Sometimes in the four years between elections, residents are left wondering: “What does my local politician do all day?”
In an effort to shed some light on local politics, on Friday, Nov. 9, BarrieToday shadowed Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin for a day to find out what it’s really like to represent Barrie and Innisfil on the provincial stage.
Fridays for MPPs are constituency days. Typically, Monday to Thursdays are spent at Queen’s Park in Toronto having caucus meetings, participating in Question Period and helping to form and write policy that moulds how Ontarians live and work. On Fridays, MPPs spend time in their ridings, meeting with constituents and attending local events.
This week, however, was special.
“It’s constituency week. I get to be here 24 hours. When the legislature is sitting, we have to be in Toronto Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. We can’t leave early, because there could be a vote at any time,” she says.
Khanjin starts her day with a breakfast meeting at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH). The Barrie hospital has invited local politicians, including Barrie-Innisfil MP John Brassard, Khanjin and recently elected municipal councillors to tour the new cardiac care centre and discuss RVH's future.
After that, Khanjin meets up with BarrieToday at Innisdale Secondary School to speak with a Grade 12 politics and general government class.
“When I was about 14 years old, I was exploring the different political parties. I really loved learning,” she tells the students. “My parents instilled in me that life is about learning and to never be afraid to ask questions.”
Khanjin was born in Moscow in the Soviet Union (now Russia). She says she heard many stories from her family about what happened in that kind of society.
“Growing up, I knew that government controlling your everyday life was not something I was interested in,” she says. “(The Progressive Conservative Party) aligned more with my values.”
“I landed there because I really believed in less government intervention telling me what to do with my life... but at the same time, we do owe it to society to take care of the people who are less fortunate, the people who are more vulnerable in our society.”
Khanjin tells the class about joining the PC Party at 14, getting involved with conventions and starting to build a network across Ontario, eventually joining the Ontario PC Youth Association.
“You’re never too young to make a difference,” she tells the students. “No matter where you are in life, it shouldn’t prevent you from aspiring to do things you want to.”
Students ask Khanjin questions about the legalization of marijuana, the change in gas prices, decorum during Question Period, the voting age, back-to-work legislation for post-secondary institutions and disagreements within the party.
“Did I agree with every leader that was elected? (Sometimes) my person didn’t win. It’s upsetting, but then you have to align as a party,” she says. “When I joined the party at 14, and even to this day, you’re not always going to agree with every single element of what your leader wants to do. That’s why it’s great to be involved because then you can challenge those decisions.
“There’s a way to voice your opinion,” Khanjin continues. “We have caucus meetings every Tuesday and we’re briefed on the types of legislation that are going to be introduced... then basically, if we have concerns we get up to the podium and we voice those concerns. What ends up happening... sometimes (MPPs) get upset. Is it always cordial? Definitely not.
“What happens in caucus, stays in caucus, as the saying goes,” Khanjin says with a laugh. “I enjoy that forum because it allows me to voice what’s important for Barrie-Innisfil.”
After the presentation at Innisdale, Khanjin talks about her approach for speaking with high-school students.
“Even though I wear a partisan hat, I try to make it a little more objective for students so they have the opportunity to choose (for themselves), too,” she says while walking to her car.
While driving from Innisdale to the Southshore Centre to make a video in front of the newly built Military Heritage Park sign, the conversation turns to work-life balance.
“I’m lucky because I look so young,” Khanjin jokes. “Many people don’t catch on that I’m the MPP. So, even when I go grocery shopping, I don’t always get stopped. A part of the role, though, is that you’re here to help.
“If they decide to approach me when I’m gassing up my car, that’s just part of the job. It’s what you signed up for. I actually don’t mind it. I wish more people, if they recognize me, would come up to me,” she says. “I love constituency weeks and when I'm able to be here full-time on weekends, because you get grounded. It’s important to see the real people who elected you and what their real thoughts and needs are.
“(It’s important) so that when you’re at Queen’s Park, you don’t get lost in the so-called ‘The Bubble'.”
