Canada has long been regarded by outsiders as, well, a slightly dull country. So much so that the phrase “Canadian political controversy” has a somewhat oxymoronic quality to it. It is plainly time for a reassessment. As we report today, Judy Sgro, Canada’s Minister for Immigration, is under fire for preferential visa treatment. In this case, however, the beneficiary was not the nanny of a lover, but a Romanian stripper who had volunteered to work on Ms Sgro’s campaign for re-election.

It is not only, though, the speed but also the substance of this visa application that is controversial. It turns out that among several schemes for recruiting overseas workers who have skills where Ottawa believes that it has shortages, is one for “foreign exotic dancers”. In 2003, some 661 work permits (of which a large number went to Romanians) were issued for this purpose. This was but a mere 900 fewer than the total of university professors recruited. Canadian immigration officials plainly know their priorities.

This fascinating effort, alas now suspended because of this scandal, raises two questions. The first is why there is a dearth of domestic naked dancers in Canada. The best guess is that it may be caused by the extremely low temperatures endured by most of the country in winter (and summer). The other is how exotic dancers from Romania come to realise that they should be flocking to Toronto. The maple leaf on the national flag may be being mistaken for a symbol of their profession.

It is said that Dean Martin once saw the slogan “Drink Canada Dry” on a poster and took it as a personal challenge. He might have stayed longer if told of its liberal stance on migration.