The Burgundy Luncheon Club was launched by Rick Peterson in April of 2009 and brings together once a month, in downtown Vancouver, a group of people interested in exchanging ideas on what we think are important issues in politics, the economy, society, religion, foreign aid, writing and poetry and any other number of areas of common interest. The name “Burgundy” is attached to our group for two si
mple reasons: we usually give away one or two bottles of very good Burgundy wine at the end of the luncheon; and like many of the great Burgundy wines of France, our members are individualistic, rich and like to think we have great depth. We are non-partisan and have no political agenda, although most of us are all active in one way or another with a wide range of national, provincial and municipal political groups. BLC gatherings all have the same format: we divide the luncheon into three 30-minute segments. In each 30-minute segment, one guest gives a 10-minute presentation on a chosen topic, and we then open it up for 20 minutes of Q & A and debate. Our discussion starts on time at 12:15 sharp, and ends on time, at 1:45 pm. Our discussions are informal but structured, designed to bring across important points and ideas in a format that keeps the conversation alive and flowing over the 90 minutes we sit together. Seating is limited to 40 guests, and we usually have a waiting list. Brian Lee Crowley, author of the best-selling Canadian non-fiction works “Fearful Symmetry – The Fall and Rise of Canada’s Founding Values” and “The Canadian Century: Moving Out of America’s Shadow,” and Founder & Managing Director of The Macdonald-Laurier Institute, attended one of our events and described the event as “The cream of Vancouver’s media, business and professional elites… Vancouver’s hottest luncheon ticket”. We are interested in interesting people and interesting ideas. Guests have included sitting provincial cabinet ministers, city councilors, political strategists and pollsters, business and native leaders, poets, philanthropists, policemen and school principals.
