OTTAWA - Bilateral meetings, the presence of soldiers and aid workers, even media campaigns -- all are used to shape the image Canada presents to the world.

Then there are the actual presents.

When politicians and bureaucrats head out for a meeting, tucked amidst their briefing books and dark suits are gifts for the people they'll meet along the way.

Backbench MPs can pop into the official Parliamentary boutique, to snap up a coffee mug or a copper pin, and staffers can dart into any of the high end souvenir shops in the capital.

But senior parliamentarians often need something a bit more special for those special international someones. So they head to the Government of Canada Gift Bank.

Housed at Canadian Heritage headquarters, the gift bank has been the one-stop shop for ministers, deputy ministers and heads of federal agencies since 1967, when Canada's centennial raised the need for a gift-giving program.

An inventory for the bank, obtained under Access to Information Act, shows there are currently over 1,000 items in stock.

The majority are typically Canadian items -- maple leaf pins and boxes, soap stone carvings, cedar boxes and blankets.

Gift giving trends are reflected. Remember the pepper mill fad? The gift bank has a dozen in stock.

The most expensive item appears to be a porcelain plate by Canadian artist Lisette Savaria, which has a list price of $1,750 and has been sitting in the bank since 1997.

The cheapest is a $5.00 pen.

A list of who has been shopping, also obtained under Access to Information, reveals that less than half of current cabinet ministers and secretaries of state have used the service since June 2009.

The biggest shopper has been Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who has bought 27 items, ranging from paperweights to picture frames, once dropping in to pick up two maple leaf boxes and two bowls for unexpected dignitaries, according to the file.

Who the gifts have been given to was censored in the files released to The Canadian Press and due to a glitch with the inventory's computer system, the dates on the files aren't accurate either so its hard to link up shopping trips with key international meetings.

Among the ranks of senior civil servants who've stopped into the bank are Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin who bought some soap stone carvings and Auditor General Sheila Fraser who picked up a rose wood and ivory salt and pepper set.

It's not as easy as walking into the room with a gift bag. Those who want to buy something from the bank have to say who it is for and when it will be given before making an appointment to scan the racks.

There are also limits on how much people are allowed to spend.

Treasury board guidelines say up to $500 can be spent by a minister when presenting a gift abroad, and up to $300 when it is presented within Canada.

Lest the recipient end up with the protocol equivalent of an ugly Christmas sweater, the selections at the bank are periodically reviewed for their suitability.

Earlier this year, hundreds of items were packed off to Library and Archives Canada or returned into the general pool of Crown assets and $40,000 was spent to spruce up the stock.

The latest items added are stone ware mugs and silver bowls.

Canadian Heritage, which runs the bank, declined requests for a tour or even a conversation about the contents, accepting questions only by email.

"The selection of gifts for the Gift Bank is assessed by taking into account the amount of funding available, current items in stock, suitable products from various artists/providers," the department said.

"The Gift Bank ensures that official gifts are distinctively Canadian. Appropriate gifts include contemporary arts and crafts or items representative of Canadian culture, arts, and cultural products or Canadian manufacturing."