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What do you give the Obamas? Five ideas for the Trudeaus ahead of the state dinner​
Gift ideas

As the Trudeaus pack their bags for next week's state dinner at the White House – the first invitation of its kind in 19 years – Sarah Hampson asks notable gift-givers what tokens they'd bring the Obamas if they were on the guest list

Sarah Hampson

This article was published more than 8 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.

"I am a huge fan of British Columbia wine, so I think a case of some of our best bottles would be a great [addition to a wine cellar at the White House]. Choices might include a merlot from Burrowing Owl, a pinot gris from Cedar Creek, definitely something from Mission Hill and Black Sage, and of course Le Vieux Pin."

– Jacqui Cohen, president and CEO, Army & Navy, and philanthropist, Face the World Foundation, Vancouver

John de Visser/CBC

"On a jokey level, I would say, 'Give people what they want. Turn a river around and give California a break.' Seriously though, there are so many things you might consider a gift, but you have to be careful that the Americans don't also have it. Like maple syrup. They might say, 'Well, ours in Vermont is better.' The one thing we have that influences all of us is the North. And of course, it's growing in significance. So I would give this wonderful oral tone poem that Glenn Gould recorded in 1967 for the CBC called The Idea of North."

– Kelvin Browne, executive of Gardiner Museum, Toronto

"I would take books by Canadian authors. Finalists for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the RBC Taylor Prize and the Hilary Weston Writers Trust for Nonfiction. That's showing off our country in the best possible light. We don't make enough of our artists and designers. We don't showcase ourselves like the Americans or the British do."

– Nicole Eaton, senator, Ottawa

"A Hudson Bay Company's Smythe blanket coat. It's beautiful, it's good for women and men, it's practical and it's iconic for Canada. It's part of our history and yet you till see it on the street today."

– Manjy Sidoo, philanthropist, Vancouver

"Experiential gifts are great. They don't clutter up your shelves. And they make you really feel something. So I would give a variety of music CDs of all genres. Indie rock bands like Broken Social Scene, Feist and some classical pieces. In the past, Canada was all about hardscrabble existence. It was about survival and being hewers of wood and drawers of water. But now, we're so much more than that. We understand that the creative arts are important. They help tell us who we are. And they're unifying."

– Maxine Granovsky Gluskin, president of the board of the Art Gallery Of Ontario, Toronto