‘Fiddling’ with Leadership
Rules Hasn’t Helped Liberal Party’s Future
March 22, 2006
Okay, I have to admit I’ve felt a few cringes
of sympathy in recent days for my traditional political
rivals in the Liberal Party of Canada. Can it get any
worse for the Liberals?
First, all of their most promising leadership contenders,
wisely assessing the near-bankrupt and politically aimless
state of the Liberal Party of Canada, took themselves
out of the race before it even began. Former U.S. Ambassador
Frank McKenna, former high-profile Liberal cabinet ministers,
John Manley and Allan Rock, as well as former Newfoundland
Premier Brian Tobin, all said “no way!”
So the Liberals changed the rules to make it easier to
finance participation in the leadership race. The result?
Gathering at the starting line is a bizarre group of potential
candidates that has induced reactions ranging from hilarity
to horror to bewilderment among Liberal Party members.
Bizarre turned to surreal when fiddler Ashley MacIsaac
announced this week that he’s very “serious”
about making a run at the Liberal leadership. MacIsaac,
a talented ‘Celtic rock’ fiddler he may be,
is as famous for his open and eerie descriptions of his
gay lifestyle, selling his fiddle to buy crack and meeting
the Queen while stoned on drugs.
Closer here to home, Hedy Fry says she intends to seek
the Liberal leadership. Ms. Fry is, of course, notorious
in our riding for her outlandish and unsubstantiated accusations
of racism in Prince George where, she claimed in 2001,
“crosses are being burned on lawns as we speak”.
Then there’s Belinda Stronach. I can’t be
sure, but I think her entry into the leadership race might
interest the Guinness Book of World Records. Who else
can claim to have sought to actually LEAD both of Canada’s
major political parties in a span of less than two years?
Speaking of those wanting to take the helm of whatever
party will let him lead, the former New Democratic Premier
of Ontario, Bob Rae, seems almost certain to seek the
federal Liberal leadership. Judging from the horror stories
that residents of Ontario tell me about his term as their
premier, he’s a surprising candidate, not to mention
bad news for the Liberal Party.
Michael Ignatieff, a ‘star’ candidate for
the Liberals in the January election, certainly has a
lot of catching up to do if he runs for the leadership,
having returned to Canada after living and working abroad
for 30 years. Perhaps his three-decade absence explains
his peculiar musings that contradict many of the policies
the Liberal Party claims to stand for.
Some Liberals view it as fortunate that MP Scott Brison’s
entry into the leadership has been put into doubt after
it was alleged he sent emails to an investment buddy revealing
top secret federal information on Income Trusts.
Rounding out the leadership list, there have been “maybes”
from a handful of former Liberal cabinet ministers (John
McCallum, Ralph Goodale, Joe Volpe), most simply eyeing
any possible job promotion following their January election
defeat.
It’s all sad enough to almost make a Liberal long
for the return of “Mr. Dithers”, a.k.a. Paul
Martin, himself.
Just one more reason I’m glad I’m not a Liberal.
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