Ottawa — Former Ontario premier Mike Harris took a pass Sunday on running for leader of the new Conservative Party of Canada, dashing expectations of those who saw him as the best-placed candidate to solidify the new entity.
Despite rising expectations and an almost ready-made campaign team, Mr. Harris announced Sunday that he was enjoying his new life as a private citizen too much to give it up.
His move left some Tories concerned for the unity of the new movement, because Mr. Harris had been seen as acceptable to both Tory and Canadian Alliance voters.
His withdrawal leaves Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper and Tory Leader Peter MacKay as the most likely candidates, and also renews pressure on New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord to seek the job.
Mike Harris has decided against vying to lead a united Canadian Alliance-Progressive Conservative party. (Kevin Frayer/CP files)
"Like a lot of Canadians, I am tremendously excited by the recently announced proposed merger of the Canadian Alliance and federal Progressive Conservative parties," Mr. Harris said in a prepared statement.
". . . However, I've concluded that the decision I took two years ago was the right one for me then and is the right one now."
In an interview with Toronto's CFTO Television, Mr. Harris appeared relaxed and happy, a marked contrast to the often grim demeanour he exhibited during the latter part of his reign as Ontario premier.
Despite his decision not to run, Mr. Harris insisted he will play a role in the united right.
"I'm going to support this party; I'm going to buy a membership; I'm going to be active; I'm going to raise dough," he said.
He rejected suggestions that he withdrew out of fear that his private life might be upended by leading the party. Mr. Harris now lives with Laura Maguire, whose divorce from a former hockey player had been the subject of news stories when embarrassing records from her pending divorce were made public.
Her estranged husband has accused Ms. Maguire of turning her back on their children to spend time with Mr. Harris. Ms. Maguire rejects the allegations.
Mr. Harris had issued a statement condemning the scrutiny of his girlfriend, but he denied Sunday that the media attention played a role in his decision to stay out of the race.
"Laura was an enthusiastic supporter," he said. "I was encouraged by my family to make my own decision. I did."
Tory MP Scott Brison said he was disappointed in Mr. Harris's decision, saying the former premier could have brought together the Tory and Alliance sides of the proposed new party.
He was also upset with a number of Alliance MPs who criticized Mr. Harris last week for not doing enough to bring the two parties together. "In doing so, they are weakening the new party before it even starts," said Mr. Brison, who is also seriously considering a run.
There are some within the party who believe that neither a rock-ribbed Alliance candidate nor a red Tory can lead the new party. That left Mr. Harris, who had both Alliance members and Tories in his caucus, as a popular compromise.
A spokesman for one of his most enthusiastic backers, Ralph Klein, said the Alberta Premier was counting on a Harris candidacy.
"Mr. Klein will be disappointed because he very much believes that Mike Harris would be a great candidate for leadership of the united small-c conservative party," Gordon Turtle said.
Despite his popularity, many Alliance and Tory members expressed doubts about a Harris candidacy, noting that he doesn't speak French and that his old government was recently trounced in the provincial vote by the Liberals.
Sources said Sunday that Mr. Harris had made numerous calls recently to conservative political contacts nationwide, and the message he received from some was that he stood virtually no chance of winning the next election.
Some told him that, although they admired his economic leadership in Ontario, his record would be viewed as too extreme in many parts of the country.
Asked Sunday whether he carried too much baggage into the federal arena, Mr. Harris acknowledged that some people might have been upset with his record, but said he had accomplished much.
"I understand when you make difficult decisions not all will agree. There are those who believe in big government and believe in a collective view of the world. That's not my view."
Deb Hutton, a spokeswoman for the former premier and a long-time friend, insisted Mr. Harris decided against a return to politics for purely personal reasons.
"There's nothing more to it at all," Ms. Hutton said. "He's having a great time [in private life]; he's enjoying what he's doing. It's about as simple as it gets."
She said Mr. Harris had a lot of support in the party.
"As recently as Friday we were getting people on board who were unbelievable in their calibre and expertise," Ms. Hutton said. "We had support in every single province across the country. He could have won the thing; there's no doubt in my mind."
One senior Tory source suggested Sunday that Mr. Harris's decision will place additional pressure on Mr. Lord to run, a possibility that now appears somewhat more likely than it was just a week ago.
"It's doable," the source said of a Lord candidacy, even though Mr. Lord holds a razor-thin lead over the opposition Liberals in New Brunswick.
"Would there be pressure on Bernard Lord? I suspect people are making calls," said University of Waterloo political scientist Peter Woolstencroft. "I think he's interested, but it's a timing thing."
Mr. Lord was re-elected only this year, and his party has just a one-seat majority in the legislature. Still, Mr. Lord was one of the individuals Mr. Harris phoned Sunday to let him know of his decision. The two men also spoke last week about his possible candidacy.
Mr. MacKay said in an interview that Mr. Harris's decision was disappointing, but that it should not be viewed as a blow to the proposed new party.
"I view this as a very deeply held personal decision that Mr. Harris has made, but I also feel it speaks very positively of the creation of a new conservative party that Mike Harris was so serious about this."
In a prepared statement, Mr. Harper said he is not surprised that Mr. Harris decided not to run.
"The rigours of public life are great, and they do take a toll on one's self and one's family," Mr. Harper said in a written statement. "So I do understand his decision."
With reports from Peter Cheney and Canadian Press
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