Catherine McKenna, environment minister, turns off her phone for family

As Canada's minister of environment and climate changeand MP for Ottawa Centre, Catherine McKenna has a lot of demands onher time.

But for two and a half hours a day, six days a week, her family comes first.

"I just decided that it was really important that I figure out a way that I could be effective at work but also be happy," McKenna said Thursday on CBC Radio'sAll In A Day.

Sometimeswe just work harder, and we don't work better.- Catherine McKenna

"I had to figure out how I could carve out the time that was important to me."

Every day except Thursday which explains the timing of her All In A Dayinterview McKenna leavesthe office at 5:30 p.m., turnsoff her phoneand spendstime with her family.

The phone remains off until 8 p.m., McKenna told radio host Alan Neal. The exceptions are when she's travelling or when the House of Commons sits late, she said.

'I think she's right'

"Catherine and a lot of the new ministers have new families. This is a tough thing, and I think she's right," said long-time Vancouver MPHedy Fry, who was first elected to the House of Commons in 1993 and knows a few things about striking a work-life balance while serving in Parliament.

The travel-heavyministerial life "puts a real strain on families," said Fry, Canada's former secretary of state for multiculturalism and status of women.

"This is not a women's issue. This is a family issue,"Fry said. "I've watched marriages go belly up, I've watched people go home only to find that their spouses have picked up and left, and said, 'I can't deal with this anymore.'"

McKenna said she's particularly interested in finding better ways to incorporate technology into the"old-school" work regime on Parliament Hill.

On Thursdayshe visited Ottawa-based tech darlings Shopify well-knownfor their innovative approach to office life and said some of their approaches, like regularmeditation sessions, could benefit over-worked, over-stressed MPs.

"They have hard metrics looking at performance, and they're seeing better performance. People are happier. People arehealthier," McKenna said.

"I want good people to go into politics. I want good people to be staff. I want a happy public service. This is all part of it rethinking how we do things," she added.

"Because sometimeswe just work harder, and we don't work better."