An emotional New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Leader Bernard Lord is comforted by his wife, Diane, as he addresses supporters in Moncton on election night 2006. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

After Bernard Lord makes his exit from New Brunswick politics by stepping down as leader of the Progressive Conservative party on Dec. 13, 2006, speculation still swirled about what he would do next.

The former premier not only resigned as party leader, but quit his seat for the Moncton East riding. Under his watch, the party suffered election defeat in September 2006 after seven years in power. His popularity among New Brunswick voters is at an all-time low, according to a recent poll.

Lord's political image remains untainted on the national stage, however, and the marginal loss voters handed his party in the 2006 provincial election might just be the best thing to happen to the young politician.

Days after the election loss, there was talk in the media and among politicians about how he may be a good fit for federal politics. It's not the first time there was such chatter. Lord turned down a chance to take a run at the top job of the Progressive Conservatives in 2002 and later the merged Conservative party.

Lord, 41, has served two back-to-back mandates in New Brunswick. He swept into power in 1999 on a rash promise to remove tolls from a privately built highway, winning 44 of 55 seats and ending 12 years of Liberal rule under three successive premiers.

In 2003, he nearly lost the election to Liberal Leader Shawn Graham when he underestimated voter anger over skyrocketing car insurance rates and has spent the last three years in a bare-knuckle fight to maintain his slim majority in the legislature.

Lord rolled the dice on calling a general election for Sept.18, 2006, well before the end of his mandate, when his one-seat majority was set to vanish with the resignation of Tantramar Tory MLA Peter Mesheau. Even though his party won slightly more of the popular vote than the Liberals, the Tories lost the battle for individual ridings, winding up three seats behind the Liberals and on the opposition benches.

The seven years in power have taken a toll on Lord. He is greyer and appears older than his years, but has emerged with his national profile mostly intact. He has maintained the loyal support of his constituents in Moncton East and continues to win the respect of federal Tories.

In the days following the Liberal win, Lord hasn't said what he wants to do next, but observers in Ottawa and New Brunswick aren't willing to write off his political career just yet.

'Write his own ticket'

Saint John Tory MLA Trevor Holder said it best the morning after the election.

"I don't think that Bernard Lord's days have come and gone. I think that this guy could write his own ticket in terms of what he wanted to do from this point onward. He's bright. He's articulate. He's disciplined. And that's going to bode well whether it's in politics or it's in the private sector."

When Lord's Tories won the 1999 election, he was a fresh-faced lawyer, effortlessly bilingual and just 33 years old with a beautiful, intelligent wife and two adorable children. To many, he seemed the perfect leader to shake up a province mired in a government that had held power for too long.

But once in the premier's office, Lord was forced to keep his promises. He faced several trying years as premier, dealing with a Liberal legacy at odds with his vision.

The decision to remove the highway tolls was, in retrospect, a pledge many believe he should not have kept. It immediately cost New Brunswick taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and continues to cost millions more every month as taxpayers pay shadow tolls to the private company that built the highway on behalf of out-of-province trucks that roll through the province free of charge.

Lord faced the unthinkable in 2001 when New Brunswick's 1,300 doctors went on strike demanding higher wages. That began months of labour conflict that included a strike by thousands of hospital workers and strained contract talks between the government and several other unions.

While trouble brewed at home, Lord gained a reputation on the national stage. He consistently punched above his weight class at first ministers' meetings, arguing for more health-care money and a fairer equalization formula for the so-called "have-not" provinces, impressing his fellow premiers and Tories across the country.

In 2002, as the federal Progressive Conservative Party cast about for a replacement for Joe Clark, Lord delivered an electrifying speech at a policy convention in Edmonton, prompting high-profile partisans to launch a web campaign to draft the boyish politician to Ottawa.

National temptation

From a distance, Lord's intelligence and dual culture seemed exactly what the federal party needed. While New Brunswick struggled to find its footing under the new Tory regime, Lord seemed tempted by the national stage. He flirted with the idea for several weeks before announcing he'd stay at home, raise his family and continue as premier.

The next few years were smoother for Lord and his Tory government. He balanced the books, cut taxes, reduced the province's debt load, raised the minimum wage and tried desperately to save jobs in the troubled forestry sector. He updated the province's old bilingualism act to extend to municipalities and honoured former Liberal premier Louis Robichaud as a visionary in the provincial legislature. He invested more in schools than any other premier before him, banned junk food, provided more money for classroom supplies and to hire more teachers to reduce class size. He also began the process of democratic reform, commissioning a report that would change the way New Brunswickers elect their governments.

Despite all that, Lord's popularity at home continued to wane. Critics accused him of taking too long to make decisions, being thin-skinned, overly partisan and unresponsive to the needs of the people. He bore the blame for high car insurance costs and nearly lost the 2003 election to the Liberals.

But Lord continued to be most attractive from a distance. He has maintained his genial relationship with his fellow premiers and has consistently stood behind the policies of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

No longer burdened with the job of premier, Lord's options are wide open. On election night, when his loss was confirmed, Lord seemed almost relieved the job was over and delivered a possible hint about what could come next.

With his wife, Diane Hache, and their two children at his side, Lord told supporters how grateful he is to live in a country where governments are chosen with a pencil and not a gun. He took a moment to thank the soldiers in Afghanistan, expressing his complete support for the federal Conservative government's commitment to continue sending soldiers into battle there and to support their efforts to preserve democratic values. It could have just been a gracious comment to a province filled with military connections, but it sounded much like someone who hasn't ruled out a career in federal politics.

In the end, the 2006 loss could be the best result for an ambitious young bilingual politician from New Brunswick. The election result is not necessarily a rebuke because his party gained votes over 2003. It could be considered an achievement, a pat on the back as Lord heads off to bigger and better things, leaving the thankless job of premier to somebody else.

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