Visa yes, but rain keeps out Martha

Here at Canadian Corner, I never thought I would write about Martha Stewart. But her journey on trying to get to Canada is a reminder of a quirk when visiting Canada. A convicted felon needs a special permit to enter Canada; a visa is not normally required otherwise.

Stewart originally wanted to come to Windsor, Nova Scotia for its Pumpkin Regatta. She announced on her TV show on Wednesday she would not be able to come without a visa. By Thursday, she had a special permit thanks to the Canadian Immigration Minister's office.

Ultimately, she wasn't able to make the event because of the weather.

Despite the difficulty of crossing a border, celebrities and public figures get exceptions. For example, U.S. President George W. Bush got a dispensation for his DUI conviction when he came to Canada.

"When a relative who lives abroad tries to visit family in Canada, there are unbelievable delays and frustrations, yet when Martha Stewart gets out of jail and decides to race pumpkins in Canada, she gets her visa in record time," New Democratic Party legislator Libby Davies said in the House of Commons on Thursday.

Political figures are understandable, though Bush is the first president who needed a dispensation from Canada. But if Stewart wanted to go, she should have taken care of this earlier. For someone known to be so organized, waiting for the last minute is so "un-Martha."