 Capitalizing on his popularity, he decided to go into politics in the 1984 election.He served two terms as a Tory but was forced to run as an independent in the 1993 election after Kim Campbell barred him from running under the PC banner due to fraud charges, of which he was later acquitted.In 1997, Jean Chrétien named him ambassador to Haiti, and Liberal candidate Claude Drouin succeeded him in the 1997 election.