bah!!

PMO paid U.S. presidential spokesman $24,500

Updated Mon. Apr. 27 2009 8:29 PM ET

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- The Canadian government paid George W. Bush's former press secretary $24,500 to help communicate with Americans before the recent G20 summit.

Documents filed with the U.S. Department of Justice say Ari Fleischer was paid to help promote the strength of Canada's banks, its positions on trade and the economy, and to set up interviews with U.S. media.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has hired both Bush's former spokesmen and Bill Clinton's ex-spokesman Mike McCurry to help spread Canadian messages in the U.S.

Until now, the PMO has refused to discuss payment details of its arrangement with the former presidential press secretaries.

But the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act requires the spokesmen to disclose details of their arrangements with foreign governments.

Harper spokesman Kory Teneycke says Canada got great value for its money, and will continue using Fleischer and McCurry's services.

He says McCurry received an amount similar to Fleischer for the more recent Summit of the Americas, but that the information hasn't yet been posted on the U.S. Department of Justice website.

He also quipped that Canada's public-relations spending is modest -- compared with Libya's $200,000 monthly bill for PR.