McKenna mum on political future
Published Thursday October 23rd, 2008
Former N.B. premier refuses to comment on speculation that he would make strong Grit leader
Former New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna isn't commenting on speculation that he will step forward and take the helm of the federal Liberal party after current party leader Stéphane Dion steps down.
A spokeswoman for McKenna said yesterday he would not comment on the current speculation. McKenna has said many times he has no desire to re-enter the political arena, especially at the federal level.
But that hasn't stopped the media, political organizers, pundits and big business from bringing up his name as a possible contender for the leadership of the federal Liberal party.
The Liberals under Dion had a lacklustre showing in last week's federal election and Dion has announced he will step down after the party selects a new leader next May.
The list of McKenna supporters ranges from current New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham to Université de Moncton political scientist Donald Savoie and beyond.
McKenna, a native of Apohaqui, swept to power in the New Brunswick election of 1987 by winning all 58 seats in the legislature.
He served as premier for 10 years before stepping down. He has served on the boards of many national companies and also as Canada's ambassador to the U.S.
He resigned as ambassador after Stephen Harper's Conservatives took power in 2006. He was appointed deputy chairman of TD Bank Financial Group in May of 2006 and, as a columnist for the Winnipeg Sun put it, "lives in the world of executive limos and Lear jets."
McKenna will be back in Moncton on Nov. 25, playing host to former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who will speak on world economic conditions during an appearance at the Moncton Coliseum.
Disabled
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
Comments (2)
All comments are subject to the site Terms of Use. For a full commenting tutorial click here.
Our editorial team relies on filtering technology and our visitor community to identify inappropriate comments. In the event that a site user has submitted offensive content that has evaded our filter, please select the option to Flag As Inappropriate presented within the comment. Thank you for helping to keep this site clean.