Less than two months after he was fired as the chair of the Crown corporation that runs the Prince Rupert bulk commodity terminal, veteran Tory Daniel Veniez is gearing up for a possible election bid - as a member of federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff's team. The former paper-and-forest executive and self-described "bag carrier" for three Mulroney-era ministers, said in an interview Thursday that he's leaning toward running for the Grit nomination in West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, which is currently held by Conservative MP John Weston.
"It's time for me personally to step up to the plate. I have a strong desire to serve - I just do.
"I'm not a professional politician by any stretch. I've never run for anything in my life. And I'd like to give it a shot," said Mr. Veniez, who has asserted he was fired by the Harper government because he was forcing coal companies to pay higher shipping rates.
Last month, Peace River Conservative MP Jay Hill told The Dawson Creek Daily News that Mr. Veniez, who publicly proposed privatizing Ridley Terminals Inc., was fired because he was "operating well outside his mandate."
Mr. Veniez, 47, said he he's been partly inspired to make a bid for the nomination by conversations with private-sector leaders "where I've said, 'Run. You run. I'll run. If you're so sick of things or if you think the guys who are sitting in the House today shouldn't be elected dog catcher, much less a member of Parliament or be appointed to the ministry, do something about it.'"
So he's considering his own advice, adding, "I think a lot more people who've got experience, who are broad gauged, who are well rounded in their experiences, who quite frankly aren't doing it for the paycheque, need to step up."
As for why he would move from the Conservatives to the Liberals, Mr. Veniez said he hasn't liked what he's seen from the Harper administration "on a policy level, but more important than that is character."
Calling himself a "Paul Martin Conservative and a Joe Clark Liberal," Mr. Veniez said the Grits are "a big-tent party and we need to be a big-tent country."
Having read all of Mr. Ignatieff's non-fiction works and met him in person, Mr. Veniez described the Liberal Leader as a "thoughtful guy" and the "real deal."
Mr. Veniez said he's already completed the party's vetting process and will be making a final decision on whether to run for the nomination in two to three weeks.
He is scheduled to meet with Mr. Ignatieff on September 3.
Asked what he thinks Conservatives will say when they find out he's considering running, Mr. Veniez replied, "I can tell you one thing, I won't be getting a Christmas card from them this year."
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