Lisa Raitt too in fray

Former cabinet minister Lisa Raitt has resigned from her role as finance critic to focus on a potential bid for the federal Conservative Party’s leadership.

In a series of statements on Twitter, she thanked interim leader Rona Ambrose for the opportunity to serve over the last year. She said she had been making sure that holding the Liberal government to account on the economy was her top priority.

But now, “to ensure full attention, I am stepping aside as finance critic while I continue discussions on the future leadership of the party,” she wrote.

Although she represents the riding of Milton, Ont., in the Greater Toronto Area, Raitt is originally from Cape Breton and is expected to emphasize her roots in Atlantic Canada in her potential leadership bid, particularly now that fellow Nova Scotian and former cabinet minister Peter MacKay has decided not to run.  Raitt recently disclosed that her husband has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.