Former cabinet minister Peter MacKay has announced that he will not be running to become the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC).
“I believe very strongly in our party, in the democratic process as well as being true to your word and being a fiscal conservative,” said MacKay in a video posted to Facebook on Saturday. “I continue to pay my campaign debt from the 2020 leadership campaign, which resulted from unforeseen circumstances.”
MacKay thanked his employers and his family, whom he consulted in his decision.
MacKay said it takes “an enormous commitment” to be Conservative leader and that he admires the candidates vying for the position. He vowed to continue to support Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen and the eventual winner.
“I look forward to staying active in the life of my community, my country and my party and wish you the very best,” he said.
MacKay came in second place in the 2020 Conservative leadership race, losing to former veterans affairs minister Erin O’Toole.
The former minister – who held the justice, defence and foreign affairs portfolios under former prime minister Stephen Harper – was believed to be entering the race after penning an op-ed in February in the Toronto Sun about how the Conservatives can win.
“We need to rebuild our party into the grand coalition it has always been, where all can hold divergent views and where members are prepared to be both flexible and constructive in pursuit of the best outcomes for Canadians,” he said. “Constructive Conservatism is the path for our return to government.”
MacKay added Conservatives have “found strength, purpose and the will to succeed when our country has needed it most” and that this moment is now.
MacKay also co-wrote an op-ed in the National Post on Feb. 14 supporting Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s invocation of Emergencies Act, condemning the Ottawa convoy protests as “anarchy on display.”
So far, the candidates for the Conservative leadership race are CPC MPs Pierre Poilievere and Leslyn Lewis, Independent Ontario MPP Roman Baber and former Liberal Quebec premier Jean Charest. Brampton mayor Patrick Brown also officially entered the race on Sunday.
CPC MP Scott Aitchison and former Conservative deputy leader Leona Alleslev are also said to be considering running.
The next Conservative leader will be elected on Sept. 10.
