Former governor general Ed Schreyer announced on Thursday he will run for election as an NDP candidate in Manitoba.
Schreyer will run in the Selkirk/Interlake riding, which is just north of Winnipeg between Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipegosis in the west and Lake Winnipeg in the east.
At age 69 – Schreyer said his 70th birthday is next week – the former representative of the Queen said he's only two years older than Prime Minister Paul Martin.
"I feel I have a contribution to make..." he said. "It's time to get back into the fray."
Schreyer, a former premier of Manitoba and onetime MP, served as governor general from 1979-84, a controversial appointment at the time.
There should be no controversy about his return, Schreyer said. "There's also some precedent, in case you are wondering, for a governor general ... to re-enter public life. There's a lot of misunderstanding about that."
Schreyer said he wants to fix the Canadian parliamentary system, which he says is being damaged by too much power being concentrated in the prime minister and the Prime Minister's Office.
