By Pepper Parr
September 14, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Far too early to pay this much attention – but for those that think about federal politics – get ready for a new Member of Parliament in Milton next time around
Lisa Raitt, who is the MP for north Burlington once said she thinks the air park is “not a bad piece of infrastructure”. Area residents didn’t see it that way.
Lisa Raitt, the current MP for Milton and the Conservative party finance critic, learned yesterday that Peter McKay, a politician who has served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General; Minister of National Defence and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet of Canada under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, will not run in the next federal election expected in 2019 and not seek the leadership of the Conservative party. His reading of the political winds tells him that any party he led would probably not succeed in forming a government.
He was in the thick of the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party and Canadian Alliance in 2003, that resulted in the Conservative Party of Canada.
His decision not to seek the leadership of the Conservative party created the opening that Lisa Raitt needed.
McKay represented two different ridings in Nova Scotia. He decided not to run in 2015. He was and will be a force in Nova Scotia politics for some time but from the side lines.
Lisa Raitt, second from the right, Tim Crawford centre behind the flowers and Vince Rossi in the red sweater at a social event. North Burlington residents didn’t feel their MP really represented them. Chances are Raitt will be representing people from Nova Scotia next time round.
Milton’s Lisa Raitt will seek a seat in Nova Scotia leaving the good people of Milton to find another Conservative candidate. Raitt, who hungers for the leadership of the party, probably doesn’t have all that much of a hope winning in Milton again.
The diverse makeup of that community is such that someone as white as Raitt has the potential to get clobbered – better to find a safe seat in Atlantic Canada.
The Milton riding includes part of north Burlington where Raitt has not been as vocal against Vince Rossi’s Air Park as many would have liked.
Raitt has solid roots in Nova Scotia where was raised and completed her university education.
The political winds in Milton, and thus the federal representation that north Burlington will have, are shifting.
When Lisa ran – she promised to represent the riding – that was promise she made to me at the Appleby GO Station on her 1st election.
I guess here word does not stand for much as she head to Nova Scotia – what become of her until the next election
If she doe not want the job she should resign and a by-election should be called.