Bill Clinton raking it in from Canadian public appearances
Montreal Gazette (Monday, April 07, 2008)
By Elizabeth Thompson
OTTAWA - Canadians have been hearing a lot from former U.S. president Bill Clinton in recent years as he has criss-crossed the country on speaking engagements. However it doesn't come cheap.
According to documents recently made public, Clinton pocketed nearly $2.8 million during an 18-month period from speaking gigs in Canada alone. During the period from January 2006 to June 2007, Clinton appeared at 17 events across Canada at fees that ranged from $75,000 to speak at a get-together organized by former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna in July 2006 to $300,000 to deliver a speech at the Power Within event held in Vancouver in March 2006.
In fact, Canada was the single most profitable foreign country for Clinton during that period and Montreal was the single most profitable Canadian city, paying him a total of $750,000 for four events. By comparison, three Toronto events netted Clinton $450,000.
Clinton raked in $300,000 in the space of 24 hours in Montreal in November 2006, speaking at both an event for Quebec's breakfast fund and a separate event for the Jewish National Fund at $150,000 apiece.
However, that pales in comparison to the $1 million Clinton picked up from delivering three speeches over two days in London, England and Dublin, Ireland in September 2006 or the $1.48 million in speaking fees for five speeches on a four-day swing through Scandinavian countries in May 2007.
Traditionally, local organizers have been tight-lipped when asked how much they were paying to book the former U.S. president to speak. However, the public financial disclosure report for his wife Hillary, who is now running for the presidency, includes a detailed list of honorariums Bill Clinton received during that period.
In total, Clinton received $16.1 million over that 18-month period for speaking at 91 events around the world. His home country of the United States accounted for $7.8 million of that total and European engagements brought in nearly $4 million.
Martin Perelmuter, president of one of Canada's largest speakers bureaus, said Clinton is a popular draw for Canadian groups and groups don't mind his fees because they sell enough tickets to more than cover their costs.
"I see how often president Clinton is in Canada and it doesn't seem to have waned over the past seven or eight years. It seems that he is as popular as ever here."
Perelmuter, whose firm Speakers Spotlight organizes speaking engagements for a number of high-profile Canadians such as Justin Trudeau and former governor general Adrienne Clarkson, said fees in the U.S. run much higher than those in Canada.
Former Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien and former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney are both listed with U.S. firms - Chretien as a speaker for the Washington-based Leading Authorities Speakers Bureau while Mulroney is listed with the Alexandria, Va.-based Washington Speakers Bureau.
Former Conservative prime minister Joe Clark is listed with a Canadian speakers bureau.
Former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin, who remains a member of Parliament, does not charge for speaking engagements, said spokesman Jim Pimblett.
Perelmuter said there is a big market for former politicians on the speakers' circuit.
"People are always interested in what prominent and former politicians have to say and once they are out of office they can often speak more freely than when they are in office," said Perelmuter.
The market range for speakers in Canada varies considerably but would average between $10,000 and $25,000.
Nor does Clinton come cheap to Canadian taxpayers. As a former U.S. president, Clinton is one of the international VIPs for whom the RCMP provides security when they are in Canada. Monday, however, the RCMP refused to say how much Clinton's trips to Canada cost Canadian taxpayers.
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