Liberal leadership race starts to get rougher

Add the release of a few memoirs that will likely stir up some old wounds in the party and things have almost certainly gotten more "interesting" in the sometimes sleepy race that officially kicked off on April 7.

The departure of Vancouver MP Hedy Fry from the race on Sept. 25 reduced the number of candidates to eight.

Fry threw her support to Bob Rae, the former NDP premier of Ontario. In recent weeks, Toronto MP Dr. Carolyn Bennett and Toronto-area MP Maurizio Bevilacqua also dropped out and joined the Rae team.

Michael Ignatieff, the renowned writer and academic who has been seen as the front-runner, has been ignored by the dropouts -- although he has picked up endorsements from some of their former supporters.

At the same time, Toronto MP Joe Volpe became embroiled in his second scandal of the long campaign when the Toronto Star reported on Sept. 23 that Volpe's team had paid for the memberships of some new members -- and that two of those new members were dead.

Volpe team members anonymously pointed fingers at the Ignatieff camp, saying it was running a smear campaign. On Sept. 25, a complaint was filed with the Liberal Party alleging membership irregularities by the Ignatieff camp in that candidate's home riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore and Brampton-Springdale, the riding of Ignatieff supporter and MP Ruby Dhalla.

A key Ignatieff organizer said their team won't stoop to trading smears.

"We don't want to have, you know, fights from the past," said Denis Coderre. "And we won't smear or mud throwing to each other."

Unfortunately, not all other Liberals feel that way.

Eddie Goldenberg, one of former prime minister Jean Chretien's closest advisers, released a book on Sept. 25 that blasted Paul Martin, Chretien's successor.

The two men, while they got on professionally, became locked in a political rivalry that almost tore the Liberal party apart. Volpe was a Martin loyalist who actively spoke out against Chretien remaining as party leader (Chretien finally stepped down in December 2003; Martin appointed Volpe to cabinet).

While the party deals with current headlines about the membership recruiting controversies, it's still trying to live down the sponsorship scandal, which led to their political collapse in Quebec and the ascension of the Tories to power for the first time in 13 years in this past winter's federal election.

Goldenberg, who is a Rae supporter, accuses Martin of bungling the sponsorship file and doing so for political reasons.

Adding his voice to the mix is disgraced former public works minister Alfonso Gagliano, who also blasts Martin and claims innocence in the sponsorship scandal in his memoirs, also released on Sept. 25 (besides being public works minister, Gagliano was Chretien's political lieutenant for Quebec).

Gagliano claims people assumed his guilt because he's Italian.

Volpe, who can to Canada from Italy as a young boy, hinted to much the same thing on Sept. 25 about some of his troubles: "Because I was viewed as 'an outsider,' a new Canadian."

Anne McLellan, a former deputy prime minister under Martin, pronounced herself stunned by Volpe's remarks.

"I have never heard anyone say anything like that in relation to Joe Volpe," she told CTV's Newsnet on Sept. 25, and called the allegation "very damaging."

All of this controversy is occurring as the Liberals head into their "super weekend" for picking delegates to the Nov. 29-Dec. 3 leadership convention in Montreal.

A Strategic Counsel poll prepared for CTV and The Globe and Mail and published on Sept. 19 ranked the candidates as follows amongst Liberal Party members:

Ignatieff: 19 per cent
Rae: 17 per cent
Stephane Dion: 13 per cent
Gerard Kennedy: 9 per cent
Ken Dryden: 9 per cent

The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 (1,000 people were sampled between Sept. 12 and 18). About 27 per cent were either undecided or refused to answer.

CTV reported on Sept. 19 that with about one-third of delegates selected, Ignatieff had a slight lead in delegates over Rae, with Kennedy in third and Dion in fourth. However, there were no Quebec delegates in that estimate.

For Ignatieff, the poll didn't show him to be in position to win on a first ballot, and there was evidence to suggest both Rae and Dion have more growth potential if the process moves on to second and third ballots.

The candidates will have one last opportunity to share a stage and sell Liberals on their vision. The final debate will take place in Toronto on Oct. 15.

But after the "super weekend," strategists say the race will shift to trying to influence the 5,000 selected delegates.

The delegates' choice will be an important one for all Canadians: Since Wilfrid Laurier in 1887, every person elected Liberal leader has gone on to serve as prime minister, if only briefly.

Call it confidence or call it arrogance, but 81 per cent of the Liberals asked in the Strategic Counsel poll think they can win the next federal election.

Here is some information on the eight candidates still in the race.

CANDIDATES

Scott Brison

Former Liberal public works minister and MP for Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants.

Pros: Brison is a fiscally-conservative, socially progressive candidate from the Maritimes. The 38-year-old MP for the rural Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants is very popular. As an openly gay politician, he's also considered by some Liberals to be an ideal symbol of a "progressive" politician. Brison once noted he's "not a gay politician, but a politician who happens to be gay." He earned points for his vigorous defence of the government during the depths of the sponsorship scandal.

Cons: Brison is a former Tory who unsuccessfully ran for the Progressive Conservative leadership. He doesn't possess deep roots in the Liberal Party. He became entangled in the income trust leak scandal that devastated the party during the winter federal election; however, he tried to characterize that as a "bump in the road."

