Jay Hill may not have been the MP for Prince George-Peace River for nearly a year now, but he was not forgotten as such luminaries as Prime Minister Stephen Harper were among those who gathered in a Fort St. John hotel room on Saturday night for a roast in his honour.
If that wasn't enough, B.C. Premier Christy Clark and long-time Reformer Preston Manning were also there to share their memories of Hill and give him a bit of a ribbing at the same time.
The highlights included Harper's retelling of a story about how Hill, as the house leader, was "whining" about the procedural wrangling he had to deal with at a particularly tense time in the House of Commons.
"He was asking me 'how's things going, how are you doing,' and I unloaded," Hill recounted Monday. "And with all the sympathy he could muster he replied 'well, Jay, that's why you get the medium bucks.'"
"I've never forgot that line, I've told the story a number of times myself, but I didn't know he remembered it."
The "evolution" of Hill's wardrobe over his 22-year career in federal politics was a topic when Clark, a "surprise guest," took to the microphone.
In his early days, Hill was noted for "chewing on a toothpick" and showing up in the House wearing jeans. At one point, the Bloc Quebecois tried to pass a motion that Hill's attired was disrespectful to the chamber.
"The Premier remarked that she too was well aware of being criticized for apparel in the chamber," Hill said in reference to Clark's cleavage controversy. "Enough said."
Hill said his poor French, after 17 years in the House, " and how badly I butchered the other official language from time to time," was also the subject of some laughs.
Several supporters from Prince George, including long-time "lieutenant" Brian Pearson, made the trip over the Pine Pass for the event, Hill noted.
Now 58, Hill and his wife now live in Calgary where he works as a consultant helping clients put their best cases forward when making presentations to the government. As a former elected official, he cannot lobby on behalf of anyone for five years.
"It can only be an advisory role and I respect that," Hill said. "We put the law in and now I adhere to it."
