MPPs share their unique holiday cards
Now that the house is out of session, Ontario legislators take a moment to give back
It is a sign of Christmas at Queen’s Park almost as ubiquitous as the boughs of holly that deck the halls of power.
MPPs from all of the parties at their desks in the legislature, busily fill out stacks of Christmas cards to constituents and supporters as they halflisten to a debate droning on in the chamber. Because they put a lot of thought into what goes on the front of the cards, it’s not surprising that they put so much effort into inscribing them.
Now that the house has risen for a winter break until Feb. 20, there is time to take stock of this year’s Christmas card crop. Premier Kathleen Wynne sent 45,000 cards this yuletide. This year’s card features a smiling Wynne with her two daughters, her son, her son-in-law, her granddaughters and grandson, and spouse Jane Rounthwaite in a North Toronto park. The children are waving Ontario150 pennants because 2017 will mark the province’s — and Canada’s — sesquicentennial. Inside, there are seasonal greetings in 31 different languages and the inscription “My family and I send you best wishes for the holidays.”
Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown mailed about 10,000 cards this year. On his card, a beaming Brown sports a Santa hat and sits on a Tory blue Muskoka chair in OroMedonte on the shore of Lake Simcoe. A bachelor, he’s surrounded by his parents, sisters, brother-in-law, his three nephews, and his beloved 102-year-old grandmother, Teresa.
“Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, Joyeux Noël, Seasons Greetings,” reads the inscription. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath sent 19,000 cards this Christmas season. The single mother of an adult son is shown on this year’s card baking cookies with the children and grand- children of her staff. Along with greetings in English and French, the card includes Horwath’s recipe for “Gramma’s Melt-Aways,” a tastysounding treat made from butter, icing sugar, walnuts and flour.
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner had 1,000 cards made from recycled stock by an environmentally friendly “waterless” printing company. His card features him with his wife and their daughters in High Park.
Aside from the leaders, the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau receives dozens of cards from MPPs, some of which are more memorable than others.
Favourites this year included one from New Democrat MPP Percy Hatfield (Windsor-Tecumseh). It’s a lovely pink card depicting a Christmas tree, cookies and milk that was drawn by three of his grandchildren, Paisley, Arwen and Fletcher.
Progressive Conservative MPP Laurie Scott (Haliburton—Kawarthas Lakes—Brock) is renowned at the legislature for funny Christmas cards. This year, hers again boasts her horse, Mini Prince Hardy, and her terrier, Phineas — both sporting reindeer antlers.
“The things she makes me wear . . .” Phineas is quoted as saying — or barking — inside the card.
Another of the legislature’s animal lovers is Liberal MPP Bob Delaney (Mississauga-Streetsville). Delaney’s Christmas card is adorned with a photo of him and his wife, Andrea Seepersaud, and their cats, Bebe and Merlin, the latter of which they adopted through Ninth Life Cat Rescue and Pet Valu in Meadowvale. New Democrat MPP Monique Taylor (Hamilton Mountain) is also a proud pet owner — she is hugging her dog on this year’s card.
Life really can be a roller-coaster ride for Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca, whose department is tasked with dealing with gridlock and public transit. So where better for the Del Duca clan to pose for their Christmas card photo than on the Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland, located in his riding of Vaughan?
Finally, there are few more quintessentially Canadian moments than shivering at a hockey rink while sipping on Tim Hortons as your child takes the ice.
For her card, Tory MPP Lisa MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton) and her husband, Joe Varner, posed with their hockey-loving daughter, Victoria, at Barrhaven’s Minto Arena, home of their peewee team.