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Dufour-Lapointe sisters pushed into middle of Quebec/Canada political debate

To no fault of their own, Canada's Dufour-Lapointe sisters have gotten themselves involved in a political squabble, of sorts.

As explained by CBC News, two of the three Olympic sisters from Montreal — Chloé and Justine — had a picture taken donning those delightful Hudson's Bay red and white Team Canada mittens.

Someone — we really don't know who — doctored the image to make it look they were wearing Team Quebec mitts.

That picture was re-tweeted by a Parti Quebecois MNA by the name of Pierre Duchesne.

At some point, on Wednesday, Duchesne learned that the picture was a fake and tweeted, that he too was a victim of Photoshop.

He obviously made a mistake.

[ Related: Fresh Faces of the Olympics: Dufour-Lapointe sisters share adorable photos on social media ]

What's interesting though is how the prime minister's office reacted.

In response to an email from Sun News, PMO spokesperson Carl Vallée suggested that Duschesne was using the image for "political purposes."

"It seems that the Minister Duchesne lives in a dream world," Vallée wrote according to Sun News.

"As the Prime Minister has said, we are proud of our athletes - from Quebec and other parts of the country - and how they represent Canada on the international stage. This is what the Prime Minister told the Dufour-Lapointe sisters when he called them to congratulate them for their exceptional performance.

"Moreover, I wonder: did the Minister request permission from the Dufour-Lapointe sisters before posting images that do not represent reality?"

Just to be clear, Duchesne didn't doctor the picture. He only re-tweeted a photo that was real.

[ Related: Toronto Councillor wants bars to serve booze at 6 a.m. for Olympics, other cities not so lucky ]

Perhaps Vallée is a little sensitive to the stories — in some circles — of how Quebec athletes have won the majority of Canadian medals in Sochi.

PQ politicians politicizing podium prowess is nothing new.

During the 2012 Games in London, Pauline Marois — who, at that time, was the leader of the opposition — gloated about the first four Canadian medals going to Quebecers.

"I’d like to congratulate Quebec’s athletes. We’re always so proud when we see them rise to the podium," Marois said, according to the Globe and Mail.

"I was telling someone earlier: I was education minister and there were also Olympics for professional training and Quebec would always win more medals than the other provinces. I was always very proud of that.

"This means, among other things, that it’s another example of how Quebec could shine among the brightest ... as an independent country. We could continue to win our medals, I’m sure of that."

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