The Questionnaire: These city hall veterans just made the leap to Queen’s Park

Mary-Margaret McMahon

MPP of Beaches–East York, Liberal Dream job as a kid: “An author. I like dreaming up ideas.” If you could have one superpower: “Flight. I’d be able to see the world from a different perspective.” Death row meal: “The pork, veggie and noodle dish from Mi Mi on Gerrard.” Why you decided to leap from city hall to Queen’s Park: “To tackle the climate emergency.” Your best and worst political attributes: “Best: I’m a people person. Worst: I’m way too honest.” Something every aspiring politician should know: “You get a lot of nasty stuff slung at you, so don’t take things personally.” The biggest problem facing Ontarians right now: “Affordability, across the board.” When you leave Queen’s Park, your term will have been a success if…: “I’ve gotten everyone together to back a solid climate action plan.” Celebrity doppelgänger: “I’d like to think Meg Ryan, but that may be a stretch.” Political idol: “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She’s tenacious, and she’s doing things for the greater good.” Greatest TV show ever made: “Get Smart. The innovations were way ahead of their time.”

Kristyn Wong-Tam

MPP of Toronto Centre, New Democrat

Dream job as a kid: “A chef, like my dad.” If you could have one superpower: “Flight. So I could see everything, from the rainforest to the Sahara.” Death row meal: “Spaghetti and meatballs.” Why you decided to leap from city hall to Queen’s Park: “To take on challenges like rent control and inclusive long-term care.” Your best and worst political attributes: “Best: My ability to listen. Worst: I’m sometimes not partisan enough.” Something every aspiring politician should know: “You learn to mix work and life, but you can’t balance them.” The biggest problem facing Ontarians right now: “Affordability. The middle class is disappearing.” When you leave Queen’s Park, your term will have been a success if…: “I improve access to mental health care and addiction recovery services.” Celebrity doppelgänger: “Someone suggested Arya Stark from Game of Thrones because I’m independent and tomboyish.” Political idol: “Tommy Douglas. He created Canadian health care.” Greatest TV show ever made: “Parks and Recreation.”

Michael Ford

MPP of York South–Weston, Progressive Conservative

Dream job as a kid: “A paramedic. I wanted to help people during their most difficult times.” If you could have one superpower: “Invisibility. That would be neat.” Death row meal: “Spaghetti and meatballs.” Why you decided to leap from city hall to Queen’s Park: “To work on things like the economy and transit investment at a higher level.” Your best and worst political attributes: “Best: My ability to work across party lines. Worst: Occasionally, I put too much emphasis on compromise.” Something every aspiring politician should know: “Focus on fulfilling the promises that got you elected.” The biggest problem facing Ontarians right now: “Affordability. I heard about that throughout my entire campaign.” When you leave Queen’s Park, your term will have been a success if…: “I can improve the Ontario economy.” Celebrity doppelgänger: “I’ll say Chris Pratt.” Political idol: “My grandfather, Doug Ford Sr. I really looked up to him.” Greatest TV show ever made: “The King of Queens. I love Kevin James’s self-deprecating humour.”