Ottawa

‘Well, I have my job to do, you have your job to do.’

This was, by his telling to me, what John Baird told Paul Szabo, chair of the ethics committee, upon turning up uninvited at a hearing last week.

Last night, Mr. Baird was honoured—after a vote of his peers—as this magazine’s parliamentarian of the year. Alongside citations for all the other winners is a 650-word attempt, authored by myself after interviews with half a dozen of Mr. Baird’s colleagues, to understand the complexity of his political existence.

And to that, you must obviously add Mr. Baird’s performance at another committee yesterday afternoon—that just hours before he formally accepted his honour.

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.