West Nova MP cites health reasons; will work full time until 2015 vote By Lawrence Powell /The Spectator/[email protected] West Nova MP Greg Kerr won’t be running in next year’s federal election, he said today in an interview at his home in Granville Centre near Annapolis Royal. The former high school teacher turned politician said the decision to not re-offer in the October, 2015 vote was a family consensus based on his health. “I have made the decision not to run again,” Kerr said. “Certainly I am still passionate about what I do. As my colleague friend Robert Thibault said when we went head to head in ’06 he thought I was too old to be a candidate so I guess if I was too old then I probably still am. But that’s certainly not the reason we made this decision. I say ‘we’ because it’s very much a family decision. A year ago January, I did have a small stroke and it did have some repercussions. And I think probably being sensible about it you recognize that such things as the energy level is not there – it’s not something I can bring back. And there are some challenges that are physically there as well. So I think being practical is the best way to look at it and know that to run again means I’d have to commit to a four-year term if in fact it was a win and majority, and I just think probably with my health concerns that we’re making the right decision.” But Kerr won’t be slowing down anytime soon. Today he was packing his suitcase to go back to Ottawa on Sunday. “It doesn’t mean I won’t work hard till the very end,” he said about his decision to not reoffer as the Conservative candidate for West Nova. “I certainly will. That’s what I’m signed up to do and so until the 2015 election I will be full-time MP. We just felt the time had come to probably make it clear that running again was not an option – I think is the way I want to go.” Timing: Although he had considered making the announcement not to re-offer in the summer, Kerr said making the decision public now made more sense because anyone thinking about running in his place would want lead time -- given that a nominee must be a member of the party for at least six months before the nomination meeting. “And it’s possible there could be a nomination meeting in the fall sometime, and so those who might consider running would need time to think about it and obviously go through whatever process that they feel is appropriate for them.” He said the process is done with the electoral district association made up of members from across the riding and party officials in Ottawa who decide the timing of when a nomination take place. “The election is in October 2015 and I think anybody who is running for office needs time to get out there and meet people and certainly get known and be clear on the fact they are prepared to commit to this kind life because it’s challenging, it’s rewarding, but it’s also very challenging so it’s not for the faint of heart to simply say ‘ah, I’m going to run and win.’ It’s a matter of a lot of work and a lot commitment.” NO REGRETS: “From my perspective I have absolutely no regrets that I ran and won,” Kerr said about his many years in politics. “For me it goes back into the late 1970s. Some days are better than others and I guess that’s what life is like. I really enjoy working with people, I do enjoy working with people still, and I still think there is a lot we’ve got to get done. I think it is important that anybody going into this realizes that it’s about what you can get done for the area, for the community, for the people. And it’s something that you just are doing as a public service -- it’s not for any particular individual or reward – even though it is rewarding working with people, getting things done. At the end of the day it is a public service.” Kerr has been a politician in all three levels of Canadian politics, having served 15 years as a provincial MLA (13 of those years as a cabinet minister), four years as a municipal politician in Annapolis County, and has been West Nova MP since 2008 when he narrowly defeated Liberal Robert Thibault.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 19:38:25 +0000
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