Andrew Coyne: Peter MacKay was a politician of many titles, but little achievement
Peter MacKay had been a Crown prosecutor for four years when, at the age of 31, he first ran for Parliament.
His father, Elmer MacKay, had been a minister in the Brian Mulroney government. Though now remembered mostly for his involvement in Mulroney’s tangled dealings with Karlheinz Schreiber, it was also he who gave up his seat as MP for Central Nova, Nova Scotia, so that Mulroney could run in a by-election — the seat that would eventually become his son’s. For this service Mulroney rewarded him with responsibility for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), which position he used to grease much of the East Coast with public cash.
The notion being put about that MacKay was some sort of tempering influence on Harper, or that without him — pillar of an Atlantic caucus that is about to be wiped out, leader of the half dozen-strong Progressive Conservative wing of the party — the party’s chances in the next election are appreciably diminished, is the triumph of journalism’s relentless search for significance, even where none exists. It is Harper’s party now? It has always been Harper’s party — though in fairness it is a party that now stands for just about the same things MacKay does, so far as anyone can tell.
It seems unlikely that history will record this as the end of “the MacKay era.” It is difficult to speak of a MacKay legacy, or MacKayism, at least with a straight face. Indeed, it is difficult to recall much about him even now. Though not gone, he is forgotten. We shall look upon his like again.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/national/Andrew+Coyne+Peter+MacKay+politician+many+titles+little/11094459/story.html
My! How the worlds turn.
Aging makes quite a difference in life.