OTTAWA — Former Conservative cabinet minister Peter MacKay says he’s in the running for leadership of the federal Conservatives.
He posted the message to his social media accounts today, his first on-the-record acknowledgment of his leadership aspirations.
He’s been pegged as a contender to take over the party for years — not just since Andrew Scheer stepped down last month.
MacKay was instrumental in creating the modern incarnation of the Conservatives, having helmed half of its predecessor, the Progressive Conservatives.
That party merged with the Canadian Alliance in 2003, and MacKay went to work under the new boss: Stephen Harper.
MacKay, who is from a longtime conservative family in Nova Scotia, would go on to serve in multiple cabinet posts in Harper’s three Conservative governments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2020.
The Canadian Press
