You wonB次元官网网址檛 catch Omar Alghabra in a pair of Jordans.

The federal transport minister has been loyal to the Adidas brand ever since he was a kid playing soccer in Saudi Arabia.

B次元官网网址淎didas was the shoe of choice for kids in the late B次元官网网址�70s and early B次元官网网址�80s,B次元官网网址� Alghabra said. The ones known as the B次元官网网址渙riginalsB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� black with three thick white stripes down the sides B次元官网网址� were B次元官网网址渁 big deal.B次元官网网址�

That nostalgia is what drives his current sneaker collection, which often turns heads when strolls through the corridors on Parliament Hill, or attends a G7 meeting, where his counterparts comment on his kicks.

B次元官网网址淧ositively of course,B次元官网网址� he said.

He also wants to make one thing clear: heB次元官网网址檚 not a sneakerhead, but an B次元官网网址淎didas-head,B次元官网网址� which is the kind of thing only a sneakerhead would say.

This fascination with the history and specific models of sneakers has driven what is now a multibillion-dollar reselling industry, and created a sneaker culture that has now made its way into the workplace, normalizing a less formal, and less painful, kind of footwear in the office. Even the highest office.

During a Liberal caucus retreat in January, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wore the Nike Dunk Low SB B次元官网网址楲os Angeles DodgersB次元官网网址� shoe, with pink on the outsole that represents chewed up bubble gum that players bite.

At the time, he said they were a gift from his son who, B次元官网网址渓ike his mother, is much cooler than I am.B次元官网网址�

And no, he doesnB次元官网网址檛 have the Montreal Sesame Bagel Dunk, a Nike shoe styled after the food famous in the city that elected him to the House of Commons.

Some credit the rise of sneakers on the Hill to Alghabra. He said he started wearing them as a comfortable alternative during the COVID-19 pandemic, while at the same time realizing heB次元官网网址檚 breaking the norm.

But thatB次元官网网址檚 the point.

B次元官网网址淲earing of sneakers is more about breaking tradition than perpetuating it,B次元官网网址� said Elizabeth Semmelhack, director and senior curator of the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto.

Throughout the late 19th century and into the 20th, men with white-collar jobs were all expected to wear the same outfit, said Semmelhack.

Then came the concept of B次元官网网址渃asual Fridays,B次元官网网址� she said, where men, for just one day a week, would reveal a little bit more about who they were in their private lives.

Next up was the emergence of the tech sector, she said, where innovators could basically wear B次元官网网址減layground attire and be the most powerful men in the room.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淪neakers allow both men and women to participate in fashion,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hey arenB次元官网网址檛 hyper-sexualized and can appear cutting-edge and fashionable.B次元官网网址�

Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantman said sheB次元官网网址檚 always worn sneakers to work, and that includes the House of Commons.

LantsmanB次元官网网址檚 favourite sneakers are Jordan 1 Mids, which she said she gets for a cheaper price because she fits into kidsB次元官网网址� sizes.

She said the wardrobe of female politicians is always subject to scrutiny.

But she said clothes have the power to give people confidence.

More so when theyB次元官网网址檙e comfortable, she added.

Plus, she said, it makes her more approachable.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a new kind of politician. People wear sneakers in their lives, and showing up in the riding in a park in a suit doesnB次元官网网址檛 work,B次元官网网址� said Lantsman.

For women politicians, sneakers, unlike heels, can carry an added symbolic meaning, Semmelhack said, in that it shows theyB次元官网网址檙e hitting the ground running, or ready for action.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the equivalent of a man who had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves,B次元官网网址� said Semmelhack, noting U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris portrays that image when she wears her Converse sneakers.

Back in Ottawa, women MPs, including Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, are often seen wearing sneakers while scurrying from one meeting to another, but then switch them out for a pair of heels when the cameras are rolling.

That doesnB次元官网网址檛 work for Liberal MP Lisa Hepfner, who gave up heels after spending years wearing them as a broadcaster in Hamilton.

B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 even wear them for a few minutes,B次元官网网址� she said.

Hepfner seeks out comfortable, inexpensive and sparkly sneakers. For that extra comfort, she puts Birkenstock insoles into everything she wears.

Security guards on Parliament Hill have told her they can identify her by her shoes, she said, even before they see the pin that MPs wear on their lapels.

For government House leader Mark Holland, sneakers are a form of expression.

B次元官网网址淭hey just feel like me,B次元官网网址� Holland said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e in Parliament, weB次元官网网址檙e appropriately wearing suits and dressing for the business that is to be done,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淏ut thereB次元官网网址檚 not a lot of ways to express yourself in terms of clothing, particularly as a man. And so itB次元官网网址檚 a small way of expressing myself.B次元官网网址�

His first pair were from former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, who had gifted Holland a pair of red B次元官网网址淐hucksB次元官网网址� (Chuck Taylor Converse) during the 2011 campaign, to represent a race to the finish line.

Red sneakers were a common prop at Liberal events in the final days of that election, which ended with the Harper Conservatives securing a majority, the NDP forming the official Opposition and Ignatieff stepping down as leader.

Holland also lost his seat that year.

B次元官网网址淵ou would think that it was bad luck because I lost that election, but it then became a thing to wear red Chucks in election campaigns,B次元官网网址� said Holland, who returned to the House of Commons in 2015.

B次元官网网址淥mar (Alghabra) and I actually had a thing: 100 days out before a campaign, we go and get a new pair of red shoes.B次元官网网址�

Holland now has about 10 pairs of Chucks in different colours. And theyB次元官网网址檙e all low-tops, which he has strong feelings about.

While the MPs agree sneakers are a respectable form of fashion, most donB次元官网网址檛 see it leading to where things are in the United States, where a Congressional Sneaker Caucus exists to foster bipartisan relationships.

Holland, however, suggested he could be swayed.

B次元官网网址淚 like the idea of making connections that arenB次元官网网址檛 political and seeing each other as human beings,B次元官网网址� Holland said.

B次元官网网址淲e live in a time thatB次元官网网址檚 very divided and pointy and partisan,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪o itB次元官网网址檚 a way of maybe not taking ourselves so seriously and reminding ourselves that despite our differences, we have a lot more in common than not and to kind of reduce rancour. So on that basis, sure.B次元官网网址�

Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press

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