I’ve always wondered why it’s so difficult to get an audience with Canada’s Tourism Minister, Diane Ablonczy. Apparently she doesn’t get out much. In fact, she is so low profile, when forced to attend events her handlers run her back into the safety of her limo as fast as her little legs can carry her.
The minister is not exactly what one would call a beacon of brainpower, Pumpkins. Last week, she gave a speech to a group of high-profile international travel journalists visiting Whistler. Gauging this as an opportunity to illustrate Canada’s wondrous geography – she explained that Ontario is “quite a bit east of here.†Is that a metric or imperial “bitâ€? She also told the group that Prince Edward Island has “r-e-d soilâ€. But the kicker comes when the minister waxes poetically about the soul stirring experience she had visiting Iqaluit on the shores of Georgian Bay. Does the Wasaga Beach Cottage Association know about this transplant?
Apparently the visiting journalists were completely bamboozled by the statement. Was this a clever ruse to test their geographic acumen? Or, are we dealing with stupidity quite a bit east of smarts? Ms. Albonczy’s handlers won’t say, and the minister herself is not commenting. Oh Canada.
