Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper takes part in a photo opportunity with Bonhomme Carnaval, the mascot for Quebec City's winter carnival, in his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa November 25, 2010. REUTERS/Chris WattieCHRIS WATTIE/Reuters
The prime minister found himself in a unique position Thursday - being publicly lobbied for about $180-million by a giant snowman.
The jovial mascot of the Quebec City winter carnival applied some gentle pressure during a photo op with Stephen Harper in his wood-panelled Parliament Hill office.
With the media present, Bonhomme Carnaval made thinly veiled references to his city's hope for federal funding for a hockey arena.
He told the prime minister more than once, to make sure he was heard by the assembled scribes, about Quebec City's merits as a sports town.
"I'm not sure if you've heard lately," said the mascot with the muffled voice, "but (Quebec City) is an excellent town for winter sports."
The government has sent mixed signals about whether it might provide funding - up to $180-million - for a new arena that Quebec hopes to use to attract an NHL franchise back to the city.
The meeting came just weeks after a picture of Bonhomme toting a cash-stuffed suitcase was splashed on the cover of Maclean's magazine.
It accompanied a story calling Quebec Canada's most corrupt province.
The carnival threatened to sue over the unauthorized use of its toque-clad mascot. Lawyers got involved. Eventually, the magazine published a quasi-apology and made peace with the snowman's attorneys.
Harper's opponents complained that the prime minister had more time to meet with a mascot than he had for the city's duly elected mayor.
Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume has been pressing Harper to help fund the arena project, but has struck out so far in trying to schedule a meeting of his own.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, taking a swipe at his rivals, said he was pleased the prime minister had met with the snowman - who, he said, probably brought more to a chat than most of Quebec's Conservative MPs.