Good Bye Mr. Dion
Much has transpired over the weekend that will change the face of Canadian politics.
After the debacle that was the prorogation and then the infamous video put out by Liberal Leader Stephane Dion he has been forced to step down immediately and pave the way for his successor. This is the right move on the part of the Liberal party. Mr. Dion has been a terrible leader and will be remembered for his poor performance. What will stick out in his reign of the party is the past two weeks and the potential coalition with the NDP. He will be remembered as going from Prime Minister in waiting to the disgrace of the party. This is unfortunate as Mr. Dion did have a great career as a politition before he became leader and hopefully will continue after his leadership.
Hello Mr. Ignatieff
This is truly a sad day for the Liberals and for Canadian democracy as a whole. Today Bob Rae, one of two people running for the leadership of the federal Liberal Party dropped out and gave his support to Michael Ignatieff for the leadership of the party. This comes after a day where Mr. Rae expressed his concern with the party caucus deciding who was going to succeed Stephane Dion as the next leader instead of the rank and file membership. Late last night the party executive was discussing the idea of allowing 800 members vote, still far short of the full membership.
I do think it is good that the leadership race is over and that there will be a leader that is not Mr. Dion, I do not think that this is a good thing for democracy. Mr. Ignatieff does not have to go though the rigors of a leadership race and really has not earned the right to lead the party. I am also dissapointed because I liked Bob Rae, I thought that he could have been a good leader, but that is all for not. I am not a member of the Liberal Party but I have been in the past and I was contemplating joining again when there was a chance that I could vote for the leadership. I feel cheated. The candidate that I wanted was forced out by the party executive when they decided that they would only allow a small number of people vote, a small number that would surely elect Mr. Ignatieff. I am interested in how he will be as a leader, and I am excited for the prospect of a leader that can speak both official languages. I wish him luck and I am watching with anticipation.
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More than an assault on democracy, I think this is a missed opportunity for the Liberals. Their party is in shambles and a quick leadership fix is nothing more than slapping a bandage on an open wound.
I think the party should have put their issues out in the open. A leadership race would not only have given Canadians a chance to see what the Liberals plan to do with the country, but it would also give us some insight into how the Liberals are planning to save themselves.
It's not enough to just throw support behind one guy and pretend the last few years - since Paul Martin's short-lived reign - never happened.
The message the Liberals have sent Canadians since Martin's feud with Jean Chretien is that they are a party of squabblers and bickerers - I can't remember the last time the party was unified.
Just deciding that one guy is better than the other without any debate or meaningful vote will result in the continued alienation of party members. At least, when someone loses, and loses fairly, their supporters can say we tried.
This will just leave a sour taste in every Canadian's mouth.
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