Museum piece suits Epp fine

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This article was published 24/09/2017 (2831 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As Jake Epp stood next to his old tuxedo, the newest addition to a Mennonite Heritage Village display on Mennonites in Canadian politics, it was apparent he still maintains a fondness for red pocket squares.

The colourful cloth in the chest pocket of his dark blazer matched the one accenting the tuxedo, which was discovered last month by volunteers sorting through donations at the Steinbach MCC Thrift Shop.

Epp, a former federal cabinet minister and MP for Provencher from 1972-1993, returned to Steinbach last Friday to attend a high school reunion with his fellow graduates from Steinbach Collegiate Institute’s class of 1957. According to reunion organizers Hildi Braun and Ernie Peters, 30 students graduated from SCI in 1957. Five have since passed away, but 15 attended the reunion.

After reminiscing with his classmates, Epp located his old tuxedo and reflected on the memorable moments he had while wearing it—like the time he and his wife, Lydia, spent a day touring Manitoba with Queen Elizabeth.

“We were with them the entire day, and at the end of the day, she invited us to her suite,” he recalled. “She and Philip were very informal and she gave us an autographed framed picture of both the prince and the queen. That’s a happy memory.”

The black suit is now displayed beside Epp’s upholstered green chair from the House of Commons, which he donated it to the museum following his retirement from politics in 1993.

How the suit wound up in a donations pile, however, remains somewhat of a mystery.

“Obviously, some clothes that you used as a parliamentarian might not be used quite as much in another life,” he said. “Lydia typically packed it all up, made sure it was clean…and donated it to a thrift store.”

The Epps reside in Calgary, but are unsure how the clothing made the journey across two provinces.

“It was totally a surprise to us,” he said.

A note in one of the garment bags helped thrift shop volunteers identify the original owner of the two suits that were donated. MHV’s curators later confirmed the suits belonged to Epp.

While Epp said he did not write the note, he explained it was common for an MP’s staff to label garment bags and clothing for travel.

The arrival of television cameras in the House of Commons during Epp’s tenure as an MP meant clothing played an increasingly important role in politics.

“There was a great debate and controversy whether or not televisions should be allowed in the House, and those of us who were young at the time thought that…people had the right to see and to know,” he said.

As part of their television training, MPs were instructed to wear longer socks and avoid dark glasses, he recalled.

“You got a bit of a seminar on what was expected and what wasn’t,” he said. “Dark suits were the order of the day.”

For Epp, the tuxedo’s curatorial value today lies not in who it belonged to, but in what it points toward.

“If people can learn…how people lived and the contribution they made, they have the same opportunity to make their contribution,” he said.

It also holds personal value, he said, as clothing belonging to his grandmother was once donated to MHV.

Alexandra Kroeger, MHV’s assistant curator, said Epp’s grandmother, Sarah Klassen (1863-1947), married Peter J. Epp and arrived in Canada in 1930.

“She was a refugee from Russia. They made a contribution in another way,” Epp noted.