The hidden lives of MPs
March 28th, 2008, 4:05 pm Teen Hobbies
STEPHEN HARPER, PRIME MINISTERMany Canadians know of his passion for hockey and the fact he has Grade 9 piano from the Royal Conservatory of Music; his Conservative caucus and Ottawa journalists are familiar with his talent for impersonations. New revelations:Many voters would suggest Canada’s Members of Parliament are already overexposed. But MPs are people too, and many have interests and hobbies outside Parliament Hill, while others have odd talents and even odder habits. The National Post conducted a survey of MPs to unearth little-known details. Here’s what we discovered: he likes computer games and his favourite isBejewelled, a game of swapping gems to align sets of matching colours. Mr. Harper plays it late at night when his kids have gone to bed. Favourite TV shows are Hockey Night in Canada (no surprise there) and Law %26Order. He has 3,800 songs on his iPod, 392 of them by the Beatles. Dr. Seuss’ Yertle the Turtle was Mr. Harper’s favourite book as a child. (The story centres on a turtle king who builds himself a higher throne by having subjects climb on each other’s backs, until the bottom turtle revolts, seeking equal rights, and throws the king back into the pond–Dr. Seuss had Hitler in mind.) Also little-known:Mr. Harper has a wallaby named after him. It’s called Stephen Hopper (shown below). A family friend who lives in Australia–Catherine Buchanan– rehabilitates wildlife and named the wallaby when the PrimeMinister was in the country for an APEC meeting.STEPHANE DION, LIBERAL LEADERA closet chocolate addict, he is into cross-country skiing, fishing and hockey –on the road, not ice. He is an early riser who does not sleep much, say his staff.DR. KEITH MARTIN, LIBERAL MPThe British Columbia physician’s hobby is tracking big game animals in Africa, specifically rhinos. He still volunteers as a doctor in the summer and has treated animals –his largest patient was a 5,000-pound white rhinoceros. “They are much tamer than some of the House debates I’ve been to, and the rhinos are at least ten times friendlier than the Prime Minister,” he says. Other interests:He is learning the alto saxophone and has been practising in his Parliament Hill office.BELINDA STRONACH, LIBERAL MPThe much-profiled auto parts heiress has a hidden talent. “She knows the weirdest song lyrics,” says advisor Greg MacEachern. “I was taken aback one day when she did an impromptu rap version of Tom Petty’s [Mary Jane's Last Dance],” he says, noting Ms. Stronach’s skills do not extend to her singing. The chorus from the Tom Petty song–interpretations suggest it could be about the end of love or about marijuana, since Mary Jane is code for pot:”Last dance with Mary Jane, one more time to kill the pain. I feel summer creepin’ in and I’m tired of this town again.”ROGER VALLEY, LIBERAL MPOutside of politics, the Ontario MP runs a family commercial bait business. In other words, he raises minnows.TONY CLEMENT, MINISTER OF HEALTHThe Ontario MP is a punk rock fan and mad about soccer. He wears a Manchester United scarf to show his support. Also this: during every vote in the House of Commons, Mr. Clement poses like a ballerina, says his seat-mate Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. “When we stand for a vote, Tony does this sort of ballet move, where he sweeps his arm out and takes a little bow. Ottawa has been a good influence on him, I think. He was never that graceful before.” Mr. Flaherty says Mr. Clement never did it when they served together in the Ontario government.PETER STOFFER, NDP MPThe Nova ScotiaMP salutes the clerk of the House each time he votes, without fail, and each person who visits his office must play darts, sign the guest book and pose for a photo. He rarely writes return letters — instead, he calls people or shows up at their house. He makes random calls to constituents, asking how they are. He does not have a BlackBerry. Also this: He wipes his feet at the door to the House of Commons chamber each time he exits — to get rid of any bad karma left from Question Period.JIM FLAHERTY, FINANCE MINISTERIt is known he attended Princeton on a hockey scholarship but, it turns out, he also raced sailboats competitively on Lake Ontario for more than 20 years. He gave it up when he was appointed to the Ontario Cabinet about a decade ago.MONTE SOLBERG, MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENTThe Alberta MP and Cabinet minister used to be a disc jockey –he’s into a little bit of rock, a little bit of country.RAHIM JAFFER, CONSERVATIVE MPThe Alberta MP and caucus chairman plays the bongo drums and has performed in Ottawa’s market district bars.VIC TOEWS, TREASURY BOARD PRESIDENTThe Manitoba MP, who is edging toward 60, can be seen in-line skating in the summer months. He is also trained in martial arts and has a purple belt– he calls it the “bar fighting belt.” Mr. Toews says his instructor taught him how to always go for the knees first, then the head. A couple of years ago he was attacked while walking in Ottawa, he says. He delivered a swift blow to the knee and walked away unscathed.KEN BOSHCOFF, LIBERAL MPThe former Thunder Bay mayor has three black belts –in Shotokan karate, Gojukai karate and Wing Chun kung fu. The 58-year-old has been practicing martial arts for 40 years. Despite 14 knee operations he insists it is a great way to keep fit –and sane–and builds stamina for his job in politics. He is reluctant to let rival MPs know about his skills: “Some cards you don’t like to play too soon.”ALAN TONKS, LIBERAL MPIn his younger days as a rock and roller Mr. Tonks and his band played the same venue as Canadian legend Gordon Light-foot and wrote him off, deciding he wasn’t very good. Likely why Mr. Tonks ended up an MP.PETER VAN LOAN, LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE HOUSEPVL, as he is known on the Hill, builds a backyard rink every year at his house north of Toronto. It takes weeks to build–45 feet by 90 feet –and he’s been doing it for about seven years. “Building a backyard rink starts as a fun idea and then becomes an obsessive engineering project, which causes you to take joy in the opportunity to go out at three in the morning when it’s -20C to flood it because that’s when you can make the best ice,” he says.ALEX ATAMANENKO, NDP MPAnother martial arts fan, the BC MP is a karate expert and teacher, and also speaks three languages –French, Russian and English. He once served as Mila Mulroney’s personal Russian interpreter when Brian Mulroney was prime minister. He has a band called the Balladeers, which plays exclusively for seniors.JEAN-YVES ROY, BLOC MPPeter Stoffer of the NDP says the Quebec MP is a great dancer. Once at a bar in St. John’s,Mr. Roy interrupted as Mr. Stoffer was about to ask a woman to dance. “He came in like a hot knife to butter. He just cut me off. He had this Cheshire cat smile on his face and I thought, ‘This guy’s good.’ He knows how to handle a woman in his arms. I just sat down and had a beer and watched. I have two left feet but, of course, I am a New Democrat.”CHARLIE ANGUS, NDP MPThe Ontario MP is known for his Juno-winning band the Grievous Angels, but also had a punk band.SCOTT BRISON, LIBERAL MPAn aide to Mr. Brison says Mr. Brison has unusual shower habits, which may be too much information. He causes a flood every time he showers, apparently. “It’s like he prefers to air dry his delicate skin,” says the assistant.jsmyth@nationalpost.com
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