Tax lobby pumps up Senate debate
‘Duffy-esque’ balloon used as visual spur
OTTAWA — Bringing a threestorey caricature of a Canadian senator to life is easier than you might think.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation unveiled its new mascot Thursday in a call for a referendum on the future of the Senate: a 10-metre-tall inflatable version of Sen. Mike Duffy.
Well, the balloon is actually “Duffy-esque,” said Scott Hennig, a spokesman for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation who helped co-ordinate the creation.
“It’s just a generic senator that might or might not look like Mike Duffy,” Hennig said with a laugh.
The group decided about a month ago that it wanted to take advantage of the current notoriety of certain senators to grab people’s attention at events.
“Duffy is the most recognizable face of the Senate scandal right now,” Hennig explained.
So the group looked online for a company that makes custom inflatable balloons.
Once they were in touch with USA Outdoor Media, a company based in Newport Beach, Calif., they started sending images of the Prince Edward Island senator to get the balloon as realistic as possible.
The group was pleased with the final result — a bald, portly gentleman in a blue suit with a red and white polka-dot tie, holding a briefcase stuffed with money. In a statement Thursday, the federation said the mascot is holding out his other hand to Canadians and asking for more.
USA Outdoor Media used digital and airbrush techniques to create the detailed artwork — such as blue eyes and a belt buckle — on the heavy-duty vinyl the balloon is made of.
There were no questions, Hennig said, about whether using a Duffy-esque image was a copyright issue.
“I don’t think he owns the trademark to his face,” he said. “He’s a public figure.”
The group was also impressed with the balloon’s cost: just $4,700, plus the price of the fan that inflates the mascot with 2,150 cubicfeet of air. USA Outdoor Media didn’t charge to ship the giant from California, either.
Because the balloon weighs around 54 kilograms when it’s deflated, it can be shipped by plane or train.
That’s good news for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which is planning to take its new mascot on the road, starting with an event in Regina next week.