"I had a very strong sense that we would get the majority," says Stockwell Day, the former head of the Treasury Board who announced before the May 2 election was called that he was leaving federal politics.
Kathryn Blaze Carlson, National Post, Last Updated: May 10, 2011 3:12 AM ET
Just as the Conservative party settles into majority government, Treasury Board President Stockwell Day is retiring from federal politics. The National Post's Kathryn Blaze Carlson spoke with the outgoing B.C. MP for an exit interview on Monday:
Q: You're leaving federal government as a well-respected Cabinet minister. Would you have imagined such a scenario at the time of your tumultuous Canadian Alliance leadership and the near-implosion of the party in 2000?
A: I believed at the time that persistence was going to be necessary. I knew what I was capable of. The Canadian Alliance was a brand new party, so winning the leadership was clearly a high point for me. But historically, with any new party – with a new leader and the new people that come in and shake up the established order – it creates a lot of waves and it creates hard feelings, whether you try to avoid them or not. There were some difficult years there, and there was a temptation to walk away from it all. But I knew my constituents were supporting me, and I knew there were still things to be done.
Q: Among the MPs who left the Alliance in 2000 to form the Democratic Representative Caucus was Chuck Strahl, the most recent Minister of Transport who has also announced his retirement. How did his move affect your relationship in Tory caucus?
A: All that is history. The aim to improve your country has to be bigger than your ego. If you can see that the goal of a better country is bigger than vindication, or revenge, or personal satisfaction, then you're going to be part of the group that will achieve it.
Q: During a speech in the 2000 campaign, an activist splashed you with chocolate milk to protest your "homophobic, anti-immigrant and anti-poor agenda." Was that hurtful to you? And how have you shed the label?
A: Those false accusations were thrown at anyone who called themselves part of the Reform or the Alliance. Time has proven those things to be utterly untrue. At the time, I felt very saddened because some senior individuals on my own team, who also happened to be gay, were hit in that crossfire. People from their own community would say, 'Why are you advancing their agenda?' And they would respond with conviction that the party has a great agenda for Canada. When you see close friends and loved ones taking the hits, that hurts internally, but you can't let it show.
Q: What was the high point of your career? The low point?
A: A high in my career was the first time I was elected [to provincial government in Alberta]. I wasn't that well-known on the political scene, so it was a hard-fought campaign. I remember very clearly my wife, and myself, and our sons -as candidates often do -waiting for the final count to come in. It was nail-biting, and then all of sudden we get the call from my campaign office and get the 'Come on down, it's official.' As for a low, any time an elected person reads something about themselves that is factually untrue, it's a low point. You realize that you're very limited in what you can do to correct the record. Jean Chrétien said it best: 'It's a tough job.' That said, there were times where I could've done or said something better, and where criticism was due.
Q: You lost the 2000 Canadian Alliance leadership race to Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2001. How has he changed in the decade since?
A: I can say this – and I don't have to worry about a Cabinet appointment, so I don't have to run around saying nice things about the guy – he is so far from the unfortunate, stereotypical portrayal that's out there. Yes, he's a strong leader. But he's very open to other opinions. I've seen a number of times, either in Cabinet or in caucus, where he has said, 'This is the way I think we should go on this issue,' and then others step up and say, 'We disagree, and here's why.' A strong and rational argument to the contrary can – and will – change his mind. That's not to say he can't be tough, because he can be. The nature of the job requires a considerable increase in the reserves of human patience, both with your own frailties and with what you face. He wouldn't complain about that though, because he knows that's just the way it is in this business.
Q: Mr. Harper's first order of business will be forming a new Cabinet. Any predictions?
A: All partisanship aside, there is a very significant talent pool from which he can draw, and there will always be people you wish you had the space for. I've been in other caucuses where people have been devastated either that they weren't invited into Cabinet or that they weren't asked back in. But this caucus – realizing the task ahead, which was to form a majority government – has given him a lot of leeway in making those choices. It's very difficult for some if they're not included, but overall, the announcement gets made and people move on.
Q: Is it hard to leave federal government now, given that the party has finally earned its long-coveted majority?
A: Not really. When I talked with the Prime Minister to let him know I'd be leaving, I had a very strong sense that we would get the majority. The Prime Minister takes [the majority mandate] very seriously. He gets so irate with anybody who has a sense of entitlement. If he senses entitlement in a caucus member or a Cabinet member, he hits that hard.
Q: What's next for you? There has been some speculation that you might return to provincial politics. Any chance you'll head to B.C. to help rebuild the Conservative Party there, or to take a run at leadership in Alberta?
A: I know there is various speculation. Even today, I'm here doing a presentation in Edmonton and people say, 'Oh, are you here scouting things out [to replace Premier Ed Stelmach]?' In terms of running for office, that is not on my radar, but in terms of helping those who are in office or those who are running for office, I will always be available to do that."
