MPP Lisa MacLeod says she won't run for John Baird's federal seat

13 posts / 0 new

Tue, 2015-02-17 16:04

Debater

February 17, 2015

Lisa MacLeod sticking with provincial politics, won't seek Baird's federal seat

Nepean-Carleton MPP Lisa MacLeod won’t run for a seat in federal Parliament, she said Tuesday morning.

The Progressive Conservative legislator abandoned her campaign to lead her provincial party after federal MP John Baird, who also represents part of Nepean, quit cabinet and said he wouldn’t run again.

Many thought MacLeod was his natural successor and she did nothing to discourage them: after she met with local conservative city councillors, for instance, they started agitating publicly for her to “come home” by leaving Queen’s Park and seeking office in Ottawa.

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http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/lisa-macleod-sticking-with-provin...

Tue, 2015-02-17 17:53

sherpa-finn

Oh. I would have lost money on that one, if I was a betting man.

Yikes - does that imply she thinks the Ontario PCs have a better chance of forming a gov't (whenever) than Harper will in October? I would like to think that that must have the boys in shorts in the PMO very worried!

Tue, 2015-02-17 18:12

Debater

Perhaps, but it's hard to know. Could be more than one reason. It doesn't necessarily mean she thinks Harper will lose support or that the Liberals will win that seat, etc.

It could just be that since she is one of the better-known MPP's in the PC caucus, she prefers to be a big fish in a small pond and have an influential voice under Christine Elliot (whom she has now endorsed) rather than being a minor voice in the Harper caucus and being told what to say every day.

Tue, 2015-02-17 18:39

montrealer58 montrealer58's picture

If I were in Lisa's position, I would wonder about my own interest as an outspoken woman in politics. Federally, Harper is at the top, and all of his cabal (the second tier) are white men. In the federal Tory Party, Lisa would only get up to third tier. Women in Harper's cabinet are very tightly scripted.

Provincially, Lisa is backing Christine Elliot, who is another woman in politics. If she stays close to Christine, and Christine wins, she can enjoy a high rank in the PC caucus, even if the job is in opposition.

Lisa also is a pain in the neck to Premier Wynne, and she may have figured that pony still has a few laps to run. Running for a federal seat would mean giving up a good position, and running in a riding which would not be contiguous to the provincial seat. Looking at it from a wider persepective, Lisa's departure would hurt the PCPO more than it would gain the CPC.

Wed, 2015-02-18 00:53

Debater

I agree with you. That's what I was getting at above.

Right now the PC's are only about 25 MPP's. MacLeod is probably the most prominent woman in the PC caucus after Christine Elliot. She has the ability to be an important part of the post-Hudak re-building era in the party.

You are correct that women have very little power in Harper's caucus. All the prominent cabinet ministers are men, and women only get the minor cabinet positions. And meanwhile, only 18% of CPC candidates for 2015 are women, according to Pundit's Guide. How can that be considered acceptable for a supposedly mainstream party in 2015?

That's in contrast to the NDP, Liberals & Greens who have between 33%-40% women candidates for 2015.

http://www.punditsguide.ca/

Sun, 2015-02-22 15:24

tducey1

Think Raitt made the right decision, she could be a high level minister if the Ontario PC's form government next time.

Sun, 2015-02-22 15:37

Unionist

tducey1 wrote:

Think [size=15]Raitt[/size] made the right decision, she could be a high level minister if the Ontario PC's form government next time.

That's what happens when we keep calling politicians by their first names. Confusion inevitably ensues.

Sun, 2015-02-22 17:55

sherpa-finn

BTW, after all the high principled political discussion and strategizing about Lisa MACLEOD's decision not to run for John Baird's seat, teh determining factor turne dout to be much more mundane.

She had let her membership in the Federal Conservatives lapse, - and would not have qualified as a candidate without asking for a special exemption. And figured the political cost of going the 'back-door route' to a contested nomination was probably just not worth it.

*Snorts with derision and moves on*

(BTW, Unionist - while I've never liked Lisa RAITT's politics, I do think she's a great blues singer.)

Sun, 2015-02-22 19:45

terrytowel

It would have been much easier for her family if she ran and won the seat. Then she would be 20 minutes away from Parliment Hill.

But if she is staying in Provincial politics, that means commuting back and forth between Toronto and Ottawa.

She could have put her name on the ballot, done little campaigning and win the seat. That's how popular she is.

Her husband works as a Conservative party staffer, so maybe he knows something, we all don't know.

Or maybe they thought a conflict would arise.

Tue, 2015-02-24 08:42

#10

terrytowel

Looks like it wasn't Lisa idea NOT to run fderally. Reports are sufacing that Pierre Pollivre has his own candidate in mind, and is strong arming people NOT to enter the race. So his candidate can have an easy ride to the nomination,

Tue, 2015-02-24 18:22

#11

Debater

True. I posted this in the Federal Election forum, but I'll post the article here, too:

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High-profile Conservatives consider run in Nepean, but Harder accuses Poilievre of meddling

02/23/2015

With John Baird’s stunning exit from politics earlier this month, a number of high-profile Conservatives are considering running for the party’s nomination, but some are complaining publicly that the new federal regional minister responsible for Ottawa, Pierre Poilievre, is discouraging them because he has a preferred candidate.

. . .

A Conservative source told The Hill Times that Adam Taylor, a former federal ministerial staffer who now works at Ensight Canada, is also testing the waters. Mr. Taylor, who has worked as a political aide for International Trade Minister Ed Fast (Abbotsford, B.C.) and for Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.), did not respond to interview requests last week.

But Ms. Harder blasted Mr. Poilievre (Nepean-Carleton, Ont.) and blamed him last week for discouraging some potential candidates, including herself, Ms. MacLeod and Mr. Desroches from entering the nomination contest.

“Pierre won’t allow Lisa, Steve, or I to run for Nepean. We are too intimidating and he is disrespectful. It should be up to Nepean NOT Pierre P.,” Ms. Harder told Sun Media columnist Susan Sherring.

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http://www.hilltimes.com/news/news/2015/02/23/high-profile-conservatives...

Tue, 2015-02-24 20:52

#12

welder

Gotta love Skippy "The root cause of terrorism is terrorists!" Poilievre and his "Calgary school/never worked a real job a day in his life" thought processes....

Tue, 2015-02-24 22:58

#13

onlinediscountanvils

terrytowel wrote:

It would have been much easier for her family if she ran and won the seat. Then she would be 20 minutes away from Parliment Hill.

But if she is staying in Provincial politics, that means commuting back and forth between Toronto and Ottawa.

Who says her family even wants her around all the time?