A13

Margaret-Ann Blaney
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Only days after a federal election is expected to be held, the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick will gather in Fredericton, and elsewhere around the province to select its next leader. With three well qualified candidates vying for the leadership, and members of the party signing up every day to attend the convention, it is safe to say that the race is well under way.

Enlarge Photo

The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Stephen Harper greets workers at the Ford Essex engine plant in Windsor, Ont. New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservatives see the federal election campaign as a boon to their October leadership convention. Leadership convention co-chair Margaret-Ann Blaney observes, “It will give candidates at both levels a unique opportunity to talk collectively about issues that matter to New Brunswickers.”

Despite the energy that has found itself in the leadership race, recent speculation has surfaced to question whether the provincial Progressive Conservatives should reschedule their leadership convention in order to avoid any sort of confusion or overlap with the pending federal election. Pundits have also claimed that the scheduling of these two events so close to each other could cast a negative light on both events. Some have even claimed that the leadership convention will inevitably suffer from a lack of volunteers, as party members turn their focus to the federal election.

This criticism is misguided.

It is not a mistake to continue with the leadership convention. In fact, I believe that it is the best approach to ensure our party is ready to begin its own election campaign. The next provincial general election is scheduled to be held in 2010. This will also be when New Brunswickers pass judgment on the Shawn Graham Liberals for their inaction and numerous failures.

The voters of this province recognize that the Graham Liberals are a sinking ship that is quickly losing public trust, confidence and support. While the Liberals struggle to regain what they have lost with New Brunswickers, momentum is continuing to build within our party. In light of that, we are moving forward confidently with our plans to select the next premier of the province on Oct. 18 through what will be one of the most exciting political events in New Brunswick's history.

The drop of the federal writ dramatically raises the profile of the provincial contest. That is without question. Attention will shift only temporarily to a different focus, and as different as that focus may be, it happens to fall squarely in line with the goals of our leadership convention. Because of this, the stage for our three candidates will be that much more significant, and the profiles they receive will be that much more prominent.

The engagement process of an election and a leadership contest are not separate. Each leadership hopeful will share that stage with Conservative candidates in each of the federal ridings. It will also give candidates at both levels a unique opportunity to talk collectively about issues that matter to New Brunswickers and to Canadians as a whole. This is something our party considers to be very encouraging.

Soon after we elect a new leader, we will hold a policy convention in which the new leader will embrace the dynamism of the leadership convention and invite members of the party to help us further define our platform. The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick is harnessing the energy of New Brunswickers, and a federal election will help us achieve that goal.

These are only some of the many reasons why the provincial Progressive Conservatives are embracing the proximity of these two major political events. The coincidence of a federal election and a leadership convention during the same week is nothing but a positive one. Campaigning will add momentum to an already exciting leadership race, and solidify the importance of our convention theme, A matter of trust, which I spoke on last week in this space. The coinciding events will highlight New Brunswickers' discontent and distrust for the Shawn Graham Liberals and confirm their wariness for the Stéphane Dion Liberals.

Margaret-Ann Blaney is the MLA for Rothesay and a former minister in the Bernard Lord Progressive Conservative government. She is also co-chair of the upcoming PC leadership convention that will be held Oct. 18 in Fredericton.