By Paige Hoblak (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: March 28, 2012
Last Thursday night on Abbotsford campus, Vicki Gabereau was interviewed in front of an audience by UFV student and Board of Governors member Justin Goodrich. She began discussion in front of a full room about her career as a public figure in the Canadian media.
UFV president Mark Evered introduced her, acknowledging her long list of achievements. Gabereau was brought in by Evered as a part of the President’s Leadership Lecture Series. The series is intended to showcase speakers who are of special interest to the University and the local community. Gabereau is a well-established media personality in Canada.
During the interview, Goodrich’s questions were mostly diverted by Gabereau’s innate talent to tell stories. The crowd was responsive to her ability to entertain as she brushed off her life’s accomplishments as mere luck.
Goodrich asked Gabereau about her opinion on the role the CBC plays in Canada; she informed the crowd how significant she believed it to be for our culture. As a previous employee of the CBC, Gabereau addressed the amount of work that goes into the service and emphasized its importance to Canadian identity. She mentioned that the CBC would only get better if given more money to continue to promote a Canadian brand of television programming.
Gabereau stated that Canadians are like children when it comes to viewing homegrown television as we beg the question “Where are all the toys?” She argued that Canadians need to stop trying to be like Americans when it comes to the media, and accept that Canadian television programs have a unique style that is not supposed to look American. Gabereau also admitted her fears concerning the future of the CBC, saying that there is a possibility of seeing it disappear.
Gabereau has worked in many careers, the most surprising of which being her role as Rosie Sunrise, the professional clown. She has run for mayor of Toronto and has spent 30 years working in Canadian media, for networks such as CBC and CTV. She has also written two books and is a mother and wife. Although she has spent so many years working with the media, she does not consider herself a journalist; rather, she considers herself an entertainer.
Having received her honorary degree from UFV last year, Gabereau spoke at the UFV 2011 convocation ceremony. She gave graduating students advice: “Life is one big learning curve and you have to keep learning every day.” During the questions and answers segment of the interview one student asked what she meant by this. She responded by stressing the importance of continued learning. Gabereau emphasized the significance of reading, stating that she still reads the encyclopedia. Keeping an active mind was the main message.
