Today, the Telegraph-Journal endorsed Robert MacLeod.
Like many others, I will be there this Saturday at the Convention in Fredericton to vote him in!
This weekend, Progressive Conservatives will make a decision with profound implications. They’re going to choose a new leader – potentially, a future premier. Which candidate would be the better choice?
The race has narrowed to two options, David Alward and Robert MacLeod. Both are hard-working, decent men, concerned about this province and committed to improving it. Both are cabinet material. In our opinion, only one has the skills and experience to become a first-rate premier.
These are challenging times. New Brunswickers are facing a global recession, high energy prices and uncertainty about the future. The Liberals have an ambitious agenda. Conservatives must counter with a strong agenda of their own – one that seizes common ground and strives to advance the issues, as a young Richard Hatfield did with the policies of Louis J. Robichaud.
Given New Brunswick’s history of electing governments to a second term, it’s going to be a challenge. The next PC leader must be a unifier, bridging the urban-rural divide. He must be a strategic thinker, able to create a new growth plan. He must be a doer – a politician with executive experience, able to shape his party’s platform into good policy.
The only candidate who meets these criteria is Robert MacLeod.
Mr. MacLeod has served his party in several executive positions, including president, and is the son of Malcolm (Mac) MacLeod, a powerhouse in Richard Hatfield’s cabinet. But leadership requires more than political credentials – and Mr. MacLeod has a great deal more.
Business savvy is one of his strengths. He has held management positions with top companies, from McCain Foods to one of New Brunswick’s oldest firms, G.E. Barbour Inc. He is also a founding director of the N.B. Innovation Foundation. He knows what New Brunswickers can accomplish and understands the global pressures and political obstacles to economic development. This knowledge will be invaluable as Conservatives come to terms with the changing economy.
There is a crucial difference between being a government minister and being a corporate vice-president: a minister executes policy decisions, an executive makes them. Robert MacLeod has had to delegate, investigate, correlate information and formulate policy. He is trained to find out where the problems are and devise effective solutions. These are skills every aspiring premier should have.
Mr. MacLeod has lived in rural communities and urban areas, in various parts of the province. He understands rural concerns and the pressures growth is placing on cities. He is trying to unite New Brunswickers behind a common vision of prosperity.
David Alward is a good man with a modest record as a minister under Bernard Lord. In the current situation, that is not enough. The next Progressive Conservative leader must debate public policy during an economic crisis. Mr. Alward has given little indication how he would do so.
Robert MacLeod has more to offer. He would be able to deliver pointed policy critiques and force government to raise the level of debate. He has the skills to forge the Conservative Party into a government-in-waiting. If elected premier, he could manage his cabinet through good times or bad.
The Telegraph-Journal’s mandate is to advance public debate, with the goal of making New Brunswick better. This principle informs every editorial we write.
Conservatives must decide which candidate is best equipped to lead, knowing that New Brunswickers will cast the final vote.
Don’t forget to check out his website too!
