izzy can play it safe and play the business as usual card - and turn that Canadian dream into a bit of a nightmare.
^TOP
|
|
 |
 QUICK FACTS: |
Just Part of the CanWest Global Empire
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Newspapers:
The Vancouver Sun
The Province, Vancouver
Times-Colonist, Victoria
Global Network TV Stations:
CHEK* Victoria
CHBC** Kelowna
ALBERTA
Newspapers:
Calgary Herald
The Edmonton Journal
Global Network TV Stations:
Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge
CKRD** Red Deer
SASKATCHEWAN
Newspapers:
The Leader Post, Regina
The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon
Global Network TV Stations:
Saskatoon and Regina
MANITOBA
CanWest Global corporate headquarters
Global Winnipeg TV
ONTARIO
Newspapers:
Ottawa Citizen
National Post (50%), Toronto
The Windsor Star
Global Network TV Stations:
Global Ontario (based in Toronto)
CHCH* Hamilton
QUEBEC
Newspapers:
The Gazette, Montreal
Global Network TV Stations:
Global Quebec (based in Montreal)
NOVA SCOTIA
Newspapers:
The Daily News, Halifax
Global Network TV Stations:
Global Atlantic (based in Halifax)
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Newspapers:
The Guardian, Charlottetown
NEWFOUNDLAND
Newspapers:
The Telegram, St. John's
INTERNET
Canada.com
Careerclick.com
Carclick.com
Faceoff.com (80%)
SPECIALTY CHANNELS
Globe Prime
Men TV
Mystery
DejaView
Lonestar
Fox Sportsworld Canada
Xtreme Sports
COOL TV
OUTSIDE OF CANADA
Network 10, Australia
TV3 New Zealand
TV4 New Zealand
TV3, Republic of Ireland
UTV, Northern Ireland
* Independent stations owned by Global
** CBC affiliates owned by Global
|
|
| MEDIA: |
 CBC TV's Ioanna Roumeliotis on the life of Izzy Asper (Runs 4:37)
|
|
| DISCUSSION: |
|
|
| EXTERNAL LINKS: |
|
|
| MORE: |
|
|
|
CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites. Links will open in new window.
