Frank McKenna
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Francis Joseph "Frank" McKenna
PC OC QC ONB (born
January 19,
1948, in
Apohaqui,
New Brunswick,
Canada) is a
Canadian businessman and former
politician and
diplomat. He is currently Deputy Chairman of the
Toronto-Dominion Bank. He served as
Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2005 to 2006.
[1] He served as
Premier of New Brunswick from 1987 to 1997.
Private life
Frank McKenna was raised in the home of his
grandparents who lived adjacent to his parents, because his large family could not be wholly housed in his parents' home. After completing
high school in
Sussex, New Brunswick, he completed a
bachelor's degree at
Saint Francis Xavier University in
Antigonish,
Nova Scotia. He began
graduate studies at
Queen's University in
Kingston,
Ontario, but after working for a stint with
Allan MacEachen he took MacEachen's advice that most politicians are
lawyers and enrolled in
law school at the
University of New Brunswick in
Fredericton. After he obtained a law degree, he moved to
Chatham, New Brunswick, and began the practice of law. He became famous and something of a folk hero, particularly among
Acadians, as the defence solicitor in the high-profile murder case of famous New Brunswick boxing champion,
Yvon Durelle, in what was a widely publicized case.
New Brunswick politics
A few years later, he entered provincial politics and won a seat in the
Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the
1982 election to represent
Chatham. He became leader of the provincial
Liberals in 1985, and won one of the largest electoral victories in
Canadian history in
1987 when his party won every seat in the
legislature.
McKenna's term in office was viewed mostly as a success. His key priority throughout his term was job creation and he was known to say that the "best
social program we have is a job." He encouraged small business growth and tried to entice large companies to invest in the province with tax incentives, often directly calling individual professionals to urge them to bring their talents to New Brunswick. Another of his strategies was to raise the collective
self confidence of New Brunswickers, which he believed would increase productivity. He introduced a sophisticated
public relations operation which included the use of controversial
video news releases. He was criticized for increasing the number of communications personnel on the government payroll but countered this complaint by pointing out that the primary government communications agency,
Communications New Brunswick, had been depoliticized. Communications New Brunswick had been responsible to the Premier's chief of staff in past governments and McKenna made it report to the head of the
civil service. He was also criticized for creating a
toll free telephone number to the
premier's office which had the number 1-800-MCKENNA, the number was functional throughout
North America and was used for both New Brunswick constituents and business interests that were considering moving to the province.
Believing ten years was long enough for a premier to hold office, and having pledged to serve such a term when first elected, McKenna resigned in 1997 - 10 years to the day of the
1987 election.
Business career
After leaving office McKenna moved to
Cap-Pélé, New Brunswick, near
Moncton, and returned to the practice of law and sat on numerous corporate boards. He also purchased with his son James McKenna
Glenwood Kitchen Ltda manufacturer of high-end custom cabinetry in
Shediac, New Brunswick. His membership on the Canadian advisory board of the
Carlyle Group drew adverse media attention; the media ceased pursuing the issue when McKenna explained that the board was established to advise on a Canadian investment fund that the group never created and that the board had never become active. Following the announcement of his appointment as Canadian ambassador to Washington, he resigned his position as counsel at law firms as well as all positions on corporate boards including his role as interim
chairman of the board of
CanWest Global Communications, a post he assumed upon the death of its founder and chairman
Israel Asper.
Ambassador
McKenna was mentioned as a possible
Ambassador to the US to succeed
Michael Kergin after
Paul Martin took power. Speculation increased after
John Manley turned down Prime Minister Martin's offer. Many in the press commented on McKenna's business connections being an asset, notably as a member of the Carlyle Group and his friendship with former President
George H. W. Bush.
On
January 5,
2005, Prime Minister
Paul Martin's office confirmed that McKenna would be the 21st Ambassador to the United States. On
January 14, the posting was formally announced and would be effective on
March 1. McKenna became the Ambassador on
March 8 when
U.S. President George W. Bush accepted his credentials.
On
February 22,
2005, McKenna told reporters Canada was already a part of the U.S.
