A holiday office tradition has become an unexpected footnote in the political fallout surrounding Markham Unionville MP Michael Ma’s decision to cross the floor from the Conservatives to the Liberals.During a recent exchange on Parliament Hill, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani revealed that Ma was his assigned Secret Santa and never delivered a gift.“Like most workplaces, we had a Secret Santa,” Jivani said when asked to explain the situation. “Everyone got assigned a name. I purchased my gift for my dear friend Mel Arnold, and when we were all giving out gifts, I didn’t have one given to me.”At the time, Jivani said he assumed the omission was accidental. That changed after Ma announced he was leaving the Conservative caucus.“When Michael Ma crossed the floor, I wondered maybe I didn’t get a gift because he decided not to give one,” Jivani said. “Maybe he decided to give it to a Liberal instead.”Jivani said he later confirmed Ma had been assigned as his Secret Santa and that no gift was forthcoming.“So just noted for the record,” he added. When asked whether he would request the missing present, Jivani joked that he was unsure he would trust anything sent now..Ma's floor crossing prompted a tongue-in-cheek response on social media from London Fanshawe MP Kurt Holman, who suggested the Secret Santa controversy may extend beyond Jivani.“So this happened,” Holman wrote on X. “I was Michael Ma’s Secret Santa. I gave him an Amazon Fire Stick just hours before he crossed the floor. Now I want my gift back, just like the people of Markham Unionville want their votes back.”Ma has not publicly commented on the Secret Santa episode..While largely lighthearted, the incident adds to ongoing criticism from Conservative MPs and some constituents who argue Ma’s defection violated voter expectations in the riding. Since announcing his move, Ma has faced calls for a byelection and the resignation of staff members who say they cannot support the decision.As Parliament winds down for the holidays, the Secret Santa mix-up has become an unusual but memorable symbol of how strained relations have become in the wake of Ma’s floor crossing.
