Peter MacKay

Peter Gordon MacKay MP, LL.B., BA, (born September 27, 1965) is the current deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. He was the final leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC Party). In December 2003, he agreed to merge the party with the Canadian Alliance, forming the Conservative Party of Canada.

Member of Parliament

MacKay was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the June 2, 1997 federal election for Pictou-Antigonish-Guysborough, a riding in northeastern Nova Scotia. He was one of a handful of newly elected "Young Turk" PC MPs (including John Herron, André Bachand and Scott Brison), who were under 35 years old when elected and were considered the future leadership material that might restore the ailing Tories to their glory days. In his first term of office, MacKay served as Justice Critic and House Leader for the Progressive Conservative parliamentary caucus.

Related Topics:
Canadian House of Commons - June 2, 1997 federal election - Riding - John Herron - André Bachand - Scott Brison

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MacKay was re-elected in the 2000 federal election and was frequently touted by the media as a possible successor to PC Party leader Joe Clark. Many of his initial supporters referred to his strong performances in the House of Commons and magnetism as key attributes that would make him a popular leader. MacKay was voted the "sexiest male MP in the House of Commons" by the Hill Times (a Parliament Hill newspaper) for four years in a row. When asked in a 2001 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation documentary on the resurgence of the PC Party if he would ever consider running for the PC leadership, MacKay quipped, "If there's one thing I've learned in politics it's 'never say never.' Jean Charest taught me that."

Related Topics:
2000 federal election - Joe Clark - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation - Jean Charest

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In August 2001, he was one of several PC MPs to engage in open cooperation talks with disaffected Canadian Alliance MPs in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. Eventually a union of sorts was created between the PCs and the newly formed Democratic Representative Caucus (DRC). MacKay was appointed House Leader of the new PC-DR Parliamentary Coalition Caucus when it was formally recognized as a political body on September 10, 2001. The PC-DR initiative collapsed in April 2002, raising questions about Clark's leadership. Clark announced his impending resignation as party leader at the PC Party's bi-annual convention held in Edmonton, Alberta in August 2002. MacKay's name was one of the first to be raised as a possible leadership contender.

Related Topics:
Mont-Tremblant - Quebec - Democratic Representative Caucus - September 10 - 2001 - Edmonton, Alberta

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