Khanjin cites the recent Toronto City Hall issue (Ford’s decision to reduce the number of Toronto city councillors to align the city's wards with provincial and federal electoral boundaries) as a prime example of the dangers of The Bubble.
“When Ford decided to shrink Toronto City Hall to 25 seats, it was all over media, we were getting inundated with emails... very few of the emails were from my riding,” she says.
“When I would go to (local) events to talk to people, they told me we were making the right decision. They said they thought Toronto city council was bloated. Getting that opinion was refreshing.”
Despite snow and sleet, Khanjin meets up with Stephen Donkers, her constituency assistant, to make the video at Southshore. After three takes, they pack up and head to Khanjin’s new constituency office on Mapleview Drive in Barrie. The video was intended to run on Instagram on Sunday in honour of Remembrance Day.
During the drive, Khanjin talks about social media being a relatively new frontier for politicians.
“I don’t tend to read the comments,” Khanjin says sheepishly. “It’s kind of a decision every politician has to make. People who are happy aren’t always going to write a comment. People who are upset will. I find, with social media, it’s a lot easier for people to say things... that they wouldn’t necessarily say to your face.
“I won’t name names, but I have had an individual who is needlessly cruel and mean on social media who did confront me at one point. But they were very kind in person. So, it does bring out certain language or behaviour that people wouldn’t normally do in person.
“Every person is so different. They might take something out of context or read something differently (than intended),” she adds. “People can say things without much consequence. It’s hard to put tone into text and social media.”
When Khanjin shows up at her constituency office 15 minutes later, she has cupcakes in hand, which is a Friday tradition.
“It’s Snack Friday,” she says with a laugh. “It was my turn to bring snacks. I’m kind of a healthy eater, so my colleagues were worried that I was going to show up with a veggie tray or something.”
Shortly after noon, Khanjin needs to take her vehicle to Barrie Mitsubishi to get her winter tires put on.
“There’s no way I can wait for it; I’ll have to come back to pick it up,” she says.
On the way to the dealership, the scandals and switch-ups that have marred the last week of PC Party dealings come up.
On Nov. 2, longtime Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson resigned suddenly from PC caucus. The official PC party statement said Wilson was resigning from his role as Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and from the caucus to seek treatment for “addiction issues.”
However, last week, Global News reported unnamed sources indicating Wilson’s resignation was related to allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour. Global News further suggested the allegations were made by a male staffer at Queen’s Park. Ford later clarified that he had not made the allegations public in an effort to protect the accuser.
In the wake of Wilson's departure, Ford completed a cabinet shuffle, which saw Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey take on the position of deputy whip. MPP Todd Smith was named Wilson’s successor on the trade portfolio.
“I wasn’t in the room for a lot of the decision making that occurred,” says Khanjin. “I’m really thrilled for Doug Downey. One thing I am going to miss is (Downey) will no longer sit beside me. Because we sat beside each other, we could chat about all the Barrie stuff.”
Wilson, who had been the Simcoe-Grey MPP since September 1990, is now sitting as an independent.
Allegations of sexual misconduct have run rampant throughout political parties of all colours, at federal, provincial and municipal levels in the advent of the Me Too movement.
While attending the University of Ottawa, Khanjin volunteered on Parliament Hill in her early 20s to work on Lake Simcoe files. After graduating, she worked for different Ottawa ministers on issues such as immigration reform, as well as doing a stint at Finance Canada. She also spent some time working in Toronto on finance policy.
When asked about whether she was ever a recipient of any inappropriate behaviour from more senior politicians during that time, Khanjin says no.
“Every individual is different. I’m very good about setting boundaries and pushing back when I need to, no matter what the situation is. I think most people, because of my character, wouldn’t think to do those types of things to me, because they know the reaction would be a bad one,” she says.
“I don’t have any tolerance for those types of messages or photos. I think people might be too intimidated to do that kind of thing to me, particularly. So I’ve never been in that situation," Khanjin adds.
Khanjin clarifies that she also makes a concentrated effort to not put herself in those situations in the first place.
