Editing Peter MacKay (section)

==Member of Parliament==
MacKay was first elected to the [[House of Commons of Canada]] in the June 2, [[1997 Canadian federal election|1997 federal election]] for [[Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough]], a [[electoral district (Canada)|riding]] in northeastern Nova Scotia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ns.ca/fedelect97/97archive/jun3/970603102.html|title=MacKay carries on family tradition|work=The Chronicle Herald|date=June 3, 1997|access-date=September 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011130174850/http://www.herald.ns.ca/fedelect97/97archive/jun3/970603102.html|archive-date=November 30, 2001 }}</ref> He was one of a handful of newly elected "Young Turk" PC MPs (including [[John Herron (New Brunswick politician)|John Herron]], [[André Bachand (Progressive Conservative MP)|André Bachand]] and [[Scott Brison]]), who were under 35 years old when elected and were considered the future leadership material that might restore the ailing Tories to their glory days. In his first term of office, MacKay served as Justice Critic and House Leader for the Progressive Conservative parliamentary caucus. MacKay was the PC member of the Board of Internal Economy and the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. He also acted as an associate member of the Standing Committees on Canadian Heritage, Finance and the sub-committee on the Study of Sport. Peter MacKay served as PC Party House Leader from September 23, 1997, to September 12, 2001.<ref>{{cite web |last1=MacKay |first1=Peter |title=PARTY LEADERS AND HOUSE OFFICERS OF THE 36TH PARLIAMENT (SEPTEMBER 22, 1997 TO OCTOBER 22, 2000) |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en/house-officers?parliament=36&caucusId=all&province=all&gender=all |website=ourcommons.ca |publisher=House of Commons (Canada) |access-date=29 August 2020}}</ref>

MacKay was re-elected in the [[2000 Canadian federal election|2000 federal election]] and was frequently touted by the media as a possible successor to PC Party leader [[Joe Clark]]. Many of his initial supporters referred to his strong performances in the House of Commons and magnetism as key attributes that would make him a popular leader. MacKay has been voted the "sexiest male MP in the House of Commons" by the ''Hill Times'' (a Parliament Hill newspaper) for six years in a row. When asked in a 2001 [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] documentary on the resurgence of the PC Party if he would ever consider running for the PC leadership, MacKay quipped, "If there's one thing I've learned in politics it's 'never say never.' [[Jean Charest]] taught me that."<ref name=":2" />

In August 2001, he was one of several PC MPs to engage in open cooperation talks with disaffected Canadian Alliance MPs in [[Mont-Tremblant, Quebec]]. Eventually a union of sorts was created between the PCs and the newly formed [[Democratic Representative Caucus]] (DRC). MacKay was appointed House Leader of the new PC-DR Parliamentary Coalition Caucus when it was formally recognized as a political body on September 10, 2001. The PC-DR initiative collapsed in April 2002, raising questions about Clark's leadership. Clark announced his impending resignation as party leader at the PC Party's bi-annual convention held in [[Edmonton]], Alberta in August 2002. MacKay's name was one of the first to be raised as a possible leadership contender.<ref name=":3" />

===2003 Progressive Conservative leadership race===
MacKay was largely seen as the assumed victor of the race from the outset of the leadership contest. Ultimately, his candidacy was helped by the absence of so-called "dream candidates" such as provincial Progressive Conservative Premiers [[Bernard Lord]], [[Mike Harris]] and [[Ralph Klein]] who did not run for the leadership.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}  MacKay formally launched his leadership campaign in his hometown of [[New Glasgow, Nova Scotia|New Glasgow]] in January 2003. From the onset of the campaign, MacKay insisted that his primary goal upon assuming the leadership would be the rebuilding the fractured conservative movement from within the PC tent. For much of the race, MacKay was the clear front-runner. Several opponents, including former PC Party Treasurer [[Jim Prentice]], [[social conservative]] candidate [[Craig Chandler]], and [[Red Tory]] Nova Scotia MP [[Scott Brison]], painted MacKay as a ''status quo'' or "establishment" candidate who could effectively question the Prime Minister.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

MacKay's campaign was largely based on his leadership skills and a national organization rather than on policies or new directions. MacKay is largely viewed by political analysts as a [[Red Tory]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thehouse/til-next-time-peter-mackay-not-running-in-the-next-election-1.3089252|title='Til next time? Peter MacKay not running in the next election|work=CBC Radio|date=May 30, 2015|access-date=September 29, 2015}}</ref> He voted in favour of [[same-sex marriage in Canada|same-sex marriage]] in 2006.<ref name=":2">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mps-defeat-bid-to-reopen-same-sex-marriage-debate-1.599856|title=MPs defeat bid to reopen same-sex marriage debate|work=CBC News|date=December 7, 2006|access-date=September 29, 2015}}</ref>

====Leadership convention====
MacKay entered the first ballot of the [[2003 Progressive Conservative leadership election|PC leadership convention]] held on May 31, 2003 with roughly 41% of the delegates supporting him.  However, on the second ballot, MacKay's support dropped to 39%. On the third ballot, MacKay's support reached 45% but many of his supporters were convinced that he had hit his popular peak. Some analysts noted that the eliminated third-place challenger [[David Orchard]] drew his 25% bulk of delegate supporters largely from the Western prairie provinces. Orchard was prepared to speak with either MacKay or Prentice to determine if a deal could be reached over some of the issues that he raised during the leadership campaign.  As the results of the third ballot were called, MacKay's campaign manager, PC Senator [[Noël Kinsella]], hastily arranged a backroom meeting between MacKay, Orchard, and their campaign advisors. During the meeting, MacKay reached a deal with his rival, and Orchard emerged from the room urging his delegates to support MacKay. Press officials immediately demanded to know what had inspired Orchard's surprise move. Orchard repeatedly referred to a "gentleman's agreement" made between himself and MacKay that had led to his qualified support.

