Peter MacKay | |
|---|---|
.jpg) MacKay in 2014 | |
| Minister of Justice Attorney General of Canada | |
| In office July 15, 2013 – November 4, 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Stephen Harper |
| Preceded by | Rob Nicholson |
| Succeeded by | Jody Wilson-Raybould |
| Minister of National Defence | |
| In office August 14, 2007 – July 15, 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Stephen Harper |
| Preceded by | Gordon O'Connor |
| Succeeded by | Rob Nicholson |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office February 6, 2006 – August 14, 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | Stephen Harper |
| Preceded by | Pierre Pettigrew |
| Succeeded by | Maxime Bernier |
| Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency | |
| In office February 6, 2006 – January 19, 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | Stephen Harper |
| Preceded by | Joe McGuire |
| Succeeded by | Keith Ashfield |
| Deputy Leader of theConservative Party | |
| In office March 22, 2004 – November 5, 2015 | |
| Leader | Stephen Harper |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Denis Lebel |
| Leader of theProgressive Conservative Party | |
| In office May 31, 2003 – December 7, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Clark |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of Parliament forCentral Nova (Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough; 1997–2004) | |
| In office June 2, 1997 – October 19, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Roseanne Skoke |
| Succeeded by | Sean Fraser |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Peter Gordon MacKay (1965-09-27)September 27, 1965 (age 60) New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Political party | Conservative (since 2003) |
| Other political affiliations | Progressive Conservative (1997–2003) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
|
| Residence(s) | Pictou County,Nova Scotia |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation |
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Peter Gordon MacKayPC KC (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and politician, who served asMember of Parliament from 1997 to 2015 and asMinister of Justice and Attorney General (2013–2015),Minister of National Defence (2007–2013), andMinister of Foreign Affairs (2006–2007) in theCabinet of Canada underPrime MinisterStephen Harper. MacKay became the final leader of theProgressive Conservative Party of Canada — he agreed to merge the party with Stephen Harper'sCanadian Alliance in 2003, forming theConservative Party of Canada and making MacKay one of the co-founders of the current conservative wing of Canadian politics.
The son of Canadian politician and Minister of Public WorksElmer MacKay, MacKay received his undergraduate degree from Acadia University and his law degree fromDalhousie University. MacKay represented theriding ofPictou—Antigonish—Guysborough from 1997 to 2004, and the riding ofCentral Nova from 2004 until 2015, when he decided not to run inthat year's federal election. With the defeat of the Conservatives in the2015 federal election, he was considered a potential candidate to succeedStephen Harper as permanent leader of the party. Between 2015 and 2020, he was a partner withBaker McKenzie at their Toronto office.
On January 15, 2020, MacKay announced his candidacy for the2020 Conservative leadership race.[3] He was defeated by formerveterans-affairs ministerErin O’Toole on the third ballot of the election.[4] Following the race, he moved back toNova Scotia and became a senior counsel with the law firmMcInnes Cooper and a strategic advisor withDeloitte Canada.
MacKay was born inNew Glasgow, Nova Scotia. His father,Elmer MacKay, is a former PC cabinet minister, lumber businessman, and lawyer. His mother, Eirene Macha MacKay (née Delap; 1938–2017), was apsychologist and peace activist; through her, Peter MacKay is descended fromJames Alexander, 3rd Earl of Caledon andJames Grimston, 1st Earl of Verulam.[5][6][7][8] MacKay grew up inWolfville, Nova Scotia with his three siblings. He graduated fromHorton High School inGreenwich, Nova Scotia, and then went on to graduate with aBachelor of Arts degree fromAcadia University/Carleton University in 1987. MacKay then studied law atDalhousie University[9] and was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in June 1991. He worked forThyssen Henschel, a steel producer, inHalifax,Nova Scotia, and inDüsseldorf andKassel, Germany.
