The Liberals may have a new leader, but the proposed united right party is still searching for leadership candidates -- and New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord says he won't be among the contenders.

"I've been very clear on that," Lord said at a meeting with premiers and the new Liberal leader, Paul Martin, Sunday. "I'm not running and I've been clear on that since Day 1.

"Nothing has changed my mind."

The Progressive Conservatives and Canadian Alliance have been searching for an attractive candidate to lead the proposed party ever since former Ontario premier Mike Harris ruled himself out earlier this month.

While both Tory Leader Peter MacKay and Alliance Leader Stephen Harper are sure to throw their hats into the ring, some feel a new face would help the united right party make headway in a general election expected next spring.

Lord -- who was born in Quebec and is fluently bilingual -- had been seen by many Tories as a strong possibility to head up the new party. Although one Tory MP had even offered Lord his seat in the House of Commons, until Sunday, the premier had been noncommittal to the idea of making a run at the leadership.

"The focus has to be on ratification," he said last week after a meeting with MacKay. "I want this to succeed. This will be beneficial for Canadians."

Meanwhile, former pro-footballer Larry Smith has indicated that he plans to throw his hat into the ring. Smith, who now works as the publisher of the Montreal Gazette, said in an interview with the paper that he has been getting calls seeking his candidacy.

He said he was initially lukewarm to the idea, "but as more and more people approached me, I decided I probably have an obligation to consider it and assess how serious the interest really is."

The bilingual 52-year-old played fullback for the CFL's Montreal Alouettes in the 1970s. He was league commissioner from 1992 to 1996 when he spearheaded the league's ill-fated expansion into the United States. He was named president of the Alouettes in 1997.

A spokesman said Smith will likely announce his intention to run for the leadership next month, after delegates vote on the proposed party merger.

"From my perspective, he's ready to go. The money's on the way and the organizers are on the way," Leo Housakos, a veteran Quebec political organizer for the Tories, told The Canadian Press.

A political novice, Smith will be in Toronto his week to meet with potential Bay Street supporters for his campaign.