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Interesting article in the Straight about Kenney’s ascension in the Conservative ranks. The writer Charlie Smith feels that Kenney is the logical successor to Harper, with the scandals plaguing former favourite Peter MacKay all but eliminating the very elite Minister of National Defence from contention.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has revealed that MacKay spent $1,452 a night for a two-night stay in a Munich hotel, and another $770 per night for three nights in a luxurious hotel in Istanbul.
In the past, MacKay has come under fire for the use of a military helicopter to retrieve him from a fishing trip. And the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has also hammered MacKay for the cost of his flight to the recent Grey Cup game in Vancouver.
The founder of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is Jason Kenney, who is probably the cabinet minister closest to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
As Harper’s parliamentary secretary, Kenney criss-crossed the country to forge deep ties with groups representing new Canadians. Later, Kenney was promoted to oversee the immigration ministry.
[NDP leadership candidate] Cullen and I both surmised that these revelations about MacKay are designed to put Kenney at the front of the line as Harper’s successor as Conservative leader. As the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Kenney is well-positioned to make the types of connections that will help him in a future leadership race.
Cross Posted at Let Freedom Rain
I don’t think Petey ever stood a chance anyhow. He was a PC and a turncoat. There is no way the Cons would ever really trust him.
I’m of two minds on this. First, I highly doubt there are any such machinations. The cult of personality around Harper is too strong for the sort of infighting we saw between Chretien and Martin. This government is too obsessed with staying on message, and Harper is not old enough or tarnished enough or besieged enough. By the time he seriously gets pushed into stepping down, nobody will remember what happened with MacKay in 2011. Few enough people today remember MacKay’s much more important betrayal in 2003.
Second, though, rumors about succession issues can only help weaken the Conservatives’ authoritarian facade. Maybe if there are enough rumors, people will start taking them seriously. So I guess, let a thousand rumors bloom.
even though this looks good for Kenney, I don’t think that’s what’s going on. harper won’t quit, and many of the leaks – the early ones – came from inside DND and seemed more a reaction to MacKay. That’s more reflective of the general push back we’re seeing from a strangled, abused, frustrated Public Service, in my opinion.
First and foremost, any discussion about successorship involving Kenney or Baird, is that they must have the courage to come out of their respective closets and reveal to all Canadians just what their proclivities are.
Then we would see just how ‘liberal’ the great majority of Con voters really are.
Alternatively, they could, like their boss, marry into the mainstream Con family ideal and live a ‘fake’ life with a ‘fake’ ideolgy and even throw in a ‘fake lake’ if they want to.
At least show a modicum of honesty. Why hide it????????