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BBC News thinks Kevin Rudd is Prime Minister of Canada

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made no secret of his desire to foster a closer relationship with United Kingdom since coming to power in 2006. He has hosted royal visits, promoted the monarchy at seemingly every turn, and even restored British insignia and rank designations to our army.

In June, Harper became just the second Canadian to address British Parliament in 70 years.

But if Harper’s aim all along has been to raise Canada’s profile across the pond, it appears he has more work to do.

Canadians watching the BBC World News’ royal coverage on Tuesday may have been surprised to learn they had a brand new prime minister.

Well, not really. But, as you can see from the screengrab below, the BBC did think that Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was Canada’s leader.

The gaffe is humbling for both Rudd and Harper. As both Canada and Australia pay such close attention to the birth of a new prince, Britain’s top news organization can’t tell our leaders apart.

A reporter at The Australian newspaper reached out to Rudd to see if he was interested in gunning for the Canadian title.

"The PM definitely hasn’t been given a promotion – he already has the best job in the world," a spokesman told the paper.

Harper was among the first world leaders to offer congratulations to the Duchess of Cambridge after the safe delivery of her son on Monday.

"The arrival of the newest member of the Royal Family, a future Sovereign of Canada, is a highly anticipated moment for Canadians given the special and warm relationship that we share with our Royal Family," Harper said in a statement.