For the second consecutive year, agriculture minister Gerry Ritz has shaved off his trademark bushy moustache to raise money for prostate cancer research.
Last year, after raising more than $15,000 in donations, he had his moustache shaved off during a public spectacle at a downtown Ottawa barbershop with cameras and reporters covering every move of the blade.
He said it was the first time he’d had a naked upper lip since he was married. It grew back within weeks.
This year on Dec. 1, he had the shave done in private.
Sponsored by Canada’s poultry and egg producers, Ritz raised almost $35,000 this year, well above his goal of $25,000.
“His 2012 total ranks him seventh in Canada and 10th in the world,” said a statement from the chicken, turkey, egg and hatching egg marketing boards.
They said it showed farmer support for the annual November movember campaign to raise money for and awareness of prostrate cancer, the largest cause of cancer death among Canadian men.
They said farmer support, including contributions from the marketing boards, was key to the campaign.
On Parliament Hill, November has become a month when bald-faced male MPs try to grow mustaches and those with some facial hair promise to shave it off in early December if they raise enough money.
In some cases, mustache-challenged MPs like NDP agriculture critic Malcolm Allen have supporters offering to donate if they do not try to grow a mustache.
