Keynote speaker Michael Ignatieff will open Thursday's four-day Liberal policy convention in Ottawa as party members prepare to vote on Prime Minister Paul Martin's performance as leader so far.

Ignatieff is a prominent Canadian thinker and Harvard professor who has criticized the underfunding of the Canadian military, advocated closer Canada-U.S. relations, and was a supporter of the American invasion of Iraq.

He told the Toronto Star that Martin appears to have a "legitimate concern" in his position against the missile-defence plan.

"The government doesn't want to go down that road, and there is the practical politics that the country is absolutely dead-set against it," he said.

"The obvious concern -- and I will register that concern -- is whether taking a principled position on this ... is not jeopardizing the unity of command that Canada needs to safeguard its sovereignty in relation to air defence and air space and our engagement with NORAD."

It will be interesting to watch Ignatieff, CTV's Mike Duffy noted, appearing on Canada AM.

"He's, some people say, a latter-day Trudeau, an academic from the outside who's going to come in and provide a little bit of an outside view," Duffy said.

Liberals to vote on Martin

The convention will prove to be Martin's first leadership test since winning a minority government last June.

Martin is expected to list his accomplishments in the past six months in a speech Friday, detailing the recent federal budget and the money assigned to go to medicare, cities, child care, the environment, and the modest tax cuts.

The more than 2,000 delegates will vote Saturday on his performance as leader so far, dealing with the same-sex marriage issue, a federal budget, the ballistic missile-defence plan, and the sponsorship inquiry.

"It will be interesting to see among the delegates here whether or not they will be fervently in favour of Paul Martin and his consultative approach or whether or not they will think that he's a little too different from what they have been used to," Duffy said.

The results of the vote of confidence will be announced nearing the end of the convention on Sunday.

Martin has been assured that his leadership will be endorsed by a healthy majority.

Some critics have called Martin indecisive for failing to set priorities since he won a minority government.

An article on Martin appearing in a recent issue of The Economist magazine called "Mr. Dithers and his Distracting Fiscal Cafeteria" further added fuel to the fire.

Some high-profile Liberals are expected to be openly organizing for when their time comes to run for leader, The Canadian Press reported.

Liberals look forward

Policy workshops will focus on the following issues: Defence/international, regional development, transportation/infrastructure, education, environment, aboriginal, supporting Canadian families, justice/constitutional, celebrating diversity in Canada, health and rural/agriculture.

A report in Wednesday's The Globe and Mail suggested the Liberal party was plotting a long-term strategy with a focus on the economy, environment and global issues.

A senior official told The Globe that Martin is expected to deliver a tax-cut budget in the spring of 2006, and then call a budget on it -- a move meant to secure a majority win for the Liberals.

With files from The Canadian Press