Terry Fox

Each year around Labor Day when the Terry Fox Run is held, we remember
the greatest Canadian. When I give a talk I am sometimes asked in a
question and answer session which Disada film I think is the best or
enjoyed doing the most. I know there was only one thing I did that was
important in any way, and that occurred in 1980 when Terry Fox ran.

Like everyone else I was enthralled and moved by what he was doing,
and decided to take off most of the summer to try to help. While I
continued to oversee some work at the studio, my good managers were
able to keep the films in production going well. I had an idea on how
to help the Marathon of Hope.

It was a simple idea. Terry's route took him to well populated areas
and to ones less so, but there were millions of people in small towns,
outlying areas and so on who would never see him and would have to go
to lengths to donate money, like make an effort to mail it in. My idea
was to make donating easy. Since there were postal facilities
throughout the country, people could donate there. Donating cash would
present problems, so my idea was to print up stamps, If you needed a
25 cent stamp, you could buy a 25 cent stamp as usual, or you could
choose to buy a 25 plus 10 cent stamp. It would have written on it
“25+10”. The post office would collect 35 cents, and ten cents of that
would go to the Canadian Cancer Society for the Terry Fox run over,
say, a 60 day period. Sponsors would donate posters and ads. All the
post office had to do was add to its computerized system stamp choices
of 25 +10. 10 + 5. 50 +20 or whatever. You bought the stamp you were
going to, but could pay. If you wanted, extra for Terry. I couldn't
think of an easier way to raise millions more.

I approached the federal government which ran the post office in those
days and the Minister of the day, Andre Ouellet. I was surprised to
get an immediate overall negative reaction, without an outright
refusal. I knew that this would be a tough sell. Terry was not
embraced by Quebec so there was little support there. I went to Ottawa
and started a one-man lobbying effort. Slowly at first, and then on a
quickened pace, MPs declared themselves. It was hard to understand why
this should be politicized but it was.

The Progressive Conservatives were almost unanimously in favor. The
governing Liberals,under Trudeau, were largely against. The NDP were
all over the map. I was getting copies of letters sent to Minister
Ouellet by the members pro and con. The only argument I heard against
it was that if we did it for Terry Fox we'd have to do it for others.
My reply was always that Canada should be grateful it has one Terry
Fox and that would likely not see another like him.

Then the press, which I had not called upon, got wind of it. They
wanted to know who I was and why I was doing this but I did not reply.
Finally a Toronto paper said I was a filmmaker, named my company and
this was not helpful. I had gone out of my way not to say anything
about myself lest someone think it was a publicity grab. Government
dug in its heels and refused to do it. I did hear from the Cancer
Society asking me to drop the idea. Not wanting anything negative or
embarassing to even in a small way tinge the run, I did. But I still
think it was a damn good idea and should have been done.

Some years later, talking with the director of the Natuonal Gallery,
we discussed how the Gallery came to be. She told me that the National
Gallery exists for one reason only: Prime Minister Trudeau personally
wanted it. I silently thought what a shame he didn't want to help
Terry. A couple of years ago I sent the large files on my summer
idea, the MPs' letters and my collection of Terry Fox items to a Terry
Fox collection concern that had asked for them.