If you’re walking down Hastings Street on Hats Off Day this weekend, you might spot your local MP soaking wet and with a smile on his face.
Terry Beech, Liberal MP for Burnaby North-Seymour, was walking by the fire department during Hats Off Day last year and was invited to come sit in the tank to help raise money for the Burnaby Firefighters Charitable Society. He refused.
“I was checking my weight and wondering if I wanted to be wet in front of everyone,” he said, grabbing his stomach and laughing. “But I said this would be great motivation to stay in shape for next year, so why don’t I come in next year?”
Being located on Hastings Street in the middle of the action, his constituency office always celebrates Burnaby’s biggest festival, says Beech, but this is the first time he’ll be in the dunk tank, an uncommon move for a sitting member of Parliament.
“We’re looking forward to it, and they’ve quite wisely given my wife the first throw,” he says, laughing. “I’m hoping I’ll be a bit of a draw.”
First responders were some of the first people he met after he was first elected, he says, and now he’s looking forward to supporting their charity.
“They’re absolutely vital for our community,” he said.
