Help me find a story ... "most Canadian headline"

[eppur_se_muova]

Some years ago, I remember reading a story (can't remember where) about a group of Canadian newspaper editors (IIRC) getting together to construct the "most Canadian" headline. The point was in large part the contrast with American news media, which tend to draw attention with action-packed, even violent, language, with "attack" being perhaps the most popular verb.

The ultimate winner was (TBOMR): "Budget Policy Talks Continue Apace". The topic is one that would be death for an American news outlet -- not just something dull, like the Budget, but something truly abstruse and wonky, Budget Policy. And what's going on re. Budget Policy? Arguments? Controversy? Bless the News Gods, actual fisticuffs? No -- they're talking about it. That'll sell papers! It's not that the talking is something new -- or something old coming to its end -- no, it's the same thing going on as before, i.e. not news, which is (by one definition) something unexpected. Are the talks struggling? being obstructed? rushing forward? exploding? No, they're continuing at the expected pace, so again not news, at least not by American standards.

I'd love to find the original so I could quote it accurately. I'm sure I left something out.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

1. Thats really hard to pinpoint.

The press here has gotten increasingly more sensational as the country is becoming more polarized. My guess would be it was probably a budget bill passed during the Chretien or Martin years when the Liberal party had a majority government, or the other parties were too weak and the country had election fatigue.

If a budget fails to pass the house, then the government can fall, so often another party will cooperate in exchange for some pork or red meat just long enough for it to pass into law. We've had 4 federal elections since 2004, so there hasn't been too much cooperation.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. It wasn't a real headline -- just something a bunch of editors concocted.

I don't recall wagering was involved, but it may have been done over drinks.