Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Stephen Harper eats seal. Or something.

by Aaron Wherry on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 5:50pm - 29 Comments

Perhaps to stifle today’s fevered speculation, the Prime Minister’s Office has released the official portrait of Stephen Harper and various cabinet ministers eating what they claim to be seal meat. But, wait, Vic Toews, Peter MacKay, Lawrence Cannon and Lisa Raitt don’t appear to be joining in the feast. Scandal!

Photo Release(09.08.18) - Seal Meet

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  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

    This may sound crazy, but perhaps Vic Toews, Peter MacKay, Lawrence Cannon and Lisa Raitt ate the seal meat before or after that photo was taken.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Stewart_Smith Stewart_Smith

      I may be giving Aaron too much credit, but I think his point is the extent this looks like a weak attempt to match up to the GG. Of course, eating prepared hors d'oeuvres with delicate little wooden toothpicks does not really compare with grabbing an ulu, cutting a piece of heart from a fresh seal carcass and eat it with blood dribbling down your pretty chin.

      Cheers to MacKay though, he was one of the first to jump to Jean's rescue and my guess would be this feast was his idea.

      • sbt

        I think he's just having fun at the expense of the youtube-video dissecting crowd.

        • http://www.intensedebate.com/people/sea_n_mountains sea_n_mountains

          agreed sbt, although the look on Cannon's face does scream 'are you f#cking srs?' to me…

      • http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

        Way too much credit. Whenever he gets bored he cranks up the snark.

      • http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

        Way too much credit. Whenever he gets bored, he cranks up the snark.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/OntarioTown OntarioTown

    Why the need for all those cabinet ministers to be there – oh, a cabinet meeting – are the Ottawa offices closed?

    Imagine how expensive this little photo op is – during a recession yet.

    Harper's like a kid that got hold of daddy's credit card.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Ed_Sweeney Ed_Sweeney

      You begrudge the North even this trifling bit of attention? Cabinet members, even during a summer break, should stay cocooned in Ottawa? No looking around the country, see what real life is like, and issues that are faced?

    • http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

      Typical southern Canadian snobbery. It's pretty sad that Canadians whine about expense whenever our political leaders visit a Canadian location north of Edmonton.

      • Lord Kitchener's Own

        I completely agree with you on that CR, which is why I hesitate to even mention this, but I do seem to remember that when PM Paul Martin visited Iqaluit (and I note that my Canadian Dictionary for Firefox has the correct spelling for me, which is kinda cool) it was the TORIES (including some of those pictured above I believe) who were whining about the expense (to the point of accusingly sending Martin's travel expenses for the trip to the media).

        It's no less wrong for Canadians to whine now, it's just as idiotic a complaint now as it was then, plus, hypocrisy is overused as a supposed "sin" in politics, imho (which is why I cringe about even mentioning the past example) but I still think it's worth noting that this particular type of idiocy is at least non-partisan idiocy.

        • http://intensedebate.com/people/WDM WDM

          Good post. I don't think anything angers me more than faux outrage, which unfortunately is the one thing that crosses all party lines. I don't mind overthetopness of issues of substance, but the fake anger makes me livid.

          • Lord Kitchener's Own

            "the fake anger makes me livid"

            There's a joke in there somewhere.

          • http://intensedebate.com/people/WDM WDM

            Over to you. It's too hot here for me to come up with anything original.

      • http://intensedebate.com/people/OntarioTown OntarioTown

        Well, that's a little paranoid. The whole thing is a campaign photo-op. I've never complained about politicians visiting the north – just the phoniness of Harper's trip – I think the people there could use the money. more than we need to see neverending photos of the leader.

  • R Keller

    Are you sure Harper didn't just pocket it like the communion wafer?

  • Lord Kitchener's Own

    What's the dip?

  • Dot

    Mi>But, wait, Vic Toews, Peter MacKay, Lawrence Cannon and Lisa Raitt don’t appear to be joining in the feast. Scandal!

    They were out late last night clubbing.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

      LOL

    • John

      ROFLMFAO *2 … Clever!

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

    It's so rare for Cabinet to visit the North, any such visit could be considered a "photo-op". It's just that your profound partisan biases are forcing your brain to rationalize whatever information presents itself to you. Stephen Harper and his ministers don't visit the north enough. There should be many more visits like this one.

  • dan in van

    Looks like the CONs are remaking a rat pack film, this one called Arctic 11. Didn't anyone tell them that they only needed one Joey Bishop, tho?

  • knick

    Why wasn't the media invited to this little culinary soiree?

  • CAPS

    So Steve was able to make this photo-op but if what I have read about raw seal meat is correct somebody not used to it will be in the loo and late for a lot of photo-ops in the near future.

    • BCer in Mtl

      Maybe all along he's been taking his own supply of raw seal meat to summits, thus explaining why he's often in the loo when its time for pictures.

  • Wayne

    Don't belive a word of it folks : after all look how they photoshopped the moon landing!!!!!!!!!

  • Dave

    Seal on cracker makes a great horse doover.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/PeteTong PeteTong

    Lawrence Cannon is a Silver Fox in that photo!

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/WDM WDM

    Cannon totally spiked the seal with something. I know that look. I've GIVEN that look. He Franks Red Hotted the seal. Guaranteed.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/OntarioTown OntarioTown

    Actually, he reminds me of those jacket models in the old Sears catagogues.

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