Arnie charms, makes points
Date: 31-05-2007
Posted by: Anabolic Info TeamUnited States |
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Arnie charms, makes points
TORONTO -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used his star power yesterday to promote new agreements with Ontario on climate change and stem cell research, using self-deprecating jokes about his Austrian accent and his former job as a Hollywood action hero to charm his Canadian hosts.
"My name is Governor Schwarzenshriver," the popular Republican governor joked, referencing his wife Maria Shriver, as he introduced himself to scientists and staff at a Toronto research facility.
"I've come so many times to Canada, with the bodybuilding and the weightlifting and promoting my movies and doing movies here, the last thing I thought when I said 'I'll be back' is that I would be back as the governor of the great state of California."
Dozens of Toronto residents lined the streets wherever Schwarzenegger went yesterday, applauding and cheering in a clear sign his celebrity is still intact.
Schwarzenegger admitted it's a "big advantage" to have his kind of fame and recognition, but said it was only useful if put to good uses such as his initiatives to fight climate change and push ahead with embryonic stem cell research, despite heavy objections from many Americans, including the Bush administration.
'TERRIBLE DISEASES'
"Every one of us knows somebody that has one of those terrible diseases," Schwarzenegger said, adding his father-in-law Sargent Shriver suffers from Alzheimer's disease.
Canada and California are "as powerful as anyone could ever be on stem cell research," Schwarzenegger added.
Earlier yesterday at the Ontario legislature, Schwarzenegger said Ontario and California are natural allies in the fight against climate change as he and Premier Dalton McGuinty signed an agreement to co-ordinate policies to reduce greenhouse gases from cars and trucks.
Schwarzenegger, who arrived in Toronto on Tuesday night, travelled to Ottawa for a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The prime minister said at the start of the meeting he would discuss piracy problems affecting California's film industry.
Government sources said the Tories plan legislation to help police charge people who use camcorders in theatres to tape movies that are later distributed on the Internet.
Schwarzenegger flies to Vancouver today for a meeting with British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell to discuss that province's climate change agenda.
