Industry Minister Tony Clement is a soccer fan. In the colder months he regularly sports a Manchester United scarf around his neck.

On Monday, Clement gave soccer fans in Toronto something to cheer about. As part of the federal government's "Marquee Tourism Events Program," the Canadian National Exhibition will receive $3.75 million over two years.

The news release from Industry Canada states: "Funding from the Marquee Tourism Events Program will allow the CNE to bring world-class soccer teams from Portugal and Scotland to Toronto during the event."

Now there are many who would love to come to Toronto on Sept. 2 to see Glasgow's Celtic and Lisbon's Benfica play what's known in the soccer world as a friendly, but it's likely most of them live just a streetcar ride or so away from BMO Field. The city's large Portuguese community has its cultural home just northwest of the CNE grounds. With BMO Field only holding 20,000 people you can bet many of them will be wearing red and urging on their beloved Eagles.

Politically, the CNE sits in Olivia Chow's riding of Trinity Spadina and Little Portugal is located in Mario Silva's Davenport. Strangely enough both ridings were Liberal-NDP battles in the last two elections. Why would a Conservative government be giving money to this event?

For its part, the CNE says the teams are being invited because "they are both popular, doing well in tournament play and have big communities that will bring out the colours."

Perhaps the answer lies with Glasgow's Celtic, a famous and very successful soccer club.

Its green and white uniforms symbolize its history of support from Scots of Irish decent who are mainly Roman Catholic.
While there is no "Little Glasgow" in Toronto perhaps the Conservative Party knows something I don't.

Could their research show that Roman Catholic Canadians from Glasgow vote Tory?

— Chris Rands