SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER
At his cottage in Kenora, Ont., earlier this month, Manitoba Premier Gary Doer and his friend, federal NDP Leader Jack Layton, spoke about absolutely everything from world affairs to whether Kenora was at one time part of Manitoba because the water from the lake flowed that way.
Omitted from their discussion, however, was any mention, hint or clue from Mr. Doer that he was poised to retire, Mr. Layton said.
Instead, they pondered a swim in the lake.
It appears now, however, that the 61-year-old NDP Premier, the country's dean of premiers, has been also pondering his exit. He is keenly aware of the fact, something he has mentioned publicly, that two successful premiers before him - Alberta's Peter Lougheed and New Brunswick's Frank McKenna - had both left on their own terms and, more importantly, after winning three elections.
Mr. Doer has certainly hit that mark and exceeded it - three elections, three majority governments, 10 years as Premier and 21 years as leader of the Manitoba New Democrats.
In his press conference yesterday, he would not say where he is going next, fuelling speculation about everything from a federal run for the Ignatieff Liberals to an ambassadorial appointment.
So far it's all rumours; nothing has been confirmed.
And all Mr. Doer would say is that he is not about to sit around and watch the soaps. He also ruled out a Senate appointment.
"He's going out on his own terms and I think we would all aspire to that," said Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, admitting yesterday that he, like so many others in the country and in Mr. Doer's own province, were surprised by his announcement.
He said that Mr. Doer "really took a national view" and provided a bridge between the East and the West as Premier of the province situated in the middle of the country and as a Premier with pan-Canadian views.
On energy and environmental issues, Mr. Wall said, his Manitoba colleague attempted to balance the interests of the Western provinces with those of Ontario and Quebec.
As well, he noted that Mr. Doer had a very "pragmatic" approach to his relationship with the prime minister of the day, preferring to work together with the federal government rather than pick a fight.
Les Campbell works with the National Democratic Institute in Washington but had worked for Mr. Doer during his early days in government. He credits his former boss's success to the fact that he is "very Canadian." He comes from a province that is not Eastern or Western, said Mr. Campbell, and he sounds like and presents himself as the "way we imagine a successful Canadian to look and to talk."
"This is a guy whose views on almost every issue are recognizable to mainstream Canada," Mr. Campbell said.
In Manitoba, Mr. Campbell said that the Premier cared about fiscal management, balancing his budgets, the environment and Crown corporations. For example, he campaigned in the 1999 provincial election against the Conservatives' privatizing Manitoba Hydro. He won.
Mr. Layton also noted that, as well as environmental issues, Mr. Doer's legacy will include education and child care. And he played well on the national stage, giving advice to Mr. Layton when the federal NDP Leader negotiated an extra $4.6-billion in a separate budget, which included social and environmental spending, with then Liberal prime minister Paul Martin in 2005. The deal ensured that Mr. Martin's minority government would survive for a time.
Mr. Layton said yesterday that Mr. Doer suggested that the priorities for that money should be toward postsecondary education, including for aboriginals.
"And so that became a part of the package," Mr. Layton said. "And he's given me much other good advice over the years."
A vigorous, athletic man who is a fan of the NFL and CFL (the Winnipeg Blue Bombers), Mr. Doer plays golf and squash and can hit a softball out of the park. Mr. Campbell says that the Premier is not a "guy who has no other life than politics. He's well-rounded ..."
Mr. Doer manages good relationships with politicians of all different stripes, including California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. They've bonded over environmental issues.
And then there is his friendship with former Alberta Conservative premier Ralph Klein. The two often teamed up on issues such as health care and federal funding.
Mr. Klein has kept in touch with Mr. Doer since he left politics. Last year, Mr. Klein travelled to Churchill, Man., with one of his sons to see polar bears. The trip was a retirement gift from Mr. Doer, according to Mr. Klein.
With a report from Katherine O'Neill