Elsie Wayne to leave federal politics

Canadian Press
Monday, February 16, 2004

SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- Elsie Wayne announced Monday she will make her exit
from federal politics, after just over a decade of colourful and often
controversial comments in the House of Commons. The Saint John MP and
deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada made the announcement at
a news conference in her home riding.

She will stay on until the next election, which she said she expects in the
fall. "It isn't an easy decision for me, particularly since I think
we'll probably form the next government, and I would have been in
cabinet," she said during the news conference.

Wayne, 72, was elected MP for Saint John in 1993, one of only two Tories to
win in that election. Although white-haired and matronly, the MP earned a
reputation as a fierce combatant on issues she cares about, including the
fight for benefits for merchant mariners, anything to do with the city of
Saint John and funding for the Canadian Forces.

But Wayne has also drawn criticism for her remarks during debate on
same-sex marriage in the House of Commons earlier this year. During a
speech, the MP said she wondered why men would want to appear "dressed
up as women on floats" in gay pride parades. She also suggested gays
and lesbians are only seeking publicity by campaigning for the right to
marry. "If they are going to live together, they can go live together
and shut up about it," she said. Those comments drew a rebuke from
Scott Brison, her former colleague in the Tory caucus, who described her
views as "rabid prejudice."

Brison quit the Conservative Party due to its social conservatism, but
Wayne, who was a fervent opponent of the merger, appeared to adjust
comfortably to the new political party. When other MPs defected she
dismissed their departure as unimportant, and suggested Prime Minister Paul
Martin would need to take pills to cope with the headaches he'd acquired.
She also has predicted that a decade of acrimony between the two parties
would all be forgotten as the party battles through its first session
together.

There has been a lot of speculation in recent weeks about Wayne's political
future, even suggestions of another run at the Saint John mayor's chair.
She held that office for four terms prior to entering the federal scene.
However, the usually vocal politician has been very quiet about her plans.


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