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and the context are put forward." A board will soon be struck to be- A model of the proposed Canadian Museum for Human Rights. where they said, no, they would not give a lump-sum settlement to recog- nize that forever-lost income," she says, more than a little perturbed. The history of women's rights in Canada will likely be included in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which, if the money's in place, could be open by 2010. But will the women's portion include the right to abortion? What about the right of two women to marry? The wrongs perpe- trated upon Japanese Cana- dians during the Second World War and upon na- tive children absconded to residential schools are fairly cut-and-dried. But other issues, like homo- sexuality, abortion, and whether Palestinians have a right to their own state, are still blurry to some. "Canadians want to see balance. gin deliberations on which stories the museum will tell, and how. She's hop- ing for a seat on that board, but other than that, her influence will wane and a curator will be hired to assemble a unique, international, dialectical col- lection. Then maybe, say her friends and colleagues, she'll take a break. "I think she's a tremendously focused, energetic woman and a well-rounded human being," says Emöke Szathmáry, president of the University of Manito- ba. "We don't want her to burn out too soon. She's a candle that has to stay lit and burning for a long time." Asper was in law school when the Canadian Charter of Rights and Free- doms became law. It was the Charter, she says, that spurred her interest in human rights and, later, her passion for the museum. "Lawyers have a special understanding of the legal system, and human rights are very much tied into the laws of the land. And as people who shining his shoes again, and getting an allowance-salary. I was concerned. If it didn't work out, how do you separate the business fallout from the family?" They want to see both sides of the story. They don't want to feel there's an agenda in place. You can't be will- fully ignorant that these things are still controversial," she says. "Many people believe that gay marriage is not some- thing that should be in Canada but it is. So we're trying to put forward the view that there should be an objective, journalistic laying out of the facts." Even, she says, when it comes to Israel and Palestine. "I'd think you'd want to have an objective discussion and what I mean is, making sure that the facts make their living by ensuring there's a system that respects the laws and re- spects the individual, we have a special understanding of the importance of human rights and the sacredness of an independent legal system and an inde- pendent judiciary," she says. When she committed herself to establishing the museum — lest, as Freedman says, "Izzy's arm reach out from the grave and strangle her" — Asper relocated from the opulent, softly lit and spacious Canwest cor- back to working for your dad, essentially going "You're porate headquarters on the 31st floor of Canwest Place to the more austere, fluorescent foundation offices on the 15th. She ceased being general coun- sel several years ago and just recently divested herself of the corporate secre- tary title as well. Aside from managing the family's personal stable of lawyers, accountants, and other professionals, she is fully occupied by the museum and the Asper Foundation. For now. Before I depart, she is keen to show me where the museum will be built but we must climb 16 floors for an unob- structed view. Her staff, anxious to cor- ral her for a meeting, stand paralyzed as she breezes past, beckoning me to the elevators. Having spent a few hours with gale-force Gail, I understand their look of helpless defeat. We disembark at the 31st floor and ascend a final staircase to the glassed-in penthouse with it's rarely used Israel H. Asper me- morial boardroom, kitchen, bar, pool table and couches. "This would make a great nightclub," she says, drawing the blinds to reveal a spectacular view. Hanging there like an apparition is a cut-out of the museum, pasted to a window. Step back a few feet to a square on the carpet, squint your eyes, and the dream descends into re- ality near the confluence of the Red and Assini- boine rivers. Here, presiding over downtown, you can see just about anything. Look north to the past: the Italian Renaissance Union Trust Tower, the old CIBC building, patterned after a Greek temple, and the palace-style Bank of Hamilton building, all centu- ry-old stalwart in marble, bronze, and granite. Look south to The Forks, a tra- ditional meeting place for First Nations and also a key to the city's future: out- door theatres, market, children's mu- seum, skateboard park, and, if Gail Asper has her way, an elegant gathering place where we can learn about and re- member the things we did wrong. Look straight out to the east and even on a clear day the House of Commons and Bay Street are nowhere in sight. www. C ANADIAN mag.com M AY 2008 39