Ottawa -
Conservative Senator Fabian Manning is strongly hinting at a run for his old seat in the House of Commons.
"I am giving consideration to stepping down to run as a member of Parliament again in the Avalon riding," Manning said in an interview at his Parliament Hill office.
"I haven't totally decided on that yet. I'm getting a fair amount of inquiries and support from people. I'll make the decision when the time comes. It's like the song that George Jones had - I have choices, and I'll make the choices when the time is right."
Manning had a long and sometimes tumultuous career in the provincial House of Assembly. He was ultimately turfed from the Tory caucus by Premier Danny Williams in a dispute over crab quotas.
In 2006, Manning jumped to federal politics, taking an upset victory in Avalon.
But two years later, Liberal Scott Andrews defeated Manning, aided by the premier's "ABC" campaign that shut out the Harper Conservatives in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The prime minister appointed Manning to the Senate soon after his election defeat.
Manning stressed Thursday that he has not made a final decision about whether to resign from the Senate to run again for MP.
But he has mapped out what he considers a path to victory in his former riding.
Manning knows the exact number of voters - 4,204 - who didn't show up in 2008 after voting for him two years earlier.
A couple of thousand others instead cast ballots for the New Democrats or Green Party in what he considers a protest vote.
Meanwhile, the Liberal vote only grew by several hundred.
"A lot of people stayed home," Manning said.
"There's still an opportunity there for our party in that riding."
He said he hears grumbling when he travels throughout the Avalon riding as part of his Senate duties.
"I hear the message - there's a lot of people who are really not satisfied with the representation they may be receiving," Manning said.
He insisted he has nothing against Andrews, who bested him in 2008. But Manning said being in opposition is a difficult position, and the province needs representation on the government side of the House of Commons.
"I miss elected politics, to be honest with you," Manning said. "The Senate is a great privilege, a great honour. It's extremely busy - I punch a lot of hours here, and a lot of that may be because we don't have a member of Parliament on the government side from Newfoundland."
He says he will consult with family members and those close to him before deciding whether to make the leap.
"Of all the jobs or all the positions I have had since I got involved in elected politics almost 20 years ago I have to say without a shadow of a doubt that the greatest opportunity I ever had was being a member for the riding of Avalon," Manning said.
rantle@thetelegram.com
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