In 1993, MacKay accepted an appointment asCrown Attorney for the Central Region of Nova Scotia. He prosecuted cases at all levels, including youth and provincial courts as well as theSupreme Court of Canada. MacKay has publicly stated that the major impetus for his entry into federal politics was his frustrations with the shortcomings in thejustice system, particularly his perception that the courts do not care about the impact crime has on victims.
MacKay was first elected to theHouse of Commons of Canada in the June 2,1997 federal election forPictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, ariding in northeastern Nova Scotia.[10] He was one of a handful of newly elected "Young Turk" PC MPs (includingJohn Herron,André Bachand andScott 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. MacKay was the PC member of the Board of Internal Economy and the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. He also acted as an associate member of the Standing Committees on Canadian Heritage, Finance and the sub-committee on the Study of Sport. Peter MacKay served as PC Party House Leader from September 23, 1997, to September 12, 2001.[11]
MacKay was re-elected in the2000 federal election and was frequently touted by the media as a possible successor to PC Party leaderJoe 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 has been voted the "sexiest male MP in the House of Commons" by theHill Times (a Parliament Hill newspaper) for six years in a row. When asked in a 2001Canadian 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."[12]
In August 2001, he was one of several PC MPs to engage in open cooperation talks with disaffected Canadian Alliance MPs inMont-Tremblant, Quebec. Eventually a union of sorts was created between the PCs and the newly formedDemocratic 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 inEdmonton, Alberta in August 2002. MacKay's name was one of the first to be raised as a possible leadership contender.[13]
MacKay was largely seen as the assumed victor of the race from the outset of the leadership contest. Ultimately, his candidacy was helped by the absence of so-called "dream candidates" such as provincial Progressive Conservative PremiersBernard Lord,Mike Harris andRalph Klein who did not run for the leadership.[citation needed] MacKay formally launched his leadership campaign in his hometown ofNew Glasgow in January 2003. From the onset of the campaign, MacKay insisted that his primary goal upon assuming the leadership would be the rebuilding the fractured conservative movement from within the PC tent. For much of the race, MacKay was the clear front-runner. Several opponents, including former PC Party TreasurerJim Prentice,social conservative candidateCraig Chandler, andRed Tory Nova Scotia MPScott Brison, painted MacKay as astatus quo or "establishment" candidate who could effectively question the Prime Minister.[citation needed]
MacKay's campaign was largely based on his leadership skills and a national organization rather than on policies or new directions. MacKay is largely viewed by political analysts as aRed Tory.[14] He voted in favour ofsame-sex marriage in 2006.[12]
MacKay entered the first ballot of thePC leadership convention held on May 31, 2003 with roughly 41% of the delegates supporting him. However, on the second ballot, MacKay's support dropped to 39%. On the third ballot, MacKay's support reached 45% but many of his supporters were convinced that he had hit his popular peak. Some analysts noted that the eliminated third-place challengerDavid Orchard drew his 25% bulk of delegate supporters largely from the Western prairie provinces. Orchard was prepared to speak with either MacKay or Prentice to determine if a deal could be reached over some of the issues that he raised during the leadership campaign. As the results of the third ballot were called, MacKay's campaign manager, PC SenatorNoël Kinsella, hastily arranged a backroom meeting between MacKay, Orchard, and their campaign advisors. During the meeting, MacKay reached a deal with his rival, and Orchard emerged from the room urging his delegates to support MacKay. Press officials immediately demanded to know what had inspired Orchard's surprise move. Orchard repeatedly referred to a "gentleman's agreement" made between himself and MacKay that had led to his qualified support.
