After nearly 55 years in public service, Roy Bailey said he's learning how to take it easy and spend some time with his wife Helen, despite missing some aspects of his public life.

An official retirement supper was held for the two-term former MP for Souris-Moose Mountain on Thursday evening at McKenna Hall, featuring the federal Conservative leader Stephen Harper as the keynote speaker. The hall was packed, including media from throughout the southeast attending the event organized and emceed by current MP Ed Komarnicki.

Commenting he felt awed by the tribute given him by the party, Bailey said, "This is the greatest constituency in the world. I've always felt that. I miss my contacts around the constituency."

He added he still gets calls from people around the riding, even though he's no longer the MP, and many times it's to sound out his opinion or find out what he knows about a given story out of Ottawa.

Bailey reiterated his support of Harper as leader, commenting, "No one's doing the job he is. He's an excellent leader."

After receiving the first of two standing ovations, Bailey told the audience, "It almost makes me want to run again as MP. Eight years ago in this very hall I was nominated to run as your MP. I've never regretted winning that nomination, and I never regretted spending the last seven years of my public life as your MP."

He went on to thank his supporters in Souris-Moose Mountain for their "generosity, good will and cooperation you've afforded me the last seven years. I don't ever remember getting a nasty letter or a nasty phone call. The reason is I represented a constituency of hospitality and good will, and the respect we had for one another was overwhelming."

Bailey noted that, as of June 28 of this year, he will have served the public for 55 years, first as a teacher, principal and director of education, then as an MLA, and finally as an MP for seven years. He has served with both former incarnations of the Conservatives, first the Reform Party and then the Canadian Alliance.

Harper began his talk by giving an idea of how busy Bailey had been during his seven years as an MP, pointing out he sat on a total of 14 committees, and made a point of visiting each of the 108 communities in his riding at least twice, putting over 300,000 kilometres on his car.

"When I ran for the leadership, we spent a lot of time on the road. It was obvious to me the confidence the citizens of his area had in Roy Bailey, and if Roy Bailey had confidence in me, the people had confidence in me. Roy was also effective as a critic," said the leader, noting Bailey was at one point known as "chief gopher herder."

Bailey later explained that title, saying, "We were being harassed as a party. The animal rights people were really after us because the wildlife federation was sponsoring a gopher derby to kill these varmints off. A lady flew in from Toronto and said she watched my speech. She asked, 'What do they eat?' I said, 'In the spring they eat anything green, especially chickpeas.' She said you should just sow chickpeas and then herd them all over there. We in Canada don't understand each other the way we should."

Harper said the current MP for Souris-Moose Mountain, Ed Komarnicki, is helping him tackle the fights he used to tackle with Roy.

"We need to end the terrible waste and mismanagement, lower the taxes and get money back into the pockets of the taxpayers of this country," said the Conservative leader to applause, adding this country's national defence is in sore need of actual support, especially our men and women in uniform in overseas situations.

Harper said the political system needs reforming, including the need for an elected Senate, and earned the loudest applause for saying the government needs to stand up for traditional family values, including recognizing in law that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.

In his last comment about Bailey, Harper said, "I still have to tell you it was with great disappointment that he told me he wanted to retire." He added a comment for Roy's wife Helen, "I can certainly understand the desire you have to spend more time together."

Earlier in the evening, his wife Helen expressed her thoughts about her husband's years of service.

"I've travelled a lot of miles with my husband. I've often thought I've gone a lot of places I wouldn't have gone if I hadn't married that old boy. Seven years has gone by quickly, and it's nice to have Roy home. We're going to take up living in a new place. Roy's going to learn how to fish and how to play golf, and he's going to help more with the dishes," she said, earning laughter with the latter comment.

The evening also included reading of some letters sent in by former MP colleagues of Bailey's, and a slide show of some of Bailey's time in Ottawa, as well as comments by MP John Duncan, Vancouver Island North, whose office was next to Roy's for the two terms he was an MP.