Canada wins dumbest government at World Stupidity Awards

MONTREAL (CP) - The Canadian government secured a surprise win Friday, beating out such luminaries as Iran, North Korea and the United States, for the dumbest government of the year at the World Stupidity Awards.

It also bested the United Nations in a hotly contested category that organizers said proved Canadians can compete with the rest of the world.

"Canadians often feel we're in the shadow of the U.S., especially when it comes to stupidity, but now we're proving we're world class," said Robert Spence, spokesman of the awards handed out during he Just for Laughs comedy festival.

"And as host country, who could ask for more?"

The Gomery inquiry into the sponsorship scandal secured the award for Canada, said Spence.

Dubbed the "Oscars of Idiocy," host Lewis Black of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart led a team of comics and celebrities who handed out awards recognizing achievement in ignorance and stupidity.

"I was dumbfounded," Spence said in a statement. "To see so much stupidity in one room, I almost lost my mind. In fact, I did..."

U.S. President George W. Bush may not have led the dumbest government, but he was honoured with the award for the Stupidest Statement of the Year after telling a news conference: "They never stop thinking of ways of harming America, and neither do we."

Accepting the award for Bush was Darth Vader.

Hotel heiress Paris Hilton won in two categories. She was named Stupidist Woman of the Year and was star of The Simple Life, which was named Stupidest Show of the Year.

Read the complete article at canada.com