Angry in the Great White North

Look at each of these pictures and decide if this is a sideshow or the main event.

Let's begin:

Stephen Harper appearing with the families of Canada's 9/11 victims is, of course, a sideshow:

At a news conference before the vote, Maureen Basnicki, (pictured with daughter, Erica) whose husband Ken was among two dozen Canadian victims of the 9/11 al-Qaeda attacks, urged MPs to "stop playing politics" and to "vote with their conscience and not with their party."

Deputy Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said he sympathized with terror victims but labelled their appearance during the debate as "just a sideshow," prompting an angry response from Basnicki.

"Sideshow? I was a victim of terrorism. My husband was murdered. I don't like to be a victim of politics. The issue here is the security of Canadians," Basnicki remarked.

Next:

Sideshow, clearly. I mean, it just follows, right?

Next:

The price Canada pays to fight terror abroad. Just the flip side of the fight at home, fought in part with the terror legislation killed by the opposition Liberals, so clearly, another sideshow.

Next:

Main event. See the emotion. See the steely glare. Oh yeah, Canadians love that sort of stuff.

Next:

The softer side of Ignatieff. Smiling. Laughing. Oooh, I could watch this all day. Definitely main event.

Next:

Did I get you with this trick photo? It's both! Clearly there is Michael Ignatieff, the main event. But just behind his right shoulder is a sideshow. Don't worry if you didn't get it. It's hard to spot the sideshow when Michael Ignatieff is in the frame. And not just for you and me, mind you. I'd wager it's hard for Michael Ignatieff to spot what's really important sometimes whenever Michael Ignatieff is nearby.