MacKay won the final ballot with nearly 65% of the delegates supporting him. For the next few weeks, the specific details of the "Orchard deal" remained vague: a secret between MacKay, Orchard, and their advisors.[15] However, it was eventually revealed that the "Orchard deal" promised a review of the PC Party's policies on theNorth American Free Trade Agreement, no merger or joint candidates with theCanadian Alliance, and a promise to redouble efforts to rebuild the national status of the Progressive Conservative Party.[citation needed] The agreement also included re-examining the PC Party's policies on government subsidies for national railways and preserving the environment. The deal also requested that MacKay "clean up" the party's head office and specifically requested that the party's National Director be fired. Further evidence later revealedScott Brison's cellphone number written in the margins of the note for some unexplained reason. In an attempt to heal internal rifts after the convention, MacKay edited out the number. After Brison defected to the Liberal party, however, MacKay revealed the original copy. The agreement prompted much outrage and controversy amongstUnited Alternative supporters and was ribaldly referred to by CA MPJason Kenney as "a deal with the Devil".[16]
At first, MacKay seemed to be willing to adhere to the deal. In June, several Clark-appointed personnel were let go from the party's main office and MacKay appointed new experienced staff whose loyalties were more closely linked to himself and former Prime Minister and PC Party leaderBrian Mulroney. MacKay also appointed a couple of low level staff workers who had been supportive of David Orchard's leadership bid. In July, MacKay struck up a "Blue Ribbon PC Policy Review Panel", made up of conservative MPs, Senators, and Orchard himself, that was to be chaired by MPBill Casey, in order to reexamine the party's policies on NAFTA. The committee was scheduled to hold talks across the country and make a report to the leader by January 2004.[citation needed]
By mid-July, political opponents and fellow Tories began attacking MacKay over the "Orchard deal." MacKay's conservative rivalStephen Harper suggested that the PC Party had hit rock-bottom when its policies and directions would be beholden to a "prairie socialist."[citation needed] The secretive nature of the deal also led to concerns from within the party's headquarters and constituency associations. David Orchard was seen by many within the party as an "outsider" who was attempting to turn the Progressive Conservative Party into the "Prairie Co-operative Party". Some felt that MacKay's credibility and leadership were undermined by the deal and that electoral expectations were low for the upcoming election that was expected to occur in less than a year's time.Rex Murphy noted in aGlobe and Mail column that MacKay's leadership arrived "stillborn" and that, perhaps for the first time in recent memory, a party immediately emerged from a leadership convention grievously weakened and even less united than when it entered the convention.[citation needed]
Public musings that the divided PCs would be marginalized in a future election between a relatively stable western-based CA under Stephen Harper and the massively popular Paul Martin Liberals (althoughJean Chrétien remained the Liberal leader until November 2003, he had announced he would not run again), MacKay encouraged talks between high-profile members of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives.
On October 15, 2003, the merger talks culminated in MacKay and Alliance leader Stephen Harper signing an Agreement in Principle on the establishment of the Conservative Party of Canada, whereby the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance would merge to form a newConservative Party of Canada. While MacKay was roundly criticized in someRed Tory circles for permitting a union under his watch, MacKay's efforts to sell the merger to the PC membership were successful: 90.4% of the party's elected delegates supported the deal in a vote on December 6, 2003.[citation needed]
Some PC caucus members refused to accept the merger: long-time MP and formerPrime MinisterJoe Clark continued to sit as a "Progressive Conservative" for the remainder of the Parliament, as did MPsJohn Herron andAndré Bachand, whileScott Brison left the new party to join theLiberal Party in December 2003. In January 2004, several Senators left the party to sit as independents or "Progressive Conservatives". MacKay announced on January 13, 2004, that he would not run for the leadership of the new Conservative Party. On March 22, he was named deputy leader of the new party by newly elected leader Stephen Harper. He was easily re-elected in theJune 28, 2004 federal election in the newly redistributed riding ofCentral Nova.[17]
On September 29, 2005, thePremier of Nova Scotia,John Hamm, announced his intention to resign. There was speculation that MacKay would return to the province to pursue provincial politics and enter theProgressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotialeadership race to become the Premier. MacKay would have been considered a front-runner in the race; however, he decided to remain with the Federal Conservatives.The Liberal government lost a motion of non-confidence on November 28, 2005. In the resulting January 2006 election, the Conservative Party was elected with a minority government. He did retain his seat by a comfortable margin.
