I think Chisholm Pothier and the rest of Bernard Lord’s handlers better start figuring out his position on the Federal leadership question.
After writing nothing but glowing reports, the national press is starting to show signs of critism of Premier Lord. Jeffery Simpson wrote a scathing commentary a few weeks ago after visiting New Brunswick and getting an earful from folks on the ‘so-called’ ground down here.
And now, the Toronto Star, which has been quite positive on Lord, publishes a Chantal Hébert story on the ‘chronic shortage of potential party leaders’ in which she names the Premier as one of those ‘lesser’ potential candidates with an ‘inconclusive’ record in politics. She further intones that “It could be that lesser challenges make for lesser leaders.”
This is a far cry from the days when Lord was the ‘chosen one’ to lead the Federal Tories. If the Premier has any interest at all in the top job, he had better start organizing a strategy and sending out the signals. It’s clear that there will not be as much buzz surrounding him next time and it is equally clear that the national media is beginning to sour on him.
I would love to see a New Brunswicker in the PMO. Frank or Bernard. But I think Lord’s chances are evaporating quickly and he may just end up a 40 year old ex-Premier with no real legacy and not being known for much of anything on the policy front.
Anybody remember the Premier of Manitoba in the 1980s? How about PEI?
Exactly my point. Very few ex-Premiers of small provinces in Canada go on to do anything meaningful in Canada after politics (Romanow and McKenna are exceptions).
There’s an old saying about ‘a pot’, doing something or getting off.
Dust that one off, Chisholm, and mention it to the Premier.