First female sergeant-at-arms takes up post in Ontario legislature
Former Halton police officer Jackie Gordon first woman to hold the job

thestar.com
By Kristin Rushowy
Feb. 21, 2017

Ontario’s new sergeant-at-arms spent her first day in the legislature as family and close friends looked on - as well as 100 young women visiting Queen’s Park as part of a leadership program.

It was a fitting start for the first woman to hold the position since Confederation.

“It’s a historic moment and they wanted to share that with me,” Jackie Gordon said of her daughter and husband, who sat with a group of her longtime girlfriends from Burlington Central High School, and close policing colleagues she’s known for 35 years.

“They know I’ve worked hard for a long time to get where I’ve gotten to and they wanted to be here to support that day.”

Gordon, a former Halton police inspector who was named to the post last month, takes over from Dennis Clark, who held the job for 19 years.

Tuesday was Gordon’s first day leading the procession into the house - carrying the 20-pound mace over her shoulder, long sword and gun at her side. While the ceremonial part of her job has caused her the most worry, she had no trouble finding her feet after practicing a half a dozen times beforehand, “just to time my steps and to figure out all the various aspects of the role.”

“I think I did pretty good today; I don’t think I made any mistakes,” she said in an interview after question period.

Gordon said “it’s an honour and a privilege to do the job,” and while she doesn’t mind being applauded for being the first woman, “it’s also important for people to recognize that this wasn’t a job that was given to a woman, it was given to a woman who earned it. That’s the difference, and that’s what is important to me. But I’m very happy to represent women and be the first sergeant-at-arms in this legislature, I’m very proud.”

Since being named to the position, Gordon has met with staff, familiarized herself with the legislative building, and is now working on a strategic plan.

“My next learning curve is to perform the duties of the sergeant-at-arms in the Ontario legislature, so my focus in the short-term is to learn those duties quickly and make sure I understand them,” she said. “. . . And then I’ll turn my attention to some of the security issues I’d like to look at.

“I’m just looking at the whole organization with a fresh pair of eyes.”

The job includes keeping order in the house for the Speaker, as well as overseeing security at the legislature. It also puts her in charge of properties, and Gordon is looking to “maintain that integrity and beauty of the (legislative) building, and while looking at the esthetics, also looking at the security components.”

Gordon joked after question period that she still has to match all the MPPs to their pictures - some of which are out of date “which made it a little more challenging this morning when I went in . . . but my big job is to make sure I know when somebody is speaking, and I can identify them so if the Speaker names somebody then I’ll know which person is being named and be able to remove them.”

Thankfully, MPPs were well-behaved on her first day. “I appreciate the members allowing my first day to go by without having to take on that role,” she said.

Clark, her predecessor, passed on good advice and also told her “it’s a really incredible organization to work with, that everybody is very supportive and I’ve certainly found that to be the case,” Gordon said. “It’s like a family here.”

So much so that her first day in the legislature “almost felt like a second wedding - having to get dressed and wanting everything to be just perfect,” she said, laughing.

Gordon, the province’s 10th sergeant-at-arms, also worked for two years with the Ministry of Education in building and fire codes compliance. In her 34 years in Halton, she worked in investigations, community policing and courts and spent 12 years with the rank of inspector.

Speaker Dave Levac, who introduced her at a news conference in January, called her the “cream of the crop,” saying her experience makes her “eminently qualified” for the position.