Following the Conservative victory in the2006 election, Prime MinisterStephen Harper named MacKay asMinister of Foreign Affairs andMinister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; he was also tasked to be the political minister for both his home province, and for neighbouringPrince Edward Island, just as his fatherElmer had done between 1988 and 1993.[citation needed]
During the first mandate, his biggest issue was theLebanon–Israel–Hezbollahcrisis that occurred in July 2006. The government decided to evacuate thousands of Canadians from Lebanon to safer locations and many back to Canada. MacKay responded to critics saying that the process was slow, that the boats (those which were used to evacuate) had limited capacity. MacKay's statements in support of the Israelis during the2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict created a national debate in Canada, especially among Arabs and Muslim Canadians who opposed MacKay's position. During this period MacKay and theConservative Party of Canada joined the Bush Administration in opposing theUnited Nations' call for a ceasefire. It was also during this period that MacKay made a controversial statement in which he referred toHezbollah as a "cancer" in Lebanon.[18] Hezbollah is formally recognized by the government of Canada as a terrorist organization.[19]
On October 19, 2006, during a debate on the Conservative Party's clean air plan, MPMark Holland said that a Liberal colleague,David McGuinty asked MacKay about the impact of pollution on humans and animals by asking, "What about your dog?" This referred to MacKay posing for photographs on a farm with his neighbour's dog following his break-up with Belinda Stronach.[20] MacKay then allegedly pointed to Stronach's vacant chair and replied "You already have her." Holland lodged a complaint with theCommons Speaker and demanded an apology from MacKay. Stronach has said that the comment was disrespectful to both herself and Canadian women, and has herself asked for an apology. MacKay has denied referring to Stronach as a "dog".[21] The alleged comment was not heard by Speaker of the HousePeter Milliken and it was not recorded in the official Hansard. Afterwards, Milliken and his staff said that they could not hear the remarks on the tape recording.[22]
On August 14, 2007, Stephen Harper shuffled MacKay from Foreign Affairs to Defence, replacingGordon O'Connor. On November 6, 2007, while attending a meeting atForward Operating Base Wilson, 20 kilometres west ofKandahar City, Mackay was unharmed as two rockets struck the base at about 11 a.m. local time. Mackay described the incident: "There was an explosion. It was a loud bang", said MacKay. "When it happened, we heard the explosion, we heard the whistle overhead, we were told to get down and we did."[23] The incident happened on the same day that asuicide bomberdetonated an explosive inBaghlan in the northeastern part of the country killing at least 75 including several politicians. WhileTaliban insurgents were suspected of being behind the bombing, it was not believed to be related to the attack in Kandahar.[24]
In 2008, MacKay announced a broad exhaustive and very expensive program to upgrade the Canadian military's equipment, spending over $400 billion over 25 years. Unlike every previous spending announcement of its kind, no "white paper" or detailed breakdown of this number was available nor was any claimed to exist. This led to widespread speculation that an election was coming.Stephen Harper did in fact declare Parliament "dysfunctional" in August 2008 and called onGovernor General of CanadaMichaëlle Jean to dissolve parliament for the2008 federal election.
