Canadian Tax Dollars at Work

July 20, 2004 2:58 PM

Canadian Tax Dollars at WorkI am sure there are some hard drinking working Metafilterites out there that could be Canada's official wine co-ordinator. You would have to give wine away to senior politicians and hard stuff like that.
posted by Coop (9 comments total)

Hey, Coop, is there one of these for beer? I am well qualified for that.
posted by alex_reno at 3:00 PM on July 20, 2004

I was surprised that this position needs "Secret" security clearance ... guess the wine preferences of top government officials could be used as a tool to gain leverage in multilateral trade agreements ... or something.
posted by louigi at 3:06 PM on July 20, 2004

Looks like it's to promote the Canadian wine industry. The secret security clearance is simply a function of the kinds of documents somebody with that responsibility might need to see -- my guess would be in the context of international trade policy and diplomatic functions in Ottawa, since it's a DFAIT job. Lots of jobs in Ottawa require a secret security clearance, by the way; don't confuse it with top secret, which is much more interesting.
posted by mcwetboy at 3:26 PM on July 20, 2004

I was surprised that this position needs "Secret" security clearance ...

Sure, haven't you seen any James Bond films, the wine guys are usually spies or assassins.
posted by bobo123 at 4:55 PM on July 20, 2004

Yeah, there's a lot of money to be made in wine: look what the promotion of wine growing regions has done to the agricultural economies of Australia and California (it's had an awfully big impact here in Washington State, as well). It makes sense that the Canadian government would be looking for ways to promote Canadian wine.
posted by mr_roboto at 5:10 PM on July 20, 2004

Mmm... Pelee Island Ice Wine
posted by substrate at 5:20 PM on July 20, 2004

I'd love to have that job, though I'd be completely unqualified for it.

Personally, I find most ice wines cloyingly sweet, though I have a friend who makes a gelatto type dessert out of them that I've heard people swear by.

For those interested, Ontario's a pretty bad place for red wines. Most stuff comes out too smoky, acidic and tannic - the low temperatures mean too much sugar, which winemakers try and cover by aging it in oak barrels that are too fresh, which makes Ontario reds really amateurish. Stonechurch is better than just about anything else you can get from the VQA.

By contrast, Ontario whites are pretty good - the low temperatures keep the sugar content high and produce some nice sweet Rieslings, and some half-decent Chardonnays. My uncle, who I find reliable in these things, claims that Auxerrois from Ontario is great, though thanks to the quirks of the LCBO, I was unable to find any for sale.

The Okanagan valley's not bad either. It's warmer, and a little better suited to reds as a result, but I prefer Australian reds anyhow, and they're comparable price-wise.
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 6:50 PM on July 20, 2004

I'm sending in my resume tonight. My first two prospective seminars for the politicos will be "Bottle or Box: It Doesn't Matter As Long As It Gets You Drunk" and "Ice Wine: Sweet Like Cough Syrup Only Not As Mediciney"
posted by filmgoerjuan at 10:42 PM on July 20, 2004

In CanGovLand, Secret typically means that you can handle documents that could end up on the Cabinet table. Usually these are breifing notes, consice documents that expalin an issue for a minister so that they can make an informed decision. Sometimes these are contracts---the details of bids are considered private. In some cases, Secret means the ability to handle tax or statistical data, but that's a farily specialised area.

Getting Secret clearance isn't particularly hard if you're native-born, but can be a real hassle if you're an immigrant. It involves an interview, finger-printing and a background check.
posted by bonehead at 7:26 AM on July 21, 2004