National Missile Defense (NMD) (or Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD)) program through an amendment to the
NORAD agreement made on
August 5,
2004, which granted U.S. access to NORAD's missile warning systems explicitly for use in NMD. However, Martin contradicted this
two days later when he announced that Canada would not formally participate in the NMD program but focus on other items of shared defence/security interest. While
Canadian defence minister Bill Graham said McKenna was simply misunderstood (as the NORAD agreement and missile defence are separate), this initial contradiction was interpreted by others as evidence of characteristic indecision by the Martin government and was seen to somewhat hamper McKenna's credibility.
As Ambassador, McKenna attracted more media attention than most of his recent predecessors on both sides of the border. In the U.S. his message was one of dispelling common
urban legends and misconceptions about Canada, while in Canada he urged Canadians to be more understanding of the American people and culture, particularly following what he argued is their understandable sensitivity after the
September 11, 2001 attacks.
McKenna generated controversy after giving a luncheon speech on
September 29,
2005, to a
Toronto business club. McKenna blasted the U.S. bureaucracy and
Congressional system of government saying "the government of the United States is in large measure dysfunctional." He contrasted it with Canada's government, and praised Canada's strong parliamentary
party discipline as being much more "efficient" though sometimes less preferable.
On
January 25,
2006, McKenna offered his resignation as Ambassador, writing to Prime Minister-designate
Stephen Harper that he wished to be relieved of his duties, but offering to stay on until his successor is chosen. He was succeeded as ambassador by
Michael Wilson on March 13, 2006.
Prospective career in federal politics
Since leaving politics in 1997, McKenna served for a brief time on the
Security Intelligence Review Committee. He has been touted several times as a potential
Atlantic Canadian minister in the cabinets of
Jean Chrétien and
Paul Martin. He expressed some interest in running in the
2004 federal election but announced he would not do so because of the lack of an available
riding in the
Moncton, New Brunswick, area. He did not want to push aside any incumbent Liberal member of Parliament.
After resigning the premiership of New Brunswick, McKenna was identified as a potential future leader of the
Liberal Party of Canada, and
Prime Minister of Canada. A poll released on
August 23,
2005, commissioned by the
Toronto Star, showed that McKenna was the top choice of the public to succeed Prime Minister Paul Martin. Among the general public, McKenna beat former
NDP Ontario Premier Bob Rae by a margin of 23 to 11 while among self-identified Liberals, McKenna beat former
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada John Manley by a margin of 28 to 13.
[1] The October 2005 issue of
Saturday Night magazine had pollster
Darrell Bricker and Liberal strategist
Warren Kinsella create
odds for potential Liberal leadership candidates. They made McKenna the favourite with 7 to 2 odds beating
Scott Brison (8 to 1),
Martin Cauchon (10 to 1),
Michael Ignatieff and
John Manley (each 15 to 1) among others.
On
January 30,
2006, McKenna confirmed earlier reports that he was not running for the
Liberal leadership to replace Paul Martin, who announced his resignation as party leader on the January 23, 2006 election night. McKenna acknowledged the strength of the Liberal brand stating: "You’ve got pretty good odds of being the prime minister if you're leader of the Liberal party" - nearly every leader of the Liberal party since Sir
Wilfrid Laurier in 1896 has been prime minister.
[2] However, he put an end to his involvement in the 2006 Liberal Party leadership race, explaining his decision by saying that he did not want "his life to become consumed by politics."
[3] and that: "I reminded myself of my vow upon leaving office that, having escaped the trap, I wouldn’t go back for the cheese."
[4]Banking Frank McKenna was appointed as Deputy Chair,
TD Bank Financial Group effective
May 1,
2006[5]. In his new role, McKenna will be responsible for helping to build long-term business relationships that support TD’s growth strategy in Canada and the United States.
McKenna will be responsible for supporting the company in its customer acquisition strategy, particularly in the areas of wholesale and commercial banking. In addition, he will be responsible for representing TD as it works to expand its North American presence as one of the continent's ten largest banks, as measured by market capitalization.
Further reading Philip Lee,
Frank: The Life and Politics of Frank McKenna, Goose Lane, 2001.
