Earlier today, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion announced his decision to step down as soon as the Liberal Party chooses its new leader. In making his announcement, M. Dion made clear the importance that the Liberal Party enter the upcoming session of Parliament with a new leader who can hit the ground running, instead of a long, drawn-out farewell from now until the scheduled May convention in Vancouver.
Many viewed the poorly produced video address, and the confusion that surrounded it, as the last straw for the rest of the Liberal caucus, which swiftly moved to force Dion out the door. While M. Dion is a good man who has spent much of his life fighting for his country, he was sadly the wrong leader at the wrong time. Taking over the Party at a time when there was no money in the bank, his bookish demeanor and certain quotable sound bytes left him vulnerable to a Conservative onslaught. Having been portrayed as weak, Canadians weren't prepared to give him the reins of power, and held their noses and voted for Harper in the end. Unfortunately, M. Dion will leave his post as only the second elected Liberal Party Leader since Confederation not to become Prime Minister.
The coalition proposal is nothing more than a passing fancy. It provides a valuable tool to keep Stephen Harper in line, and stop him from engaging in a reckless agenda. However, with respect to long-term electoral strategy, it is a bad idea. The coalition forces the Liberal Party even further left, in a country where elections are won and lost in the political centre. The Conservative Party is continuing to tilt towards the right, and at this moment, there is no representation for those in the political centre. At the end of it, it seems that Michael Ignatieff is poised to assume the leadership, holding an overwhelming majority of caucus support. While some in the Party are concerned about Mr. Ignatieff, his political leanings are far more palatable than his only remaining opponent. Mr. Rae, for all his charisma and excellent ideas, is simply the wrong man, in my view. His dogged support for this coalition on a long-term basis threatens to force the Liberal Party to cede the political centre for decades to come. His legacy as Premier of Ontario is an added obstacle to electoral success in Canada's biggest province. Mr. Ignatieff will move the Liberal Party back towards the centre, which is where the Party needs to be if it is to have any chance of forming government again. Current polling, which reflects a double digit lead for Mr. Ignatieff over Mr. Rae further cements the fact that the political centre in Canada is far more prepared to vote for Mr. Ignatieff.
With all of this in mind, the Canadian Post is endorsing Mr. Ignatieff's bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada.
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2 comments:
I'm with you in thinking Ignatieff is the better of the two choices. But I just wish there was someone else. I liked LeBlanc to be honest, but it just wasn't his time. Maybe in a few years.
Hey Pearce, I definitely agree with you. I think LeBlanc was a breath of fresh air. After we lost the last election, I was one of the people who really wanted him to run. He's smart, articulate, young, energetic, and centrist. He's able to reach out to all sorts of constituencies, and I think he was far and away the best choice available. Unfortunately, circumstances cut off the time he would have required to sign up new members. It looks to me as though LeBlanc saw the writing on the wall, realized that as it stands, Ignatieff has the party sewn up, and decided that it was best to drop out and back the winner. If he plays his cards right, he can set himself up as the heir apparent for the next round. If he runs next time, I'll be hard pressed not to support him.
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