Kathryn Blaze Carlson, National Post, Last Updated: May 10, 2011 3:12 AM ET
Just as the Conservative party settles into majority government, Treasury Board President Stockwell Day is retiring from federal politics. The National Post's Kathryn Blaze Carlson spoke with the outgoing B.C. MP for an exit interview on Monday:
Q: You're leaving federal government as a well-respected Cabinet minister. Would you have imagined such a scenario at the time of your tumultuous Canadian Alliance leadership and the near-implosion of the party in 2000?
A: I believed at the time that persistence was going to be necessary. I knew what I was capable of. The Canadian Alliance was a brand new party, so winning the leadership was clearly a high point for me. But historically, with any new party – with a new leader and the new people that come in and shake up the established order – it creates a lot of waves and it creates hard feelings, whether you try to avoid them or not. There were some difficult years there, and there was a temptation to walk away from it all. But I knew my constituents were supporting me, and I knew there were still things to be done.
Q: Among the MPs who left the Alliance in 2000 to form the Democratic Representative Caucus was Chuck Strahl, the most recent Minister of Transport who has also announced his retirement. How did his move affect your relationship in Tory caucus?
A: All that is history. The aim to improve your country has to be bigger than your ego. If you can see that the goal of a better country is bigger than vindication, or revenge, or personal satisfaction, then you're going to be part of the group that will achieve it.
Q: During a speech in the 2000 campaign, an activist splashed you with chocolate milk to protest your "homophobic, anti-immigrant and anti-poor agenda." Was that hurtful to you? And how have you shed the label?
A: Those false accusations were thrown at anyone who called themselves part of the Reform or the Alliance. Time has proven those things to be utterly untrue. At the time, I felt very saddened because some senior individuals on my own team, who also happened to be gay, were hit in that crossfire. People from their own community would say, 'Why are you advancing their agenda?' And they would respond with conviction that the party has a great agenda for Canada. When you see close friends and loved ones taking the hits, that hurts internally, but you can't let it show.
Q: What was the high point of your career? The low point?
A: A high in my career was the first time I was elected [to provincial government in Alberta]. I wasn't that well-known on the political scene, so it was a hard-fought campaign. I remember very clearly my wife, and myself, and our sons -as candidates often do -waiting for the final count to come in. It was nail-biting, and then all of sudden we get the call from my campaign office and get the 'Come on down, it's official.' As for a low, any time an elected person reads something about themselves that is factually untrue, it's a low point. You realize that you're very limited in what you can do to correct the record. Jean Chrétien said it best: 'It's a tough job.' That said, there were times where I could've done or said something better, and where criticism was due.
Q: You lost the 2000 Canadian Alliance leadership race to Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2001. How has he changed in the decade since?
A: I can say this – and I don't have to worry about a Cabinet appointment, so I don't have to run around saying nice things about the guy – he is so far from the unfortunate, stereotypical portrayal that's out there. Yes, he's a strong leader. But he's very open to other opinions. I've seen a number of times, either in Cabinet or in caucus, where he has said, 'This is the way I think we should go on this issue,' and then others step up and say, 'We disagree, and here's why.' A strong and rational argument to the contrary can – and will – change his mind. That's not to say he can't be tough, because he can be. The nature of the job requires a considerable increase in the reserves of human patience, both with your own frailties and with what you face. He wouldn't complain about that though, because he knows that's just the way it is in this business.
Q: Mr. Harper's first order of business will be forming a new Cabinet. Any predictions?
A: All partisanship aside, there is a very significant talent pool from which he can draw, and there will always be people you wish you had the space for. I've been in other caucuses where people have been devastated either that they weren't invited into Cabinet or that they weren't asked back in. But this caucus – realizing the task ahead, which was to form a majority government – has given him a lot of leeway in making those choices. It's very difficult for some if they're not included, but overall, the announcement gets made and people move on.
Q: Is it hard to leave federal government now, given that the party has finally earned its long-coveted majority?
A: Not really. When I talked with the Prime Minister to let him know I'd be leaving, I had a very strong sense that we would get the majority. The Prime Minister takes [the majority mandate] very seriously. He gets so irate with anybody who has a sense of entitlement. If he senses entitlement in a caucus member or a Cabinet member, he hits that hard.
Q: What's next for you? There has been some speculation that you might return to provincial politics. Any chance you'll head to B.C. to help rebuild the Conservative Party there, or to take a run at leadership in Alberta?
A: I know there is various speculation. Even today, I'm here doing a presentation in Edmonton and people say, 'Oh, are you here scouting things out [to replace Premier Ed Stelmach]?' In terms of running for office, that is not on my radar, but in terms of helping those who are in office or those who are running for office, I will always be available to do that."
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