In July 2010, MacKay was accused of inappropriately using public funds when he combined the use of a Canadian Cormorant military helicopter for both a search and rescue demonstration, and to transport the minister from a private fishing camp in Newfoundland to Gander Airport. The cost of this to taxpayers was approximately $16,000.[25] MacKay, then the Minister of National Defence, defended his use of the military helicopter stating, "Three days into the visit I participated in a search and rescue demonstration with 103 squadron 9 Wing Gander. I shortened my stay by a day to take part in that demonstration".[13]
In 2009, he undertook two days of basic military training as part ofCBC Television'sMake the Politician Work.[26]
On June 5, 2012, it was revealed that a widely publicized 2010 news conference announcing Conservative plans to buy 65F-35 Stealth Fighters had cost $47,000. Documents provided to parliament by Peter Mackay indicated thatLockheed Martin had delivered the F-35 mockup used in the photo-op for free, and that the cost was primarily for services to support the news conference and one hundred invited guests.[27]
On July 15, 2013, the cabinet was shuffled, and Mackay became theMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, replacingRob Nicholson, who took over the defence portfolio.[28]
On March 5, 2014, MacKay generated controversy when, in response to opposition Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, he tossed documents purporting to concern the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women onto the floor of the House of Commons.[29] The following week, he apologized to the Commons for his outburst.[30]
On May 29, 2015, MacKay announced that he would not be a candidate in the2015 federal election.[31]
In February 2016, MacKay joined law firmBaker McKenzie as a partner.[32] MacKay's family now resides inThe Beaches area ofToronto.[33]
On November 17, 2017, MacKay said he had not ruled out the possibility of running for the leadership of theNova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party.[34]
After the Conservative defeat in the 2015 election, MacKay was considered a potential candidate to succeed former Prime Minister Stephen Harper as permanent leader of the Conservative Party.[35][36] On September 12, 2016, MacKay announced he would not seek the Conservative party leadership.[37]
On January 15, 2020, MacKay announced his intention to run for the2020 Conservative Party of Canada leadership race.[38]
He was appointed to the board of Cielo Waste Solutions Corp. on April 8, 2021.[39]
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On October 10, 2019,The Globe and Mail reported that MacKay supporters were preparing to launch a leadership bid should Conservative Party leaderAndrew Scheer fail to secure a government in the 2019 federal election. MacKay responded to questions by saying that he was "not [aware]" of Conservatives backers organizing a campaign, and that he was "doing everything I can to help Andrew and support him and his team. I’m not entertaining that at all.”[40]
On December 12, 2019, Scheer announced he was resigning as Conservative party leader, but would stay on until a new leader was chosen.[41]
On January 15, 2020, MacKay announced his intention to run for the2020 Conservative Party of Canada leadership race.[38] After weeks of speculation, MacKay tweeted from hisTwitter account: "I'm in. Stay tuned."[42] He officially launched his campaign on January 25, 2020 at theNova Scotia Museum of Industry inStellarton, Nova Scotia. On January 26, 2020, a Washington Post columnist posted a comparison of Peter MacKay's campaign logo and that of personal finance blog Maple Money, which started comparisons to the previousCanadian Energy Centre trademark issues.[43]
MacKay was defeated byErin O’Toole on the third ballot of the leadership vote.[4]
After the vote, it was revealed that MacKay spent $124,000 on security during the campaign[44] in response to numerous death threats that were lodged against him and his family.[45]
MacKay was chosen as "Canada's Sexiest Male MP" byThe Hill Times from 1999–2007 and 2009, coming in second in 2008 toMaxime Bernier. His former longtime girlfriend was Lisa Michelle Merrithew, daughter of formerMulroney cabinet ministerGerald Merrithew. They reportedly ended their relationship in 2004. He then was romantically linked to fellow MPBelinda Stronach in published reports. In an interview in theToronto Star on January 8, 2005, Stronach confirmed that she and MacKay were dating. Stronach, elected as a Conservative in the 2004 election,crossed the floor to theLiberal Party on May 17, 2005. On May 18, 2005, MacKay told theCBC that his relationship with Stronach was indeed over, and that it had come as a surprise to him that she had crossed the floor. According toDon Martin, aNational Post columnist who wrote a biography,Belinda: the Political and Private Life of Belinda Stronach in September 2006, MacKay reacted "with volcanic fury" when he learned about her defection.[46]
On November 26, 2005, theNational Post revealed that Mackay and Sophie Desmarais of the billionaire Power Corporation family were dating.[47]
By September 2006, MacKay's romantic life was again in the papers, withThe New York Times reporting on gossip about his alleged involvement withUnited States Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice.[48][49]The New York Times described him as "Tall, athletic, young, blond", and having "a tan and the build of someone who spends his time on the rugby field, not holed up reading G-8 communiqués."[48]
MacKay had been seen in public dating Jana Juginovic, director of programming atCTV News Channel, after having kept their relationship private for many months. They attended the annual Black & White Opera Soirée together at theNational Arts Centre in Ottawa on February 21, 2009.[50] MacKay's engagement to Juginovic was announced on November 1, 2009.[51] MacKay and Juginovic later called off the engagement in June 2010.[52]
On January 4, 2012, MacKay marriedNazanin Afshin-Jam, an Iranian-born former beauty queen, in a ceremony in Mexico. Afshin-Jam holds degrees in international relations and political science. She is co-founder and president of Stop Child Executions, a human rights group whose aim is to focus world attention on the plight of young people on death row in Iran.[53] The couple has two sons, Kian Alexander MacKay, born April 1, 2013,[54] and Caledon Cyrus MacKay, born July 28, 2018[55] as well as one daughter, Valentia Makaja MacKay, born September 30, 2015.[56]
In his spare time, MacKay has served on many volunteer boards including New Leaf and Tearmann House. He has also been active inBig Brothers Big Sisters, the Pictou County Senior Rugby Club and theYMCA. A sports enthusiast, MacKay was active in local rugby, baseball, football and hockey teams inPictou County, Nova Scotia. He played for theNova Scotia Keltics rugby union club.
