MP Bill Casey reflects on 3 decades in Parliament as he prepares to retire

Bill Casey's route through 30 years of federal politics has been anything but a straight path.

Soon, that road will come to an end. Casey announced earlier this month he won't run in next year's federal election so he can spend more time with his family.

Casey was first elected in 1988 as a Progressive Conservative. He was defeated in 1993, but returned to Ottawa in 1997 and several subsequent elections. 

A rather significant hitch disrupted his career when, in 2007, he voted against the budget tabled by the Stephen Harper government, saying it broke the Atlantic Accord.

Casey recalls that as the most unforgettable moment of his time in Parliament. He said the moment was so confusing that he lost track of what was unfolding in the House of Commons and had to go up to the Speaker to understand what was going on.

"But I figured it out and I managed to get my vote in and a second later I was thrown out," he said. "It was chaotic. I was sitting in my seat and the press was leaning over the press gallery … and the Opposition was chanting, 'Bill, Bill, Bill.'"

After Harper expelled him from the caucus, Casey sat as an Independent until 2009, when he was diagnosed with cancer and resigned his seat.

"My doctor said if you don't get out of that circus, you won't recover," Casey said. "I hated to do it, but I just had to do it and I'm certainly glad I did it now in hindsight. I might not be here if I hadn't have done that."

Email from Trudeau

It was during his time as an Independent — Casey was assigned a seat in the very back row — that he got to know Justin Trudeau, who sat across the aisle from him.

Then, one day in 2014, Casey was sitting at home when he got an email "right out of the blue" from Trudeau.

"All he said was, 'Hi Bill, I'm going to come right out and ask you, will you run for the Liberals in the next election?'" Casey said. 

"I had not even thought about it. It hadn't crossed my mind, but it was an intriguing proposition."

He accepted that proposition and was elected with 63 per cent of the votes in the 2015 election.

Prospects for riding

Asked whether he believes the Liberals can hold on to the seat after he leaves, Casey replied with a laugh: "I didn't think they could hold it with me."

"A lot of things go into how an election turns out," he said. "It's partly the candidate, part leader, part policy, part the way people are feeling.… I certainly think the Liberals have a really good crack at it."

Casey said he feels privileged to have served in Parliament through the twists and turns of his career.

And the biggest lesson he's learned?

"Do the right thing. There's so many tugs on you when an issue comes up — will you do this or will you do that? Will people like me, will people not like me? Will I get elected? 

"Forget all that. You just gotta do the right thing."

With files from CBC Radio's Mainstreet Halifax

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