Four-term northern Alberta Conservative MP Brian Jean resigns his seat at the end of this week, almost a decade after he was first elected.
The Fort McMurray-Athabaska MP said in his Jan. 10 announcement that when first elected, he committed to no more than a decade in public life.
The 50-year-old lawyer and business owner also made a point of praising prime minister Stephen Harper in his resignation letter to stifle any speculation he was leaving because he was disgruntled in the Conservative caucus.
“Thank you to (Harper) for his leadership and allowing me the opportunity to publicly serve the greatest people and place in Canada,” he said.
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Harper returned the compliment in a statement issued moments after Jean’s announcement.
“On behalf of the entire Conservative caucus, I would like to thank Brian Jean for his hard work and years of devoted service to his constituents of Fort McMurray-Athabasca in the Parliament of Canada, to the Conservative caucus, and to all Canadians.”
In 2011, Jean won 72 percent of the vote in his riding.
He served as parliamentary secretary to the transport minister and helped pilot rail service legislation through the House of Commons transport committee in the last parliamentary session.
He said one of his goals when he ran for the Conservatives in 2004 was to work for the end of the long-run registry.
“In every job there is a right time to move on,” he said in his announcement.
“For me, the time has come. I’ve spent the past 10 years fighting for the priorities of northern Albertans in Ottawa and now I feel I’m needed right here at home in Fort McMurray.”
He is the second high-profile Alberta Conservative MP to retire during the past year.
Macleod MP Ted Menzies, elected in 2004 along with Jean, stepped down last year, saying he wanted to spend more time in his flood-damaged riding south of Calgary to help the local community.
Last week, he took his new job as Ottawa-based president of Croplife Canada.
