Beyond Politics Notwithstanding the fact that his father was mayor of Le Pas, Manitoba and his mother was a strong advocate of public service, Gerard Kennedy’s entry into politics was due in large part to the controversial policies of Ontario Premier Mike Harris. The Liberal MP from Parkdale-High Park's athletic prowess as a young boy earned him a hockey scholarship to the prestigious St John's-Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg. Kennedy left his studies at the University of Alberta to head up the Edmonton Food Bank, the country's largest at the time. Kennedy's reputation as an effective administrator spread across the country, and it wasn't long before he was recruited by The Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto. When Mike Harris was elected Premier of Ontario in 1995, Kennedy's attention turned to politics and a year later Kennedy was sitting in Queen's Park as a Liberal MPP. In 2003, after the McGuinty Liberals were elected into power, Kennedy was appointed as Education Minister. In 2008 Kennedy ran federally and became the MP for the riding of Parkdale-High Park. Married and a father of two Gerard Kennedy talks to Catherine Clark about his life Beyond Politics.