OTTAWA - It appears the G8 Summit at Deerhurst will be a stag affair.
Spouses of the G8 leaders won't be going to the exclusive resort in Ontario's cottage country with their mates, The Canadian Press has learned.
Instead, as the heads of government gaze out at the rugged beauty of Muskoka and debate weighty global issues, they'll be in Toronto -- pretending they're up north.
Officials will bring Muskoka to the wives -- and maybe one husband -- sparing them a nearly three-hour drive, government officials explained Thursday.
The first day of summitry, June 25, will feature an introduction to the arts and culture of the region, followed by a lunch highlighting "the flavours of Muskoka."
The reason for the spouses not going? It was just too complicated.
"The G8 is primarily a business meeting," spokeswoman Beatrice Fenelon said by e-mail. "Unique logistics and organizational challenges made it impractical to include a separate spousal program in the region."
On June 26, the G8 leaders will wrap up their cloistered talks in cottage country and be whisked back to Toronto to kick of the broader G20. That meeting includes key emerging countries such as China, India and Brazil.
The spouses will join their partners at a welcoming reception, but they won't stick around for the working dinner that evening. Instead, they'll have their own private dinner.
On June 27, the last day of the G20 summit, Laureen Harper will take charge. She's planning to introduce the spouses to prominent women from across Canada, Fenelon said.
So far, there's no hint of the guest list. Nor is there confirmation of which spouses will even show up. Joachim Sauer, husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is the only man in the spousal group and it's not known if he will accompany his wife.
Laureen Harper will give each spouse a gift which will represent the "rich and vibrant artistic community in Canada."
At previous summits, spouses such as Michelle Obama and France's Carla Bruni-Sarkozy have added a touch of glamour. A dinner in a stunning conservatory at the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh last September sent photographers into a frenzy.
