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Jan. 21, 2004. 06:28 AM
TONY BOCK/TORONTO STAR
Paul Martin shows Grade 4 students at Fenside Public School a photo album chronicling the adventures of Flat Mark. Teacher Karlo Cabrera holds the paper doll that was Martin‘s companion for the last two months. The class sent him the doll as part of a civics project.
‘Flat Mark‘ earns top marks
Prime Minister praises class project
School borrows red carpet for his visit
LOUISE BROWN
EDUCATION REPORTER
Frankly, he didn‘t always pay attention to Prime Minister Paul Martin.
He would go AWOL at night in Ottawa, then have the nerve to show up 90 minutes late the next morning at Martin‘s office.
Yet Flat Mark, the paper doll with the 3-D bangs sent by a Grade 4 North York class to shadow Martin as he took over Canada‘s top job, became a constant reminder of the children whose interests government must represent, Martin told those students yesterday.
In an unusual celebrity visit, for which school officials frantically borrowed a red carpet from a hotel, Prime Minister Paul Martin personally returned Flat Mark to teacher Karlo Cabrera and his students at Fenside Public School and regaled them with the cut-out doll‘s hijinks.
"Flat Mark actually got into trouble, but some of those stories I don‘t think I should talk about," he quipped, prompting laughs among the 8- and 9-year-olds seated on the carpet of the school library near Ellesmere and Victoria Park Aves.
"He didn‘t always pay attention and I don‘t know what he did at night, but he showed up about an hour and a half late in the mornings," Martin added.
Student Shriya Dangwal, 9, admitted she was nervous about Martin‘s visit, which she called a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Prime Minister told the children he was impressed at the initiative they showed in sending him this low-tech "envoy," inspired by a children‘s book called Flat Stanley, about a boy who is flattened because of an accident, but who then can travel through the mail and explore the world.
In the two months since he received the crayoned cut-out, Martin clearly enjoyed compiling an album of photos â †presented to the school in a Liberal-red cover â †of Flat Mark accompanying him doing everything from eating a sandwich to being sworn in by the Governor-General.
"But we don‘t know how they made him stand up in one of the pictures," mused student Steven Natskoulis, 9, who suggested the class send Flat Mark to Ottawa after Steven‘s family visited Parliament Hill.
"It‘s just flat paper, but they got him to stand beside a cup of coffee," he said.
The favourite photo for many children was Flat Mark perched on Martin‘s shoulder as he read the newspaper.
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Doll acted as a bridge between government and ordinary Canadians
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"Do you see him frowning? That‘s because he doesn‘t like what some newspapers are saying about the government," Martin teased.
But the Prime Minister did not joke about the role Flat Mark played as a bridge between government and ordinary Canadians.
"Flat Mark brought to the national capital the idea, from you, that it is important for government to learn from people â †not just people who work in government, but other Canadians, like you," said Martin to the 75 Grade 4 students gathered before a phalanx of national media.
"Flat Mark became your ambassador to Ottawa at a time when the new government was being created. He said that the new government has to listen to you."
Sitting with them for nearly half an hour, Martin drew laughs as he described Flat Mark‘s "adventures" on Parliament Hill.
"He was very, very helpful developing policy. Who knows what policy is? Yes, it‘s like a rule, but when we‘re developing new policy, lots of people would argue with me, so every time I needed support for my ideas, I would turn to Flat Mark and ask, `Am I right?‘, said Martin.
"And he would smile and nod, and I would know I was doing all right."
Clearly enjoying himself before reporters began peppering him with more political questions about everything from immigration to Conservative leadership candidate Belinda Stronach or Sheila Copps, Martin tossed the children a string of brainteasers, from "What is an idea?" to "When should education end?" and more factual queries such as "Who is the Governor-General?"
In each case, he was met with a sea of raised hands.
"The quality of your answers makes me very proud of where our country is going. You‘re very smart," said Martin.
In a powerful tribute to the teaching profession, Martin told children, "One of the greatest gifts anyone can receive is the gift of learning, and the place you start doing this is school, and the people who make this happen are your teachers.
"We owe a tremendous debt to teachers, so we should give them a round of applause."
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Good on him.
