Posts Tagged ‘Michael Ignatieff’
The Bickering Needs to Stop
This is pathetic. Bob Rae throws some bizarre fit after having agreed to rules for a week that while not ideal were agreed to by all parties including Rae’s Camp. Ignatieff’s people are wrong to refuse to open up a meeting of the Liberal Party of Canada to the press, particularly because they were the only barrier to media presence and Rae’s participation.
As a Riding President who was present and watching this play out on the floor, the biggest loser is Rae. Ignatieff and LeBlanc had a good exchange for a couple of hours with a great response from the crowd. It would be easy to forget that Bob Rae was even running this afternoon because after he stormed out, the adults in the room moved on and listened to the two candidates who were prepared to speak to party members. Sorry the crowd wasn’t big enough Bob, but former candidates and Riding Presidents are important nonetheless. I was impressed by the strength of LeBlanc’s support in the room. I did not expect it, this early, to be totally honest. You would not have assumed this event was held literally in Ignatieff and Rae’s backyard. I think the maturity he showed in dealing with the Ignatieff and Rae spat probably helped him with party members who are sick of these two fighting. Seriously guys, if this is what it is going to be about, take it outside and save yourselves the money.
It is too bad Bob Rae did not deem making an appearance at a meeting designed for Riding Presidents in Ontario and members of the Liberal Party worth doing. Tickets were available at the door, and the meeting was open to those who wanted to hear. Frankly, it seems to me like Bob Rae wanted a media event and just wasn’t that interested in rolling up his sleeves and taking questions from the floor in a room of Riding Presidents who want to know what the party is going to do to win back government.
I am happy that both Ignatieff and LeBlanc decided to participate notwithstanding Rae’s performance for the cameras. It would have been better if both Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff could put beside whatever bizarre issue these two have between each other. If the two of them truly want to convince Liberals each of these men, who Ignatieff himself said both come with “suit cases of baggage” is worthy to lead our party forward they will need to.
Once again Michael Ignatieff hit the right points when he spoke, and turned a blind eye when the guys around him stoked the flames of a bizarre and unnecessary fight with Bob Rae and his camp. He told the room he was not in the race to divide the party, and that is a good thing to say, but actions speak louder than words, and today there was a whole lot of unnecessary division. His people frankly are good at division. LeBlanc – regardless of my support for him was the only one who was able to rise above the fray, once again and in doing so and putting on such a strong performance today made me feel a hell of a lot better about coming out early for him earlier today.
2 Comments »I Support Dominic LeBlanc
I will proudly support Dominic LeBlanc in the 2009 Liberal leadership race. As the President of the Scarborough Guildwood Federal Liberal Association and a young person, a lot of what LeBlanc has to say about the direction in which he would like the party to go resinates with me. To some degree his change could also be described as an improved return to the principles the Liberal Party has followed successfully under leader’s past.
He is 20 years younger that his two main rivals, has been a Member of Parliament longer than both Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff (combined even) and most of all, he has always loyally served whomever has occupied the office of Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. LeBlanc is a Liberal through and through. He has spent his adult life either working in politics or elected as a Member of Parliament in Canada’s only bilingual province, in a rural, largely francophone riding. If you look at where the Liberals are on the verge of being shut out, it is in the areas LeBlanc has the best opportunity to appeal.
He enters the race with no baggage or enemies, something that is sure to be unique for any candidate for the Liberal Leadership. In fact he is so well respected by members of the Liberal Party that key Chretien and Martin people have ended their nearly twenty year long feud to unite behind LeBlanc. That is in addition to scores of organizers and party members who supported many of the leadership campaigns last time around.
Here is part of how CTV described him
“At just 40, Leblanc claims deeper Liberal roots than his two rivals and just as much political experience. He certainly has the pedigree of a Liberal leader.
The New Brunswick MP is the son of former Governor-General Romeo Leblanc, a friend and fishing partner of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.
Leblanc has a law degree from Harvard, the same school Obama got his and where rival Ignatieff completed a PhD and later taught.
Leblanc is also fluently bilingual, and is considered a strong orator in the House of Commons. A MP since 2000, he has been elected four times since narrowly losing in his initial run in 1997.” - CTV Leblanc says Liberals Need Generational Change
I hope many of you will join me in supporting LeBlanc over the next number of months and helping him unite the Liberal Party of Canada so that we can return to government once again. Below is a video of LeBlanc at an event in Vancouver where he speaks about why he is running and the issues as he sees them.
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