Jay Hill Confirms His Departure from Politics–As You Had Heard Here First
When I wrote this, one nutbar blogger, in apparent confusion, tried to split hairs and second guess my intelligence gathering.
He referred to my supposition that Mr. Hill was leaving as “laughable.”
I wonder who’s laughing now…
Here is the press release from Parliament this morning.
Jay Hill Will Not Seek Re-election
Fort St. John, B.C. – After 22 years in federal politics, The Honourable
Jay Hill, Member of Parliament for Prince George-Peace River, British
Columbia, and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, announced
today that he will not seek re-election.At a meeting last night in Fort St. John, B.C., Hill informed the Board of
Directors for the Prince George-Peace River Conservative Party of Canada
of his decision.“I’ve always felt that for politicians the time to go is when things are
still going well … when you’ve reached the crest of the hill, but before
starting down the other side. For me that time is now,” said Hill.“I must ensure that those to whom I owe my greatest loyalty and immense
gratitude, and who have always been there to support me through seven
federal elections and all the years in between, have sufficient time to
select the next Conservative candidate for our great constituency.”“I could not have done this without the tremendous support of
constituents, my dedicated staff and my family. I would also like to
thank Prime Minister Stephen Harper, my fellow Cabinet members and my
caucus colleagues. It has been a privilege to work with these
distinguished individuals who are committed to serving Canada and our
democracy.”Hill first ran as a Reform candidate in the 1988 federal election. He was
elected in 1993 as the Member of Parliament for Prince George-Peace River,
which he continues to represent in the House of Commons having been
re-elected by healthy majorities in five subsequent General Elections.In opposition, Hill served as Chief Opposition Whip and Opposition House
Leader, and in various critic roles including justice, agriculture and
national defence.Upon the election of the Conservative Government in 2006, Hill was sworn
into the Privy Council of Canada as Chief Government Whip. He was
subsequently appointed to the unique position of Minister of State to
Assist the Prime Minister. In 2008, Minister Hill was appointed by the
Prime Minister to his current Cabinet position as Leader of the Government
in the House of Commons.-30-
For more information: 613-952-4930
So, this puts Blair Lekstrom back in the spotlight dance in his bid to replace Mr. Hill. The departures from the Campbell ship will become numerous and more obvious to you as we break those stories here, or at least, provide you with perspective you won’t read anywhere else.
Lets’ see what happens on this one first.
I don’t recall seeing any comments about what happened at the BCLiberals big meeting a week or so ago. Did the whole thing continue to be underwraps?
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Hi Wendy:
The reports are too personal and incendiary for public consumption. But I’m filtering through what I can and can’t say.
I’ll get back to you on this don’t worry.
For the most part everyone decided on the stiff upper lip and that all was well and fine. But the behind the scenes discussions between the Premier and not less than a half dozen prominent caucus members tell a much different story.
Plus, one very telling email that I’m trying to track down.
Stay tuned.
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I wonder if the old saying “No news is good news” applies here. Or “Hear no Campbell, See no Campbell, Speak no Campbell” says it all because of the deafening silence from the minions?
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Not quite…there are number of caucus members who are quite antsy that the Premier is still on his throne. They’d love to see him go. Believe me.
As yet, no one willing to go public…..but perhaps soon enough.
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Once I saw Blair Lekstrom let down one of the life boats and gave a tug on the outboard engine’s pull start, I figured as much that he was on his way to shore, landing at the best place he can find.
He’ll be runing for the Tories for that Peace River riding Up North.
That was an easy one to figure out.
This is the first one. There’s bound to be others.
Im sure there will be some kind of a movement from more than one
MLA once the HST petition passes muster in a few weeks.
A bowel movement or political one. Readers can decide…
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And yet it’s not so easy to figure out for a number of other bloggers, particularly, strangely, from of all places Whistler, where they still don’t get that Lekstrom’s goal from the beginning was to head to the federal Tories.
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For Blair pretty easy to do, jsut a squeeze on the fuel line bulb, a twist of the wrist to get his motor up to operating temperature , settle into the seat, right arm back with hand on the throttle, an adjustment of the Tilley hat, and off he goes on smooth waters to shore on a blue lake
on a warm day with bright blue skies.
Down there? Gear.
Might as well do a little fishin’ for supporters along the way, eh?
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Pretty well sums it up.
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I have this nagging thought in my mind that Blair will not be endorsed by the Conservatives. Especially after a Conservative MLA was recorded as calling Blair a rat and a traitor,,, Who said name calling ever ended?:)
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Well, he won’t get endorsed if he doesn’t run. If he runs and wins the nomination, then it’s an automatic endorsement.
Look, you’ve populated every post I’ve done on this story with anti-Lekstrom venom. Great.
Anything pertinent to offer?
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