RUSH's Award-Winning Visit To Canada's House Of Commons
May 3, 2012, 12 years ago
Jennifer Ditchburn from The Canadian Press is reporting:
Lots of visitors stop by the public galleries of the House Of Commons to watch question period, but few are closer to the heart of politicians than a visiting rock star.
The prog-rock puns were flying faster than Neil Peart's drumsticks as MPs and ministers paid tribute to the members of RUSH and other Canadian artists in the Commons.
"Mr. Speaker, there they go, another rush to excuses when they get caught," NDP MP Charlie Angus said as he posed a question to the government on the government's use of limousines.The iconic Canadian band are in Ottawa along with seven other recipients of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards, the country's highest artistic honour.
Industry Minister Tony Clement, a diehard music fan, couldn't resist dropping his own references to the band as he batted away opposition questions.
"Mr. Speaker, that is another fly-by-night' question," Clement said, slipping in a reference to the title of a 1975 Rush album.
Later, lead vocalist Geddy Lee said he found question period "really interesting."
"I don't know how anything gets decided," Lee told The Canadian Press. "It's certainly nice to see the lively debate."
All parties rose to applaud the award winners at the end of question period.
Read more at The Canadian Press.
(Photo above courtesy of Sean Kilpatrick from The Canadian Press)
