Peter MacKay Quotations

I was a crown attorney in my home town in Nova Scotia, and I learned that victims of crime needed better laws to better protect them. I saw politics as a means to improve this protection for them.

I find happiness comes from numerous sources in my life. Most often, the happy moments I cherish most are quiet moments with my wife and family back home in Nova Scotia.

I want to lead the Progressive Conservative Party, a party that will promote true conservative values and principles. I can tell you right now, I am not the merger candidate. I am not interested in institutional marriages with other parties.

I feel guilty about spending so much time away from home and loved ones.

What Canada has to do is to have a government connected to the priorities of the people of which it is elected to serve. Those priorities include ensuring medicare is sustainable, support for the military, and tax and justice systems that work.

There is no more dangerous country in the world today than Pakistan.

If the United States leads a multinational force into Iraq without United Nations backing, Canada should fight beside its neighbour. We've gone from being a middle power to a muddle power on this one.

We have to stress our conservative credentials and emphasize that we are the natural, national alternative to the Liberals. Clearly the Alliance has shown it can't break out of its Western box. The Alliance is at single-digit support in three quarters of the country.

It's not as if our party has a leadership campaign underway.

My gut tells me and continues to tell me that the Conservative party is on a road back to government.

We have to be focused on growing the party and getting young people to see us as a viable option.

You can't have a discussion about Israel and the region without including Iran and their nuclear ambitions.

I guess my natural inclination is to finish what I started. We have a Conservative government in Nova Scotia. What I want to see is a Conservative government in Ottawa.

We're going to go after the Hells Angels, not Ducks Unlimited. This idea that you can somehow create an atmosphere around people who are already respectful of the law and superimpose this blanket (handgun) ban as a solution -- a one size fits all, cookie-cutter approach -- is an absolute abysmal failure. It's publicly misleading and it doesn't drill down into the real problem.

From the cozy confines of 24 Sussex, the Prime Minister continues to dither on tax relief for Canadians,

for the simple reason that I love Nova Scotia. That's my home. It's where my family is and my heart ... so that always factors in.

This was not meant to be a slight to anyone.

The people who are involved in these type of shootings are not the type of individuals who are going to adhere to a gun ban or ever register a gun, period. The Liberal party has proven time and time again that they're more concerned with the optics than the practicalities of these issues.

He's doing very well and the more Canadians know of him the more they know that he's an honest, dedicated man ... and I like our chances, ... Stephen is somebody who I have a great deal of respect for.

He wanted to continue the work he was able to begin under a Liberal government. And he felt the best way for him to serve his constituents and get results and to focus on a file that is of huge importance to Canada -- namely softwood lumber -- that by being the Trade Minister he might just be able to make that breakthrough that will undoubtedly bring huge benefits back to Canada.

I would say they've got their foot on the gas and they are about to head off a cliff because they are not willing to talk, they are not willing to compromise.

I would never make a decision like this without speaking to Mr. Harper and others, and I would certainly have that discussion with the leader.

We know that there is an undeniable and unstoppable sentiment for change in the country. A change towards a new, clean, constructive attitude that will exist within a Conservative government.

There's a few people who are discontented -- this happens even in governing parties,

They appear to be consistently crossing the line step by step and becoming less and less communicative.

Nova Scotia is my home and I have a great deal of affection for my province but having said that, I made the decision some time ago to enter federal politics,

There's a very small window of opportunity and I think the government is going to take that opportunity away by ensuring that we don't have anything that would possibly trigger a vote of confidence or could be construed as such.

There's a lot of possibility that there could be a motion (on Thursday) that could be tantamount to confidence.

It's a clear signal that I'll be staying in federal politics supporting a man who I consider to be very honest and intelligent,

It's political blame, that's what is important here. Canadians will get their ultimate say and they will be the ones who will render a final judgment on Mr. Martin and the Liberal party. There's no separating the two.

They'll sign deals with the NDP. They'll buy members of Parliament. They'll make appointments. These are the things that caused the Parliament to descend into the type of acrimony we saw in the last session.

I learned a long time ago that you never say 'never', but this is all about timing and it's all about the commitment that I've given to the party and to the leader and to my constituents,

In fact, I'm told more who came from the other side of the legacy party (were affected), so this isn't something that is along party divisions or affiliations, it has nothing to do with that.

Before the government moves ahead with this legislation, Parliament needs to ensure that any new surveillance powers are complemented with adequate judicial oversight,

I don't think it bodes well for the Liberal Party . . . that nobody wants to step up to the plate. And now, with almost all of what I would describe as tier-one Liberal leadership candidates taking themselves out of the running, they are going to be left, really, with a void in this leadership campaign.

I believe I can be the person who can bring together conservatives across this country in a spirit of cooperation so that we can once again form government. This is not an agreement for merger with other political parties. Merger is a mathematical equation which does not guarantee victory.

I don't think we're ever going to be in a position where we can say this is the template, this is the checklist, that must be met [for intervention].

Cyberbullying is an issue that affects all of us and demands that Canadians work together to put an end to it. This national public awareness campaign is an important step in protecting our children online. Along with our government’s introduction of Bill C-13, the Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act, we are taking clear action to tackle cyberbullying.

Happy the society whose deepest divisions are ones of style.

The world is threatened by terrorism and violent extremism like never before. The rule of law is one of our chief defences against terrorism. Our shared values of freedom and democracy are shielded when like-minded nations work together to promote justice.

I've been called treacherous, stupid, venal, lazy ..and that's only by the Tories.