Imagine the moment: you’re a corner store operator somewhere between Kitchener Ont., and Niagara Falls.

It’s sometime Tuesday and all’s quiet until a giant blue bus pulls up outside. Soon enough out pop all kinds of sunglass-wearing concealed-weapon-carrying RCMP officers, surrounding a slightly-graying intense-looking fellow who looks ever so slightly familiar. He may or may not have been wearing a pale blue pullover.

They all walk into your store and he says something like “Hi, I’m Stephen Harper. I’d like some Cotton Candy Blunt, a grape Cigarillo and some chocolate please. Oh — and your support on October 14th!”

Indeed, knowing he’d be making a policy announcement aimed at reducing access to candy-flavored ciggies the next day, Harper apparently wanted to see if they were as readily available as he’d been led to believe. Apparently they were, because apparently he bought some.

So reporters were told after the policy announcement. They had not been invited to, nor made aware of the shopping trip yesterday.

As for the chocolate? It was a green mint Aero bar.

— Paul Hunter