General

Politics and the Pen plus the Cabinet Ministers hairdresser

The Writers’ Trust of Canada handed out their annual $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize honouring political writing excellence to James Orbinski for An Imperfect Offering: Humanitarian Action in the Twenty-first Century at the annual Politics and the Pen gala dinner in the Fairmont Château Laurier ballroom. Politics and the Pen is one of Ottawa’s A-list events and brings out top politicians, including Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt and Transport Minister John Baird.

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A full press! Adam Chambers, aide to Jim Flaherty, with Lynn Meahan (left), press secretary to Labour Minister Rona Ambrose, and Jasmine MacDonnell, press secretary to Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt.

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Laureen Harper with former Conservative MP Monte Solberg and designer Justina McCaffrey.

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Mrs. Harper and Brent Butt of Corner Gas.

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Mrs. Harper with Maclean’s columnist Paul Wells.

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Michael Ignatieff and Liberal Senator Joyce Fairbairn.

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Finance Minister Jim Flaherty (left) and political strategist Jaime Watt of Navigator Limited.

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Winnipeg Conservative MP Steven Fletcher with Linda McIntosh, the author of his biography What Do You Do If You Don’t Die?

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Shaughnessy Cohen Prize winner James Orbinski.

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Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Croation Ambassador Vesela Mrđen Korać.

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Alberta and Quebec unite! Tory MPs Ted Menzies (left) and Maxime Bernier.

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Menzies with Newfoundland Liberal MP Scott Simms.

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Menzies and Harvey Slack of The Canadiana Fund.

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Toronto Liberal MP Gerard Kennedy.

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Labour Minister Rona Ambrose.

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(Left to right) Paul Sparkes, Executive Vice-President, Corporate Affairs CTVglobemedia, Liberal Whip Rodger Cuzner, Greg MacEachern of Summa Strategies and Global National’s Kevin Newman.

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Transport Minister John Baird and his hairdresser Stefania Capovilla.

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Immigration Minister Jason Kenney also goes to Capovilla for the perfect cut.

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Conservative House leader Jay Hill and his wife Leah Murray.

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Heritage Minister James Moore and Susan Smith of Bluesky Strategies. 

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Vancouver Liberal MP Hedy Fry.

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 NDP leader Jack Layton and his wife Toronto NDP MP Olivia Chow.

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Brampton, Ont., Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla.

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Tory Senate leader Marjory LeBreton.

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Toronto Liberal MP Martha Hall Findlay.

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Jill Fairbrother, Igantieff’s Director of Communications.

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Iggy staffer Mark Sakamoto.

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Deirdra McCracken, the glam Director of Communications to Heritage Minister James Moore, looking very Jennifer Aniston.

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Meahan with TVO’s Steve Paikin of The Agenda.

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Paikin and Paul Wells.

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David Wilkins, the recent former U.S. ambassador to Canada.

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James Kusie from the PMO and Stephanie Schramm Kusie from Tory MP Peter Kent’s office.

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Writer Patricia Pearson.

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Zach Churchill, National Director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.

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The meal included grilled jumbo sea scallop napped with morel mushroom vinaigrette.

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And roasted shallot and tomato glazed Manitoba bison fillet.

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The dessert.

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