A day after Liberal MP Stephen Owen announced he would be resigning from politics, he praised his party for being in one of its "strongest positions" in years.
Talking to CTV Newsnet, Owen said he has few concerns over the future of the Liberals, especially with all the new blood the party has attracted over the past couple of years.
"The Liberal party is in one of its strongest positions, perhaps paradoxically in the last decade because of the year-long leadership campaign," he said. "We've brought a lot of new people into the party, members as well as contenders."
"Finances are low, but that's what you would expect," he added.
Owen, 58, also had high praise for Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, whom he called a man of "integrity, intelligence, experience and courage."
"He's got them all, and I think the Canadian public will get to understand that more as we go along," he said.
Owen, who has represented Vancouver under the last two governments, has accepted a job at the University of British Columbia as vice-president of external and community relations.
He was recruited under former Prime Minister Jean Chretien in November 2000 and continued to serve under Paul Martin. He is currently the opposition critic for democratic reform.
"I'm ready to get on to other things," he said. "Some people make a career of [politics] and some people do other things and come into it for a while and take what they've learned and add that experience to other roles.
"That's what I hope I'm doing."
