Minister Rick Thorpe, who previously worked for John Labatt Ltd., has a reputation for being a hard-nosed businessman. But he has a softer side too. Back when he was at competition, science and enterprise, Minister Thorpe would give employees a birthday phone call - a nice personal touch. The practice seems to have been discontinued since he moved to revenue (although we could stand to be corrected). But we're hoping former employees still get a birthday call. After all, Public Eye previously worked as a communications advisor for competition, science and enterprise. And, if we're lucky, the minister will pick up the phone on February 26 and dial our number - giving us an opportunity to chat about Pat Kinsella (a topic he really doesn't seem to want to talk about).