Tom Rideout the astronaut? Former premier says his chances are better than Kevin O'Brien's
Gander MHA has no credibility, is finished with politics, says Rideout
Former premier and longtime Progressive Conservative MHA Tom Rideout says Gander MHA Kevin O'Brien is "whistling past the graveyard" if he thinks he has any chance of becoming a Member of Parliament.
Speaking as a panellist on the Corner Brook Morning Show Friday, Rideout lashed out at O'Brien, who was shuffled out of cabinet on Thursday by Premier Paul Davis.
Rideout said O'Brien has "no credibility" and is finished with politics, "as he should be."
O'Brien was one of three Progressive Conservative politicians cut from the cabinet in a move that will see the premier's inner circle shrink from 15 to 12.
During a post-swearing in news conference, O'Brien said he never had any intention of seeking re-election at the provincial level, because his sights are set on federal politics.
O'Brien said his intention is the seek the Conservative Party of Canada nomination in the newly formed federal riding of Coast of Bays-Central-Notre Dame, which will come into effect for the 2015 federal election, likely in October.
The district will mostly incorporate the riding of Bonavista-Gander-Grand Falls-Windsor, which has been held by Liberal MP Scott Simms for nearly 11 years.
"Kevin O'Brien got as much chance of defeating Scott Simms and being elected as a Member of Parliament as I got of being the next live astronaut on the moon," Rideout said in his typically blunt style.
CBC News contacted O'Brien for a response to Rideout's comments. He replied by email with the following statement: "I'm not interested in anything Tom Rideout has to say."
O'Brien and Rideout are former caucus colleagues, and both served in cabinet under former premier Danny Williams.
Rideout resigned from politics in 2008 following a dispute with the Premier's Office over road funding in his district.
He said Davis should have overlooked O'Brien when he formed his first cabinet in September.
A strong voice in Ottawa
O'Brien said Thursday he decided a "couple of years ago" that this would be his last term in the House of Assembly, and said his decision to leave provincial politics is not related to the premier's or the party's struggling popularity.
"I told him that. That he couldn't depend on me in the next election," O'Brien told reporters.
In an interview with the Central Morning Show on Friday, O'Brien said he is "convinced" that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservatives will win re-election this fall, and he believes it is important that Newfoundland and Labrador have a representative in that government.
It's time we re-entered the national level with a strong voice for Newfoundland and Labrador.- Kevin O'Brien
Currently, this province is represented in Ottawa by two New Democrat MPs and five Liberal MPs, including Avalon MP Scott Andrews, who was suspended from the Liberal caucus late last year pending an investigation.
O'Brien said he is "good friends" with several federal ministers. He specifically mentioned Defence Minister Jason Kenney, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, and Denis Lebel, who is the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs.
O'Brien was first elected as an MHA in 2003, and has served in various cabinet posts since 2006. He said this province could benefit from his experience if he were sent to Ottawa.
He is proud of his record as an MHA and cabinet minister, and added: "It's time we re-entered the national level with a strong voice for Newfoundland and Labrador."