> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert de Wit
> Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2000 1:08 PM
> To: staff
> Subject: Canadian, eh?
>
> For those interested in diplomatic relations with our pals down south...
>
> ---------------------------------------------
>
> The Province (Vancouver)
> March 8, 2000
>
> FANS LOVE CBC POUTINE PRANK AT BUSH'S EXPENSE
>
> OTTAWA - An on-air prank by This Hour Has 22 Minutes, CBC-TV's
> satirical
> sketch series, at the expense of U.S. presidential candidate George W.
> Bush
> has drawn tremendous response from the show's viewers, says producer Geoff
> D'Eon.
> D'Eon says he has also received "a deluge of calls" from U.S. media but
> there has been no official response from the Bush campaign.
> Last week's 22 Minutes aired a video clip showing comic Rick Mercer
> buttonholing the Texas governor during the recent Michigan primary.
> Holding a microphone with a 22 Minutes flash, Mercer told Bush that
> "Canadian Prime Minister Jean Poutine" had endorsed the Republican
> presidential hopeful "as the man to lead the free world into the 21st
> century."
> Bush said he was "honoured" to receive the support of Canada's prime
> minister, never realizing the surname given to him by Mercer was made up.
> After a rally outside a meeting hall in Canton, Mich., attended by about
> 300 Republicans, Mercer asked Bush to comment on "Prime Minister
> Poutine's" endorsement.
> "I appreciate his strong statement, he understands I believe in free
> trade," Bush said seriously.
> "He understands I want to make sure our relations with our most
> important neighbour to the north of us, the Canadians, is strong and we'll
> work closely together."
> D'Eon says no one on Bush's staff pointed out that the Canadian prime
> minister's name was incorrect.
> "Nobody blinked or batted an eyelid over the Poutine thing'" D'Eon
> says.
> "The fact is they really don't know much about Canada."
> The Prime Minister's Office treated Bush's gaffe with humour, adding
> "Clearly, Canada is not in the Bush leagues."
>
>
> [Cultural explanation for non-Canadian readers: poutine is a dish from
> Quebec. It's made from warm french fries, topped with some cheese cut in
> small pieces. The french fries and the cheese are mixed together. The warm
> french fries make the cheese melt. Then the entire mix is topped with
> brown
> gravy.]
>
>
>
