Liberal staffers say ‘hard pass’ to yoga class led by Sophie Grégoire Trudeau

"We’ve all heard this before, but this last year has been an intense one! One thing that has helped many of us cope with the stress of the pandemic is getting some fresh air and doing some YOGA! So, in this spirit, Madame Sophie Grégoire Trudeau (a.k.a. Sophie) would like to invite you to participate in a virtual yoga class," said the email invitation.

The invitation noted that "all levels of experience are welcome and there is no judgement!," and that the yoga class would be led exclusively by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife.

Many of the staffers contacted by the National Post rolled their eyes at the yoga class invitation.

"This is so silly," wrote one staffer. All were granted anonymity to speak freely.

"Yeah, thats going to be a hard pass for me," wrote another

"I saw the email subject and deleted it immediately,” said another staffer.

The email sent out stressed how "very long and intense" the last year has been for everyone.

Allie Lee, LRB director of communications, said that this is the third class being offered by Trudeau "as her way of thanking them."

While a yoga session can be a great moment of levity when shared virtually with friends and a good reason to move our bodies during a work day, it is not meant to replace other mental health practices and tools that we will always encourage all staff to make use of,” Lee said.

Lee stressed the importance of maintaining a dialogue about mental health through these "difficult and unusual times," and that staff would have access to "mindfulness sessions" starting next week.

The stress associated with the past year was documented by Carleton University associate professor Paul Wilson in a survey of 175 staffers from all political parties. They reported that they were working longer hours, had an increased fear for their health and safety, and struggles with their work-life balance.

"However, staffers also bore significant pressure in helping to respond to their constituents’ urgent needs, and were on the receiving end of a great deal of frustration and anger. Even in normal times, parliamentary staff culture can be toxic for staffers’ mental health,” wrote Wilson in his November paper.