Le traditionnel party des Fêtes… pas anodin!

Rolling your eyes at yet another holiday party invitation? For our Toronto colleague Max Stern, a holiday party is in fact the perfect opportunity to gauge an organization’s health. He had the chance to do just that at the Liberal Party of Canada’s Caucus holiday party last week. His read? Exhileration and exhaustion.

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There are many ways to measure politics: a government’s approval ratings, the number of party campaign promises fulfilled or how much a leader can fundraise.

While all are valid, I recently learned you’ll find the most accurate reading at your local holiday party – no matter the sector, office or organization you work in.

Last week, I was at the Liberal Party of Canada’s Caucus holiday party. My read? The party is exhilarated – and exhausted.

Ottawa’s Shaw Centre was filled with 3000 loyalists ready to chant, jeer or applause at a moment’s notice. The first opportunity was the announcement of the three recent by-election wins – the newly-minted candidates were there as part of their first trips to the capital.

The short program was a crescendo to the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau taking the stage. Through a speech mixed with humour and seriousness, both these seasoned public figures were sure not to miss framing the state of affairs and boasting about their wins.

That night, they highlighted the federal government’s apologies to LGBTQ public servants and Indigenous Newfoundland and Labradorean residential school survivors.

The party also provided some respite.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly and Sports and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kent Hehr were all offered cover from a difficult fall session.

For every Minister looking to blend in – or MP who can’t help but blend in – there were the stars. A lineup formed wherever Global Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland walked with guests vying for quick chats and pictures.

The largest line was for the Prime Minister. It snaked in the middle of the event space splitting the room in half. The wait was long and you needed a special wristband to have your picture taken with the leader.

Throughout the night, every staffer I met had something they were proud to share with me, usually a fulfilled campaign promise or a reversal of a Stephen Harper-era policy.

However, they all mentioned they were tired, and weren’t sure how much longer they can keep up this pace.

With half of their mandate left, Liberal MPs and staffers need a lot of energy to complete their ambitious agenda. And for you, I suggest you make it to each and every holiday party you’re invited to as you never know what you can learn on the dance floor.

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Max Stern joined NATIONAL Public Relations’ Toronto office after serving as a Communications Assistant in the Liberal Party of Canada’s war room during the 2015 general elections.