Halifax — One reason why Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil may have been particularly tense recently is the revelation of his estranged relationship to his father, Sam Eagle.
According to a TMZ investigation, McNeil’s egg was discovered in a fallen eagle’s nest in the backyard of the couple who hatched and eventually raised him. DNA confirms that Mr. Eagle, conservative pundit and part-time performer on the various iterations of Jim Henson’s The Muppets, is McNeil’s biological father.
McNeil refused to respond to questions from The Manatee via email, but told one reporter that he is “aware of” his father, and has “made contact with him in the past.”
NDP Leader Gary Burrill has taken advantage of the controversy. After question period on Oct. 25, Burrill remarked: “This explains a lot about Stephen — his temper, pomposity, the fact that he only ever eats fish, worms or grubs…”
PC Leader Jamie Baillie, on the other hand, called for the media to respect McNeil’s privacy, saying, “This is a family matter.”
Some NDP members have distanced themselves from Burrill’s comments that suggest McNeil’s genetic make-up disqualifies him from serving as premier.
“So his father, a humanoid-eagle, is 50 percent eagle, right? His mother is an eagle, right? Obviously this proves human DNA is dominant, but it also means the premier is only one-quarter human. Just sayin’.”
Sam Eagle refused to respond to all of The Manatee’s questions, but did release the following brief statement: “The ’60s were a crazy time.”