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 OTTAWA
(PoliticsWatch posted January 13, 2003 @ 5 p.m.) Following
an impassioned speech at an Ontario riding association, Tory MP
Peter MacKay is now set to announce whether he will run for his
party's top job.
The Nova Scotia MP is expected to make the announcement in his
riding
on Thursday. Last
Friday, however, it sounded like he had already made up his
mind.
In what resembled the outlining of a leadership platform, the
37-year-old addressed the York North Federal PC Association in Newmarket, Ont. to
honour Canada’s first prime minister and former PC leader Sir John
A. MacDonald.
In his speech, MacKay said that if he does run he “will be
reaching out to all of those who share our conservative values
and principles.”
Those who may share such small-c conservative ideals include the
Canadian Alliance. And MacKay has suggested that his party
“must cooperate" with those who share the same ideals and
"want to achieve the same goals.”
“We
have always recognized that the enemy is the Liberal Party …
Remember, the enemy of our enemy can be our friend. We must
reach out if we are going to be successful, we must
cooperate.”
If MacKay’s words hold true — and the favoured MP
successfully runs for the leadership — then a Tory-Alliance
merger may not be a complete impossibility. Last April, talk of
uniting the right in an effort to prevent vote-splitting failed
miserably. That’s when Progressive Conservative Leader Joe
Clark and Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper held separate
news conferences to say the two parties could not reach an
agreement.
 Harper
suggested that both parties immediately form a full coalition in
the House of Commons along the now-defunct Progressive
Conservative-Democratic Reform Caucus model, and that both
parties work to provide a full slate of single-options
candidates in the next federal election.
 Clark
said he could not agree to what was essentially the junior
partner's role in the House of Commons. And Harper accused Clark
of tabling proposals that failed to move forward quickly.
Under a different leader, however, it’s possible that the PCs
may return to negotiating some kind of merger with their
right-wing counterparts.
MacKay first appeared to be serious about a leadership bid after
he resigned as the party’s caucus leader. At the time, he
acknowledged that "number of people in and outside the party
have encouraged me to run for the leadership of our party” and he said that
he would give it “serious consideration.”
Others who are expected to run for the PC party’s top job include
Calgary lawyer Jim Prentice, MP Scott Brison, and Saskatchewan
farmer David Orchard. The leadership convention — called after
Clark announced that he would retire by 2004 — is set for June
1 in Toronto.
Read
these related PoliticsWatch stories:
Tory
will not run for Conservative leadership (
November 1)
MacKay
serious about Tory leadership
( October 31)
Lord
won't seek Tory leadership (
October 23)
Clark
wants to remain at the helm of the PC Party
( April 15)
Harper
& Clark fail to reach deal( April 10)
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