Blair MacLean

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Blair MacLean is a Canadian politician. He has campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons on two occasions, for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and the Conservative Party of Canada.

MacLean was born in Ottawa, Ontario, moved to Kingston as a child, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Philosophy from Queen's University in 1974 (Kingston Whig-Standard, 25 October 2000). He is a communications consultant and longtime party organizer, and has volunteered for groups such as the Community Foundation, the Salvation Army and the Arthritis Society.[1]

MacLean worked with his father in the firm of John B. MacLean Real Estate Broker after graduating, and was an executive assistant to provincial cabinet minister Keith Norton during the 1980s (Kingston Whig-Standard 23 March 1987). He campaigned for the provincial Kingston and the Islands Progressive Conservative nomination for the 1987 provincial election, but left the contest before the nomination meeting when he realized he could not win (KWS, 30 March 1987). He also sought the federal Progressive Conservative nomination for the 1993 election, but was not successful (Globe and Mail, 10 May 1993). MacLean was a frequent columnist for the Kingston Whig-Standard newspaper in the 1990s, and often wrote columns supporting the provincial government of Mike Harris and opposing local Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) Peter Milliken (KWS, 15 April and 17 July 1995).

He sought the federal Progressive Conservative nomination to face Milliken in 1997, but lost to former mayor Helen Cooper (KWS, 17 February 1997). In 1998, he was the local organizer for Joe Clark's bid to lead the federal PCs (KWS, 16 September 1998).

MacLean won the federal Progressive Conservative nomination for the 2000 federal election, defeating Hans Westenberg (KWS, 25 October 2000). He finished second against Milliken in the general election. In 2003, he supported Peter Mackay's bid to succeed Clark as party leader (KWS, 5 April 2003).

After being chosen as federal PC leader, Peter Mackay led his party into a merger with the Canadian Alliance as the Conservative Party of Canada. MacLean supported the merger, and defeated Stephen Taylor and Ron Turley to win the new party's nomination for the 2004 election (KWS, 23 May 2004). He finished second against Milliken with 12,582 votes (23.12%).

MacLean sought the Conservative nomination again for the 2006 campaign, but withdrew a week before the nomination (KWS, 16 May 2005).