More than cheese platters!

Speaker Peter Milliken held a reception for the winners on the Thursday before the main event. Here is a double Gord shot. Tory MP Gord Brown and the Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie. The Hip received a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award.

Downie with fellow musician NDP MP Charlie Angus.

NDP MP Peter Stoffer made sure to get his Hip CD autographed.

Ottawa’s Thyme & Again catered the event which is why is wasn’t just a typical tragic Ottawa affair filled with cheese and fruit platters. It looked good and tasted great.

Waiter Michael Elkin serves a gazpacho sip with white balsamic jelly in shot glasses.

GG winners were driven around in huge limos. Cabinet ministers could only drool.