| Candidate | 1st ballot | 2nd ballot | 3rd ballot | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes cast | % | Points allocated | % | Votes cast | % | Points allocated | % | Votes cast | % | Points allocated | % | ||
.png) | Erin O'Toole | 51,258 | 29.39% | 10,681.40 | 31.60% | 56,907 | 33.20% | 11,903.69 | 35.22% | 90,635 | 58.86% | 19,271.74 | 57.02% |
.JPG) | Peter MacKay | 52,851 | 30.30% | 11,328.55 | 33.52% | 54,165 | 31.60% | 11,756.01 | 34.78% | 63,356 | 41.14% | 14,528.26 | 42.98% |
 | Leslyn Lewis | 43,017 | 24.67% | 6,925.38 | 20.49% | 60,316 | 35.20% | 10,140.30 | 30.00% | Eliminated | |||
 | Derek Sloan | 27,278 | 15.64% | 4,864.67 | 14.39% | Eliminated | |||||||
| Total | 174,404 | 100% | 33,800 | 100% | 171,388 | 100% | 33,800 | 100% | 153,991 | 100% | 33,800 | 100% | |
| 2011 Canadian federal election:Central Nova | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Peter MacKay | 21,593 | 56.79 | +10.19 | $66,993.75 | |||
| New Democratic | David Parker | 9,412 | 24.75 | +5.19 | $22,391.41 | |||
| Liberal | John Hamilton | 5,614 | 14.76 | – | $38,162.02 | |||
| Green | Matthew Chisholm | 1,406 | 3.70 | -28.54 | $3,941.29 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 38,025 | 100.0 | $83,138.94 | |||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 226 | 0.59 | -0.18 | |||||
| Turnout | 38,251 | 65.00 | -2.01 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 57,963 | |||||||
| Conservativehold | Swing | +2.50 | ||||||
| Sources:[58][59] | ||||||||
| 2008 Canadian federal election:Central Nova | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Peter MacKay | 18,240 | 46.60 | +5.94 | $61,468.89 | |||
| Green | Elizabeth May | 12,620 | 32.24 | +30.65 | $57,490.60 | |||
| New Democratic | Louise Lorifice | 7,659 | 19.56 | -13.33 | $39,917.36 | |||
| Christian Heritage | Michael Harris MacKay | 427 | 1.09 | – | none listed | |||
| Canadian Action | Paul Kemp | 196 | 0.50 | – | $87.79 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 39,142 | 100.0 | $80,462 | |||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 304 | 0.77 | +0.42 | |||||
| Turnout | 39,446 | 67.01 | -2.16 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 58,863 | |||||||
| Conservativehold | Swing | -24.71 | ||||||
| 2006 Canadian federal election:Central Nova | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Peter MacKay | 17,134 | 40.66 | -2.61 | $55,938.56 | |||
| New Democratic | Alexis MacDonald | 13,861 | 32.89 | +5.23 | $28,582.28 | |||
| Liberal | Dan Walsh | 10,349 | 24.56 | -1.83 | $43,064.69 | |||
| Green | David Orton | 671 | 1.59 | -1.09 | $901.04 | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Allan H. Bezanson | 124 | 0.29 | – | none listed | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 42,139 | 100.0 | $75,651 | |||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 147 | 0.35 | -0.17 | |||||
| Turnout | 42,286 | 69.17 | +3.85 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 61,137 | |||||||
| Conservativehold | Swing | -3.92 | ||||||
