Karen McCrimmon is feared. But she isn't counting her chickens yet.

And a parting shot

ABOVE THE FOLD

Q+A — KAREN McCRIMMON is disciplined.

It comes with the territory when you’re a military veteran — and the first woman to command a Canadian Armed Forces air force squadron. She’s also a political veteran, doing two tours on the Hill as MP before stepping down for personal and family health reasons.

Now, she’s jumping back into the ring, this time as the Liberals’ best bet of nabbing Kanata—Carleton from the incumbent PCs, who happen to be sweating the heavyweight contender’s candidacy not least because she’s got name recognition, has won the riding federally, and knows the district like the back of her hand.

But she’s not taking anything for granted.

Here, I speak with McCrimmon about why she’s re-entering the political fray, how the army prepared her for politics, being a self-described centrist and why the chalk horse isn’t counting her chickens just yet.

Tell us why you’re making a political comeback. “I’m a big believer in the public sector. I want first-rate publi…