Toronto Life – December 2018

photograph by

erin leydon

36 toronto life December 2018

As the new consul general of Canada

in L.A., you are our country’s represen-

tative for Southern California, Nevada

and Arizona. What can you tell us

about the gig?

I’ll oversee foreign direct investment

into Canada, and the reverse, too: pro-

moting investment and trade for

Canadians who want to do business

in L.A. And it’s not just film. I’ll also be

handling governmental relations relating

to direct investment across all industries.

Let’s hear your sales pitch.

Canada has an amazing talent pool,

both behind the scenes and in front of

the cameras, great locations to film in,

and then there’s our tax credit system.

We also have major video game devel-

opers in Toronto and Montreal, and

Netflix studios in Vancouver. Truthfully,

I wouldn’t even call it a sales pitch.

People already want to be here. My job

is to be present, to stay connected.

Your wife, Kirstine Stewart, a former

top exec at CBC and Twitter, just

announced that she is taking a position

with the World Economic Forum in

Geneva. Are you stealing her thunder?

Haha—it’s been wild. We were in our

kitchen deciding what to make for din-

ner. Her news was just out and we

were absorbing that, and the phone

rang. I picked up, and it was David

MacNaughton, the ambassador to the

U.S., and he offered me the job.

There will be nearly 6,000 miles

between you. How will you manage it?

We haven’t quite sorted that out yet.

Our parents, kids and siblings are

all here, and we want to stay connected

to everybody. We’ll figure it out.

Presumably you’ll be hosting a lot

of parties. What is the residence like?

And what kind of bubbly budget?

The position comes with a residence

with a pool, in Hancock Park, and I’m

expected to host often. It’s about

entertaining but also creating

a place where Canadians can

feel at home and showcasing

what Canada has to offer.

Dream CanCon party list, dead

or alive: go!

Michael J. Fox, Tanya

Tagaq, Pierre Trudeau,

Oscar Peterson,

Roberta Bondar,

Mary Pickford,

Mike Lazaridis,

the Popp Rok crew,

Alice Munro, Linda

Evangelista, Yousuf

Karsh, Wayne

Gretzky, Elijah

McCoy, Ali Velshi,

Sandra Oh, the

Group of Seven and

Lorne Michaels.

How would you

describe your

personal approach

to schmoozing?

I’m uncomfortable

with the word

schmooze—it

sounds so cynical

and even a little

schmarmy, which

is not the vibe that

I try to put across.

You played Amaar

on Little Mosque. Does

your acting background

come in handy at parties?

Like, if you’re stuck

talking to some

horrible Hollywood

gasbag, you can

“act” interested?

It helps to have experience in the indus-

try and to know the lingo.

Little Mosque was celebrated for show-

casing this country’s diversity. Is that a

competitive edge?

Absolutely. I’d also say that it’s impor-

tant to have people of diversity in these

diplomatic positions—different colours,

genders, sexual orientations and abili-

ties—because it sends a signal that

Canada values diversity.

You’ve spent five years as Toronto’s

first-ever film commissioner and

director of entertainment industries.

Are there any accomplishments

you feel especially proud of?

In 2016, the city broke the

$2-billion mark for foreign

production investment, and

our team was instrumental

in co-ordinating the NBA

All-Star Game, Pan-Am

Games, North American

Indigenous Games

and Invictus Games.

Invictus Games!

So you’re basically

responsible for

the royal wedding.

Not quite, but

Meghan and Harry

appeared together

in public in a major way

for the first time during

the Games while here.

Do you have any desire

to return to acting?

I think it’s like riding

a bike. Yeah, of course you

do, if you like bikes. I want

to get on that bike, and I hope

I remember how to ride it. But

I don’t yearn to get back in front

of the camera, and I’m not wistful.

I don’t feel I’m old enough or have

done enough to feel wistful—or

to say I’ve left it forever, either.

Any plans to go shopping before

the big move?

Haha—I don’t think so. I’ve been

a government employee for half

a decade now. Shopping sprees

were a part of my previous life.

Q&A

Mister Hollywood

Zaib Shaikh starred in Little Mosque on the Prairie, became

Toronto’s film and entertainment commissioner and is now

headed to L.A. as Canada’s face of cinema, TV and culture

by courtney shea

This interview has been edited for

length and clarity.

QA_SEND.indd 36 18-10-30 11:57 AM