Canadian political leaders took part in a rare display of wit and warmth in Ottawa on Saturday night, skewering themselves and their opponents at the annual Parliamentary Press Gallery dinner.

Adrienne Clarkson laughed at her lavish travels.

Paul Martin mused about sending his outspoken MP, Carolyn Parrish, into outer space.

Stephen Harper suggested a warning label for his party that it "may contain nuts."

Jack Layton, the NDP leader, joked about his mustache and his overly-stylized "metrosexual" image.

Only Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe was a no-show, staying away from the mirth and merriment of the annual get together for the press and Canada's politicos.

But, by many accounts, the wittiest lines of the evening were delivered by the Prime Minister.

The PM was no doubt handed many of the comic zingers by his speech writer, Scott Feshcuk, a former newspaper writer who made a name for himself with his bright turns of phrases and incisive humour.

With a smile and a twinkle, Martin took dead aim at Clarkson and her reputation for high living, high-spending ways.

"It's going to be very, very tough to replace you as a Governor-General. Or to pay off your MasterCard," he said as the gathering at the National Arts Centre exploded in laughter.

With Harper and Duceppe, Martin observed that the two share similarities, as well as differences.

"One's a federalist, the other a separatist," Martin said.

"One's from the West. The other's from Quebec. One avoids the English media," he said. "And the other is Gilles Duceppe."

But Martin got his biggest laugh when he joked about the antics of one of his Liberal MPs -- well-known for her anti-American comments.

"As I sat and spoke with President Bush about his dream of launching a mission to Mars. And I thought to myself: Wouldn't continue great if we could get a Canadian on board? If a Canadian could be sent tens of millions of miles into the dark void of space. And as we all as a nation watch on Television and together say aloud: `Bon voyage, Carolyn Parrish!'"

Clarkson, meanwhile, sang a witty duet with best-selling author Margaret Atwood, basing their repartee on the song Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend.

"A kiss may be grand," they sang, "but it won't pay the rental on Rideau Hall."

As well, the Governor General, laughed about her interest in seeing a new deal on health care in Canada.

"I've been thinking, Paul," she said to the Prime Minister, "that is might not be a bad idea to fix health care for a generation. Just make sure it's our generation."

Clarkson also took to the stage dressed in backpacking gear with a baseball hat on sideways -- a send-up of her expensive global touring.

Harper, meanwhile, poked fun at his opponents and his own party.

He delivered a hilarious imitation of Revenue Minister, John McCallum -- mimicking his voice and mannerisms.

But he also suggested warning labels should be added for all political parties, including his own.

For the Tories, he suggested a slogan could be: "Warning contents may contain nuts."