MacKay won the final ballot with nearly 65% of the delegates supporting him. For the next few weeks, the specific details of the "Orchard deal" remained vague:  a secret between MacKay, Orchard, and their advisors.<ref>[http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/politics/article.jsp?content=20030616_60669_60669] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050505224625/http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/politics/article.jsp?content=20030616_60669_60669|date=May 5, 2005}}</ref> However, it was eventually revealed that the "Orchard deal" promised a review of the PC Party's policies on the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]], no merger or joint candidates with the [[Canadian Alliance]], and a promise to redouble efforts to rebuild the national status of the Progressive Conservative Party.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} The agreement also included re-examining the PC Party's policies on government subsidies for national railways and preserving the environment. The deal also requested that MacKay "clean up" the party's head office and specifically requested that the party's National Director be fired. Further evidence later revealed [[Scott Brison]]'s cellphone number written in the margins of the note for some unexplained reason. In an attempt to heal internal rifts after the convention, MacKay edited out the number. After Brison defected to the Liberal party, however, MacKay revealed the original copy.  The agreement prompted much outrage and controversy amongst [[Unite the Right (Canada)|United Alternative]] supporters and was ribaldly referred to by CA MP [[Jason Kenney]] as "a deal with the Devil".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-winnipeg-sun-deal-with-the-devil-w/150124933/ |title='Deal with the devil' was more like business as usual |first=Ben |last=Mulroney |newspaper=[[Winnipeg Sun]] |page=55 |date=2003-06-08 |access-date=2024-06-26 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

At first, MacKay seemed to be willing to adhere to the deal. In June, several Clark-appointed personnel were let go from the party's main office and MacKay appointed new experienced staff whose loyalties were more closely linked to himself and former Prime Minister and PC Party leader [[Brian Mulroney]]. MacKay also appointed a couple of low level staff workers who had been supportive of David Orchard's leadership bid.  In July, MacKay struck up a "Blue Ribbon PC Policy Review Panel", made up of conservative MPs, Senators, and Orchard himself, that was to be chaired by MP [[Bill Casey]], in order to reexamine the party's policies on NAFTA.  The committee was scheduled to hold talks across the country and make a report to the leader by January 2004.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

By mid-July, political opponents and fellow Tories began attacking MacKay over the "Orchard deal." MacKay's conservative rival [[Stephen Harper]] suggested that the PC Party had hit rock-bottom when its policies and directions would be beholden to a "prairie socialist."{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}}  The secretive nature of the deal also led to concerns from within the party's headquarters and constituency associations. David Orchard was seen by many within the party as an "outsider" who was attempting to turn the Progressive Conservative Party into the "Prairie Co-operative Party". Some felt that MacKay's credibility and leadership were undermined by the deal and that electoral expectations were low for the upcoming election that was expected to occur in less than a year's time. [[Rex Murphy]] noted in a ''[[The Globe and Mail|Globe and Mail]]'' column that MacKay's leadership arrived "stillborn" and that, perhaps for the first time in recent memory, a party immediately emerged from a leadership convention grievously weakened and even less united than when it entered the convention.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

===Conservative party merger===
Public musings that the divided PCs would be marginalized in a future election between a relatively stable western-based CA under Stephen Harper and the massively popular Paul Martin Liberals (although [[Jean Chrétien]] remained the Liberal leader until November 2003, he had announced he would not run again), MacKay encouraged talks between high-profile members of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives.

On October 15, 2003, the merger talks culminated in MacKay and Alliance leader Stephen Harper signing an Agreement in Principle on the establishment of the Conservative Party of Canada, whereby the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance would merge to form a new [[Conservative Party of Canada]]. While MacKay was roundly criticized in some [[Red Tory]] circles for permitting a union under his watch, MacKay's efforts to sell the merger to the PC membership were successful: 90.4% of the party's elected delegates supported the deal in a vote on December 6, 2003. {{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

Some PC caucus members refused to accept the merger: long-time MP and former [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Joe Clark]] continued to sit as a "Progressive Conservative" for the remainder of the Parliament, as did MPs [[John Herron (New Brunswick politician)|John Herron]] and [[André Bachand (Progressive Conservative MP)|André Bachand]], while [[Scott Brison]] left the new party to join the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]] in December 2003. In January 2004, several Senators left the party to sit as independents or "Progressive Conservatives". MacKay announced on January 13, 2004, that he would not run for the leadership of the new Conservative Party. On March 22, he was named deputy leader of the new party by newly elected leader Stephen Harper. He was easily re-elected in the [[2004 Canadian federal election|June 28, 2004 federal election]] in the newly redistributed riding of [[Central Nova]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/waterloo-region-record-mackay-easily-hol/150125105/ |title=MacKay easily holds on to seat in Nova Scotia |newspaper=[[Waterloo Region Record]] |place=New Glasgow, Nova Scotia |agency=Canadian Press |page=5 |date=2004-06-29 |access-date=2024-06-26 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
[[File:Petermackaytobeswornin2006.JPG|thumb|upright|left|MacKay arrives at [[Rideau Hall]] for the swearing in of the new government after the [[2006 Canadian federal election|2006 Canadian election]]]]
On September 29, 2005, the [[Premier of Nova Scotia]], [[John Hamm]], announced his intention to resign. There was speculation that MacKay would return to the province to pursue provincial politics and enter the [[Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia]] [[2006 Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia leadership election|leadership race]] to become the Premier. MacKay would have been considered a front-runner in the race; however, he decided to remain with the Federal Conservatives.
The Liberal government lost a motion of non-confidence on November 28, 2005. In the resulting January 2006 election, the Conservative Party was elected with a minority government. He did retain his seat by a comfortable margin.