Schema Magazine

Newsflash. Canada's Iranian-born former beauty queen, Nazanin Afshin-Jam, has been asked for her hand in marriage by our very own Defence Minister, Peter MacKay. And who said politicians are boring? Perhaps there hasn't been this much excitement in Canadian news since the time the RCMP was paranoid over soaring theft rates of sex toys and women's panty hose in New Brunswick!

Not to be overly analytical or opportunistic, but could this new found affection between these two love birds usher in a wave of favourable Canadian policy changes towards Iran? Or maybe relax immigration laws for Iranian refugees or immigrants, or perhaps even initiate dialogue with the Iranian government? Or is this just going to be another fling for Canada's sexiest politician? "Astaghforallah! (Meaning 'God forbid' in Persian) Bite your tongue Mehran!" would be my mom's answer to that. Well, if we aren't going to speculate over this whole issue, then what are we to do?

It seems like Peter MacKay's personal life has been making more headlines than his political life. Being named "Canada's Sexiest Male MP" by The Hill Times and "the closest thing to eye candy on the diplomatic circuit" by The New York Times, Peter MacKay is hot stuff, to say the least. His first relationship with then Conservative MP Belinda Stronach ended sourly when she dramatically crossed over the floor from the Conservatives to the Liberals in 2005. Then, in 2006, Peter suspiciously started spending a lot of time with the one and only former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, though either side never officially confirmed it.

In 2009, Peter announced his engagement with CTV executive, Jana Juginovic. Really exciting but that didn't work out either so, next batter up is former Miss World Canada/pilot/singer/model/activist/executive director/educator and pretty much any other title you can think of, Nazanin Afshin-Jam.

As a fellow graduate of UBC with International Relations and political science degrees under her belt, Nazanin went on to be crowned Miss World Canada and thereafter became a runner-up to Miss World in 2003. Nazanin, alongside her dangerously seductive 'ethnic' look, has also made a big name for herself in the humanitarian world. She is the co-founder of Stop Child Executions, which is a group dedicated to ending capital punishment of children in Iran, and also serves on the board of directors of Canadian Race Relations Foundation.

I can only imagine what their 'pillow-talks' are going to be about: strained Iranian-Canadian relations over the past 30 years? Canada's stance on the potential US proposal calling for an all out war against Iran? The future of Peter's Conservative party in a gloomy Canadian political climate? Or maybe just mere speculations over the potential arrival of a new MacKay?

And I wonder.