Peter MacKay retirement to make Conservatives' job in N.S. tougher

Although Nova Scotia is seen as a small "c" conservative province, the federal party has struggled, in recent decades, to find enough fertile ground to win a majority of seats in the province.

Peter MacKay's sudden decision to retire from politics makes that job a lot harder.

One of the main selling points for any candidate is the ability to deliver for the riding. MacKay could and did bring home the political bacon.

From the still-under-construction Halifax Convention Centre to the millions spent on dredging Sydney Harbour, not to mention the hundreds of smaller riding related projects that received federal funds, MacKay has been the go-to guy for financial support over the past decade.

A long-time conservative described him on Friday as the most influential MP the province has sent to Ottawa since Alan J MacEachen.

The eight-term Liberal cabinet minister and senator is widely considered one of the province's most respected and successful politicians. He too delivered for his constituents.

Although Gerald Keddy has been in Ottawa as long as MacKay, the closest he's been to the circle of power is a role as caucus whip. His influence was minuscule compared to MacKay's.

Although Keddy did go his own way in 2005, he was one of only a handful of Conservative MPs to support same-sex marriage when the issue came to a vote in the House of Commons.

The two other Conservative MPs in the province, Greg Kerr and Scott Armstrong, have always toed the party line and, like Keddy, benefited from MacKay's influence.

Kerr is a two-term MP who is not reoffering for health reasons. The Buchanan-era provincial politician suffered a stroke in January 2013.

Armstrong won his seat in Cumberland Colchester Musquodoboit Valley in a byelection in November 2009. He was re-elected in 2011, but will face his toughest challenge this fall with the return to politics of Bill Casey who represented the area as a Conservative then as an Independent prior to Armstrong.

MacKay has promised to to help Armstrong campaign in the coming election, but with party support at a low ebb, it's unclear just how much influence a soon-to-be-retired cabinet minister will have.

The shine rubs off quickly when you're a former federal cabinet minister. Just ask Jim Prentice.

Since being shut out in the 1993 election, the Conservatives have had to claw and scrape to make gains in Nova Scotia.

The party won fives seats in 1997 when the governing Liberals lost every seat they won four years previous. That's been the best showing to date for the Conservatives who held only three seats through most of the 2000s.

Incumbency almost always helps when it comes to winning votes. With three of Nova Scotia's four conservative seats about to become vacant as soon as the writ is dropped, the job for conservative campaigners just got a lot tougher.