| 2004 Canadian federal election:Central Nova | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Peter MacKay | 16,376 | 43.27 | -8.13 | $53,745.97 | |||
| New Democratic | Alexis MacDonald | 10,470 | 27.66 | +14.84 | $25,231.91 | |||
| Liberal | Susan Green | 9,986 | 26.39 | -3.95 | $44,229.04 | |||
| Green | Rebecca Mosher | 1,015 | 2.68 | – | $222.50 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 37,847 | 100.0 | $73,053 | |||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 198 | 0.52 | ||||||
| Turnout | 38,045 | 65.32 | -0.92 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 58,240 | |||||||
| Conservativenotional gain fromProgressive Conservative | Swing | -11.48 | ||||||
| Changes from 2000 are based on redistributed results. Conservative Party change is based on the combination of Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Party totals. | ||||||||
| Candidate | 1st ballot | 2nd ballot | 3rd ballot | 4th ballot | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | Votes cast | % | ||
 | MACKAY, Peter Gordon | 1,080 | 41.1% | 1,018 | 39.7% | 1,128 | 45.0% | 1,538 | 64.8% |
 | PRENTICE, James (Jim) | 478 | 18.2% | 466 | 18.2% | 761 | 30.4% | 836 | 35.2% |
| ORCHARD, David | 640 | 24.3% | 619 | 24.1% | 617 | 24.6% | Endorsed MacKay | ||
 | BRISON, Scott A. | 431 | 16.4% | 463 | 18.0% | Endorsed Prentice | |||
| CHANDLER, Craig B. | 0 | — | Withdrew before 1st ballot began; Endorsed Prentice | ||||||
| Total | 2,629 | 100.0% | 2,566 | 100.0% | 2,506 | 100.0% | 2,374 | 100.0% | |
| 2000 Canadian federal election:Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Progressive Conservative | Peter MacKay | 19,256 | 48.32 | |||||
| Liberal | Raymond Mason | 12,634 | 31.70 | |||||
| New Democratic | Wendy Panagopoulous | 4,498 | 11.29 | |||||
| Alliance | Harvey Henderson | 2,915 | 7.31 | |||||
| Independent | Darryl Gallivan | 551 | 1.38 | |||||
| 1997 Canadian federal election:Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Progressive Conservative | Peter MacKay | 18,196 | 42.34 | |||||
| Liberal | Francis Leblanc | 12,851 | 29.90 | |||||
| New Democratic | Charlene Long | 8,284 | 19.28 | |||||
| Reform | Henry Van Berkel | 3,416 | 7.95 | |||||
| Natural Law | Richard Robertson | 228 | 0.53 | |||||
M. July 15, 1961 to dau. of Commander Bradin Delap of Centreville, Kings County, NS; Four children: Cethlyn Laura, Peter Gordon, Sheila Mary Louise and Andrew.
| 28th Canadian Ministry (2006-2015) – Cabinet ofStephen Harper | ||
| Cabinet posts (4) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Pierre Pettigrew | Minister of Foreign Affairs 2006–2007 | Maxime Bernier |
| Joe McGuire | Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency 2006–2010 | Keith Ashfield |
| Gordon O'Connor | Minister of National Defence 2007–2013 | Rob Nicholson |
| Rob Nicholson | Minister of Justice andAttorney General 2013–2015 | Jody Wilson-Raybould |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
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