Stephane Dion:

The former environment minister under Martin and intergovernmental affairs minister under Chretien has represented the Quebec riding of Saint-Laurent-Cartierville since 1996.

Pros: Dion, considered a strong federalist, would dedicate himself to rebuilding the party in Quebec. He played a major role in the province promoting national unity and fighting off the Bloc in his duties as intergovernmental affairs minister. His personal integrity is seen as unimpeachable. Dion said he will focus on the economy, social justice and the environment, arguing that all three were key components for a prosperous Canada.

Cons: His grasp of English isn't perfect, and the last two party leaders were from Quebec (some hold to a view the leader should "alternate" between English and French Canada).

Ken Dryden

Onetime hockey great and current Toronto MP Ken Dryden became the tenth to throw his hat in the ring when he officially declared his candidacy April 28.

Pros: As a household name with the Montreal Canadiens, he has a high profile among Canadians. Analysts say the former social development minister appeals to social-policy progressives.

Cons: Though he has high-profile status as a former hockey star, he hasn't been able to translate that star power into political wattage. Has a ponderous speaking style. He isn't bilingual.

Martha Hall Findlay

The relatively obscure Toronto lawyer and businesswoman was the first declared candidate in the Liberal leadership.

She first came to notice as the Liberal candidate for Newmarket-Aurora who came within 689 votes of beating then-Tory Stronach in 2004. However, she lost the Liberal candidacy when Stronach crossed the floor in May 2005.

Hall Findlay supports a debate on how private health care can be accomodated with public medicare. She supports "realistic" emissions cuts and a renewed focus on family farms

With the withdrawal of Carolyn Bennett and Hedy Fry from the campaign, Hall Findlay is now the only female candidate.

Pros: Hall Findlay says the party needs "new ideas, new faces." She has described herself as an outsider who can help bridge the chasm between the Martin and Chretien loyalists. Has been described as having presence during the leadership debates.

Cons: Hall Findlay admits her lack of political experience might be seen as a liability, given that she's never held elected office and has only been a member of the Liberal party for a few years.

Michael Ignatieff

The first-time MP was elected in the Toronto riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore.

Pros: Erudite with an engaging speaking style, the 58-year-old author and academic declared April 7 he is striving to revive faith "not just in the Liberal party, but in politics itself." The self-described centre-left Liberal caught people's attention when he delivered the keynote address at the March 2005 Liberal policy convention. He's respected for his writings and scholarship on human rights issues, and is fluent in English, French and Russian. His supporters compare him to Pierre Trudeau.

Cons: He's a political neophyte and House of Commons rookie. Most of his life has been spent abroad, either in Britain or the U.S. Although he has touted the left-leaning values of Trudeau, Ignatieff raised eyebrows in recent years by supporting the U.S. invasion of Iraq. However, he has said that was motivated by the suffering he witnessed among Iraq's Kurdish population under the rule of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Has made some gaffes in media interviews.

Gerard Kennedy

The former Ontario education minister, 45, is expected to promote his deep roots in the Liberal party and represent himself as someone who could represent generational change.

Born in The Pas, Man., Kennedy studied political science and economics at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., and the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

He believes Canada should shift more resources in Afghanistan to aid and development or else consider pulling its troops out.

Pros: Kennedy has received plaudits from educators and parents for bringing labour peace to Ontario schools after years of strikes, lockouts and work-to-rule campaigns.

Analysts also say he will be well-served by his prairie roots.

Cons: While Kennedy is bilingual, francophone reporters have described his French as rudimentary. Building a national profile could be a challenge, analysts say, as Kennedy's only cabinet job has been in Ontario. His website is thin on policy positions.

Bob Rae

Former New Democratic premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995 and a former federal NDP MP.

Pros: Rae has developed a reputation as a statesman, having handled high-profile assignments such as the federal government's review into the Air India bombing, as well as adviser to the new Iraqi government. The Rhodes scholar was also considered a front-runner last year to succeed Adrienne Clarkson as governor-general. As a former New Democrat, Rae could be a beacon to attract more supporters from the left. Has the support of some top Chretienites like Eddie Goldenberg. As the race has tightened, he has attracted the support of three former candidates: Maurizio Bevilacqua, Carolyn Bennett and Hedy Fry.

Cons: Many Ontarians still have bitter tastes in their mouths from Rae's premiership during recession years in the early 90s. Out of politics since 1995, Rae lacks an organizational base within the Liberals. However, polling indicates Liberals like his personality and communications skills.

Joe Volpe

The Toronto MP (Eglinton-Lawrence) served as minister of citizenship and immigration as well as human resources minister under Martin.

Pros: Lots of experience at the federal level, having been first elected to the House of Commons in 1988. Speaks several languages, French, Italian, Spanish, and even some Mandarin and Punjabi.

Cons: Not widely known outside of big cities. He seems to be a long shot among the other potential contenders. He's a holdover from the Martin-Chretien wars and was reportedly kept out of Chretien's cabinet for being too close to Martin. He has been involved in two scandals during the campaign. He accepted donations from the children of drug company executives (he returned the money) and his campaign stands accused of membership recruiting irregularities in Quebec.