Headline Politics
Peter MacKay Launches Conservative Leadership Bid
Former Conservative cabinet minister Peter MacKay officially kicks off his campaign to replace Andrew Scheer as leader of the federal Conservative party, at an event in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Scheer announced on December 12, 2019, that he was stepping down, but would remain as leader until his successor was selected. The party will chose its next leader at a convention on June 27 in Toronto. MacKay was first elected to the House of Commons in 1997 as a member of the Progressive Conservative party. In 2003, shortly after winning the Progressive Conservative leadership, he successfully negotiated the party’s merger with Stephen Harper’s Canadian Alliance, thereby forming the Conservative Party of Canada. MacKay went on to serve as minister in a variety of portfolios in Harper’s Conservative government before quitting politics in 2015. MacKay's campaign launch is being held at the Museum of Industry, the same location where he announced five years ago that he was leaving politics. (January 25, 2020)
