OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper poked fun Monday at reports his personal image adviser also dabbles in clairvoyance.
Harper was responding to a question by NDP MP Paul Dewar, who over the weekend urged pro-Kyoto activists to dial up the prime minister to complain.
"Mr. Speaker, I did note the recommendation of the honourable member that people call me on this issue," Harper said during Question Period.
"I am gathering from some recent press reports that they should be able to reach me without calling at all; I can just hear through mediums."
The "medium" in question is Michelle Muntean, a former television makeup artists that accompanies Harper on the road to manage his wardrobe and general grooming. Friends and colleagues have said she has a eerie intuition, and can sometimes surprise people by telling them private facts about themselves.
It was the first time Harper acknowledged that Muntean is in his employ. But neither he nor his office has released details about the size of her government-paid salary.
The NDP last week put a question on the parliamentary order paper to get the details on her pay and position in the government. The government must respond in 45 days or the matter will be referred to a committee for study.
