Georges St. Pierre: from the octagon to Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill has welcomed world leaders, royalty and other distinguished and famous people to its hallowed halls and chambers. And in some cases (Barack Obama, the Queen), there is quite a turnout to see said celebrity.
But it's not every day the Commonwealth Room has an autograph table set up for all the giddy MPs, cabinet ministers and staffers who are crowding in to get a glimpse of Sportsnet's athlete of the year (two years in a row, might I add).
That's right, the hubbub on the hill today was not only about maternal health and the Jaffer/Guergis affair. UFC (that's Ultimate Fighting Championship for those not in the know) champ (and Quebec native) Georges St. Pierre was here.
Heritage Minister James Moore invited him (despite St. Pierre being a Habs fan). Moore told me that he has extended an invitation to GSP (as he is known to his fans) several times before but only now has a "coincidence of schedules" allowed him to come. Moore is clearly a fan, (gushing slightly) that GSP is "a remarkable Canadian athlete, he's a great champion and he's a great role model for kids." GSP spoke to kids out front Parliament Hill this morning, telling them how important discipline is. (He might be somewhat less of a role model for kids if they are watching him bash in an opponent's head on television, but I digress...)
Moore also touted the event as truly bipartisan. And it was. Many Conservative MPs and cabinet ministers came, of course (Stockwell Day, Pierre Poilievre, Rob Nicholson, Peter Mackay and Vic Toews), but also the Speaker Peter Milliken (perhaps soliciting tips from GSP on how to keep MPs in line during the bloodsport known as question period), Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe and Liberal MP Denis Coderre jumped the queue to get autographs, t-shirts and a quick photo with the star. (Full disclosure: I too got an autographed picture for a family member who is a fan).
But while parliamentarians were there because they are admirers, GSP had a real goal: to show that the UFC is not a fringe sport; that it's legitimate. He told me as much. If the audience for the sport includes those suits who craft the country's laws (in particular the justice minister and the public safety ministerl!), then it shouldn't be an illegal sport (despite all the wrestling, kicking, punching and blood in the octagon).
See, the UFC is not permitted in most provinces, other than Quebec and now B.C. And GSP is clearly trying to get those restrictions lifted. Not that his federal government fans can do much about that because it's mostly a provincial jurisdiction. But both fan and fighter can hope to benefit from the photo op.
As an aside, while I didn't catch sight of any female MPs or cabinet ministers there, there were plenty of women (staffers, family?) there. Fans of the sport? Maybe. But as one young giggling woman said after getting GSP's autograph, "What a hottie."
Just in case you thought it was all serious business on the Hill.