“The reason I say that is... there are situations that people could put themselves in that are uncomfortable. You need to know when to walk away, and when not to be there, period,” she says. “For example, I don’t go out of my way to hang out with my bosses after work. For me, work is work and my personal life is my personal life. As an employee, I don’t find it appropriate.”
While more women coming into the workforce is a positive thing, Khanjin thinks decorum also needs to be adjusted accordingly.
“As we change that dynamic in the workforce, we need to change a lot of different behaviours. How we treat people, how we speak to people... that’s just the evolution of people. With the Me Too movement, you’re seeing a lot of that,” she says.
When it comes to Wilson, Khanjin hopes that the recent allegations don’t take away from the years of work he’s done in the community.
“Jim Wilson is such a legend in Simcoe County. He’s done so much for the area. He’s done a lot of positive things when he was in government as a minister,” she says. “As tough as allegations or actions might be, (it’s important to) not take away from some of the good people have done.
“(It’s important to) remember that these people also have families, too. That doesn’t make their actions acceptable,” she says. “There’s proper recourse, and I believe that the proper recourse was taken in this situation. He’s going to get the treatment that he needs. We’ll have to see what happens and the decisions that he makes, but he’s still the MPP.”
When dropping off her car, Khanjin grabs a cappuccino from the coffee machine at the dealership. It’s the only thing she eats all day.
Once back at the office, Khanjin launches into constituent meetings all afternoon. She has them booked back to back.
Her first meeting is with Bernie Hunt and Fern Gillespie.
Gillespie has been having difficulties recently getting his prescriptions covered by OHIP, despite none of his life circumstances changing. Khanjin takes diligent notes throughout the meeting, has Donkers copy his information to start a file on the matter and walks Gillespie through the next steps of what the problem could be.
“I can find out (details) on the provincial side,” Khanjin reassures Gillespie.
She also directs Gillespie to start a file with MP Brassard’s office to look at the Canada Revenue Agency side to get the issue dealt with as quickly as possible.
“We don’t know who the wrong party here is, so it’s good for you to sign both... so we can resolve this.”
Khanjin’s next meeting includes Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey. They are meeting with representatives from the Barrie Literacy Council and Community Literacy of Ontario.
The groups are asking for help from the Ontario government with marketing.
“If only one per cent of the population is getting (help), it’s because people don’t know about it,” says Judy DesRoches with the Barrie Literacy Council.
After the meeting, the group poses for a photo. Before leaving, Downey asks to share an anecdote about Khanjin.
“We were at the Ontario Farmer’s Association dinner. We ended up sitting at the same table with some other people. As soon as she left the table, they all said, 'Wow, she really knows her stuff',” recalls Downey. “I said, ‘Absolutely, she does.’ She’s very good at what she does. She’s very smart.”
Next up for Khanjin is a meeting with Marlene Ham, executive director of Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH). She’s visiting to discuss the Wrapped in Courage Campaign, government relations and advocacy.
Khanjin’s last meeting of the day is with Melissa Proanos, a local entrepreneur whose business, Healthy Kids’ Eats, is looking to get government help to bring healthier food options to local schools.
At 4:30 p.m., Khanjin’s constituency office closes its doors for the day.
“Friday nights are the only time I get to see (my fiancé) Kevin,” says Khanjin.
In one arm, she’s trying to balance a stack of reading from the day’s constituency meetings. With the other, she’s signing an official document to give to a local couple to congratulate them on a wedding anniversary.
Khanjin got engaged to be married two and a half weeks ago.
“I still have a lot of reading to do tonight,” she says with a laugh.
She also mentions plans to make her way back to the hospital that night, but this time on a personal errand to visit her grandfather, who is at RVH after recently suffering a stroke.
She’s getting a lift from Donkers to pick up her vehicle from Barrie Mitsubishi.
Looking forward, Khanjin doesn’t necessarily have her sights set on the premier’s office, but does hope to be able to continue serving her community, as her passion is public policy.
“I’ll do whatever I can to help the community for as long as I can, in whatever capacity I can,” she says. “As long as it’s me giving back to the place that’s given me so much, I’ll keep doing it.
