From competing to campaigning: Athletes-turned-MPPs reflect ahead of the Olympics

TORONTO – Ontario’s 124 members of provincial parliament are a varied lot. Seated in the chamber are farmers and financiers, newscasters and nurses, social conservatives and social justice advocates. 

And unbeknownst to even some of their colleagues, some highly accomplished athletes are in their midst. There are the obvious ones, like Neil Lumsden, who had a storied Canadian Football League career and has the current on-the-nose title of minister of sport. 

But there is also an Olympian, a champion kickboxer, a national rugby player and a water polo goalie who earned the nickname “The Wall.” Ahead of the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics, the four politicians reflect on watching the Games and their own athletic achievements.

—

Brian Saunderson, Progressive Conservative MPP for Simcoe-Grey

Main sport: Rowing

Achievements: Competed for Canada at the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, finishing 9th and 11th, respectively. Won a silver medal at the 1990 world championships with Canada’s men’s eight.

Origin story: Saunderson played soccer and rugby in high school and had hoped to try out for the soccer team at the University of Western Ontario, as it was then known, but he got injured and missed the try outs. A friend who was a rower suggested Saunderson try out for the university’s rowing team, just to stay in shape. Saunderson made that team and he and his crew placed second at a major North American collegiate regatta. From there, he was hooked.

Watching the Olympics: Saunderson said as a former Olympian he watches the Games thinking both of the story of the athletes themselves as well as the work and sacrifices of everyone behind them.

“You get there based on teammates you have had, and coaches you’ve had, and support structures you’ve had,” he said. 

“They say it takes a village to raise a child. It takes probably a nation to raise an Olympic athlete. All of us are extremely grateful for the opportunity to be there and you all have your own stories about injuries and adversity and how you got there.”

Applying an athletic career to politics: Saunderson said in his experience, the key to success both in athletics and politics is hard work and team work.

“I think a big part is your work ethic and your ability to work with others and to be collaborative and work for a common cause,” he said. “I think that’s very abundant at Queen’s Park, so it doesn’t surprise me to see these accomplished athletes on all sides of the floor.”

—

Bobbi Ann Brady, Independent MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk

Main sports: Kickboxing and hockey

Achievements: Gold medal in her age and weight bracket at the 2015 national kickboxing championships. Bronze medal at the world championships that same year. Gold medal at the 2017 provincial championships.

Origin story: Brady played hockey growing up, though in her small town in the 1980s there were no girls’ teams. So she played on a boys’ team, keeping her hair short and going by “Bob,” until she was 19. Her teammates knew she was a girl and were supportive, Brady said, but the parents of boys on opposing teams were less kind if they found out. Brady played with women’s teams as an adult and it wasn’t until she was almost 40 that she began kickboxing. The owner of a martial arts centre invited her to join his new kickboxing club and she began her new athletic pursuit. 

Watching the Olympics: Brady said she can feel the passion and the pride emanating from the athletes when she watches the Olympics, and she also views them through a compassionate lens.

“(People) are often hard on our athletes and they don’t understand that you can train and train and train, but still you’re entitled to a bad day,” she said.

Applying an athletic career to politics: Sport can teach people a lot, from determination to co-operation to discipline, Brady said, but martial arts in particular have taught her how to calm the mind, which is useful in politics.

“Martial arts teaches you that before you act, you always reflect,” she said. “I think that is the biggest benefit from sport for me is that it teaches me self-control.”

—

Lee Fairclough, Liberal MPP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore

Main sport: Rugby

Achievements: Member of the Canadian women’s rugby team from 1996 to 1998, finishing fourth in the ’98 World Cup.

Origin story: Fairclough was first a competitive swimmer on the varsity team at McMaster University and when she decided to stop after her third year, a friend encouraged her to try rugby. She played club rugby that summer, then for McMaster the next year. Fairclough then made Ontario’s team and Rugby Canada selected her to participate in their elite athlete development program. A few years later she made the national team. 

Watching the Olympics: Fairclough said she never misses the Olympics and turns on update notifications so she catches as much as possible. 

“When you go to an international event as a Canadian athlete too, it’s always that reminder of how people regard Canada,” she said.

“Even now, when you look at what’s happening with the world, you see what’s happening south of the border and the tensions that are building, the Olympics can be a moment to really just see each other as people.”

Applying an athletic career to politics: Fairclough said being an athlete was one of the most important training grounds for her career.

“As an athlete, yeah, you learn how to work hard, but you also learn how to win. Sometimes you also learn how to lose and to recover from that very easily, to reflect and do it differently next time and keep going,” said Fairclough, who won Etobicoke-Lakeshore on her second attempt at the seat.

—

Catherine Fife, NDP MPP for Waterloo

Main sport: Water polo

Achievements: Member of Carleton University’s varsity water polo team from 1987 to 1991. Earned the title of MVP in the 1988-89 season and as the team’s goalie she was given the nickname “The Wall.” Part of the Carleton team that become Ontario champions in 1990-91.

Origin story: Fife began her athletic career as a competitive swimmer and said it was a natural transition to water polo, where she found a love of the camaraderie of team competition and defending the net.

Watching the Olympics: Fife said she watches athletes compete in the Olympics with “complete admiration.”

“The sacrifices that that level of athlete has had to make — and their families — is absolutely inspirational,” she said. “There’s something very pure about the Olympics, because it’s still amateur athletes. Winning a gold medal and representing your country is more important than a lucrative contract.” 

Applying an athletic career to politics: A big lesson learned from competitive water polo is that when you have a good team, you can defend a tough net, Fife said.

“Having hard projectiles whipped at you at fast speeds prepared me well for politics,” she said.

—

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2026.