Justice Minister Peter MacKay is creating headlines for sending two very different emails to his male and female employees on Mother's Day and Father's Day this year.
Emails obtained by The Canadian Press reveal that MacKay credited mothers in his department on the occasion of Mother's Day for holding two full-time jobs - at home and at work. The controversy however arises on MacKay saluting fathers for "shaping the minds and futures of the next generation of leaders."
"By the time many of you have arrived at the office in the morning, you've already changed diapers, packed lunches, run after school buses, dropped kids off at daycare, taken care of an aging loved one and maybe even thought about dinner," MacKay wrote in the email that was delivered to thousands of female employees before Mother's Day.
A month later on Father's Day, MacKay mentioned in an email "... Needless to say, it can also be daunting to consider the immense and life-long influence we have over our children," MacKay wrote. "Our words, actions and examples greatly mould who they will become.
"We can only hope that the moments we spend teaching, guiding and loving them will sustain them throughout their lives."
MacKay's office has not responded to the reports yet.
