OTTAWA 鈥� Peter MacKay says his recent comments about Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer鈥檚 campaign 鈥渟hortcomings鈥� were meant to be constructive.
On Wednesday, MacKay compared Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer鈥檚 2019 election loss to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 鈥渉aving a breakaway on an open net and missing the net,鈥� and said that Scheer鈥檚 socially conservative stance on issues like abortion and same sex marriage hurt their chances to pick up key votes.
Hours after headlines about his comment while participating in a Wilson Centre panel in Washington, D.C., MacKay took to Twitter in an effort to explain himself.
MacKay, whose name has been brought up as a potential challenger for Scheer鈥檚 job, says he has 鈥渞epeatedly鈥� voiced his support for Scheer and worked to help him during the campaign. He said any rumours of him organizing a leadership challenge are 鈥渇alse.鈥�
He said recent comments about the Conservative campaign鈥檚 鈥渟hortcomings鈥� were meant to focus on 鈥渕aking the necessary improvements鈥� with modern policies and 鈥渂etter鈥� communications,
On Wednesday, MacKay was asked what went wrong with the Conservative campaign, and he went on to cite a 鈥渘ervousness鈥� for female voters that Scheer鈥檚 socially conservative personal views caused, as well as a missed opportunity to seize the agenda in an election campaign when Canadians didn鈥檛 seem enthusiastic about either Scheer or Trudeau.
MacKay, who was briefly the leader of the Progressive Conservative party before it merged with the Canadian Alliance to create the Conservative Party of Canada, did not run in the 2017 leadership race. He has recently been downplaying any suggestions that he鈥檚 looking to take the helm of the party since the prospect bubbled up during the election.
According to Scheer鈥檚 Director of Communications Brock Harrison, the two men have not spoken since they were both at a campaign stop in Nova Scotia during the election.
Former Conservative cabinet minister Joe Oliver defended MacKay Thursday, noting he worked hard for Scheer during the campaign.
鈥淚 think he鈥檚 remaining a loyalist to the party. He鈥檚 expressing frustration that some people feel, that we just couldn鈥檛 get it done in last election,鈥� Oliver said during an appearance on CTV鈥檚 Power Play.
Oliver noted that MacKay hasn鈥檛 indicated that he is going to take a shot at the Conservative leadership, adding 鈥渨e should take him at his word at this point.鈥�
Meanwhile Brad Trost, former Conservative MP in Saskatchewan, said he has heard rumblings from other Conservatives who are eager for a shot at the position.
鈥淚 think the problem for Andrew going forward is not just that social conservatives are disappointed with him, it鈥檚 that all conservatives had higher expectations,鈥� Trost said Thursday on CTV鈥檚 Power Play.
鈥淎nd even if people aren鈥檛 thinking about a leadership challenge now, as they hear Peter McKay and others publically muse about it 鈥� whether they say they are or not 鈥� it鈥檚 going to encourage others to jump in.鈥�
MacKay's open net analogy sparked between Conservatives, with Deputy Conservative House Leader Chris Warkentin tweeting: 鈥淏ig words for someone who didn鈥檛 even suit up and get on the ice,鈥� to which former Conservative MP Alex Nuttall responded: 鈥淗ave some respect for the man who gave up his leadership to unite the right so people like you could get elected.鈥�
The Conservative caucus of 121 MPs will meet next week, after Scheer spent a few days this week huddled with senior members of caucus to plot their Official Opposition strategy going into a relatively stable Liberal-led minority Parliament.
Because of the election loss, a leadership review will be triggered at the party鈥檚 convention in Toronto in April, but it鈥檚 possible, if there are enough unsatisfied MPs who got elected under Scheer鈥檚 banner, that they unite and oust their leader sooner.
Under 鈥� a contentious legislative initiative led by once-Conservative leadership hopeful Michael Chong and passed in 2015 鈥� MPs in a caucus have the ability to trigger a leadership review and vote within their caucus.
Should the Conservative caucus agree to the parameters of the Act 鈥� something they did not do at the start of the last Parliament 鈥� it would take just 20 per cent of the caucus to sign on in agreement of a review. The actual secret ballot vote requires a majority to vote to replace the leader.
Chong sent an email reminding MPs of their ability to prompt a leadership review, in the context of informing them of their legal obligations under the Act.
Each caucus is required to hold four votes at their first caucus meeting to decide whether they will enable the caucus鈥� ability to remove an MP from caucus, remove a caucus chair, remove a party leader, or elect an interim leader.
鈥淢y intention in sending the email is to remind all members of parliament of their legal obligations under the Reform Act rules that were adopted in the 41st Parliament. I sent the same email after the last election in 2015, so I wouldn鈥檛 interpret my sending if the email as unusual,鈥� Chong said in an email to CTV News.
With files from CTV News鈥� Kevin Gallgher
