Monday Sept. 17, 2007   BACK | NEXT

DION, STILL THE SECOND CHOICE

by
Angelo Persichilli
THE HILL TIMES

Criticism is mounting inside the Liberal Party of Canada against federal Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion and his credibility could be further damaged depending on the results of this week’s three Quebec federal byelections.

  “His position is the position of whoever the last person who spoke with him,” one Liberal strategist told The Hill Times recently, referring to Dion’s style.

   His advisers have sensed this uneasiness as well as the dangers of possibly losing a relatively safe Liberal seat in the Outremont, Que., byelection. All three byelections will be held on Sept. 17. Last week, Liberals sent an email out to fellow Liberals, addressed, “Dear Liberal Colleagues,” which reads more like an SOS than a simple request for help.

   “The byelection in Outremont next Monday,” stated the email, “is going to be a tough fight, and we’re trying to gather as many E-day volunteers from Ottawa as possible. The NDP is throwing in all the resources they can to win a Quebec seat, and we need to call on as many Liberals as we can to band together and keep this riding red.” The federal Liberals are coordinating, carpooling, and offering all kind of transportation “to help out our Liberal brothers and sisters in the Outremont campaign,” according to the email obtained by The Hill Times.

  Some Liberals are also questioning why the Quebec co-chair of Dion’s national election readiness committee Lucie Santoro went on a Canada-Israel Committee trip to Israel earlier in September. And there’s other bad news. Marc Lavigne, Dion’s chief Quebec organizer on his leadership campaign, resigned as deputy national director of the party.

  NDPers are, meanwhile, fighting hard to get former Quebec provincial environment minister Thomas Mulcair elected in Outremont.

  Of course, it is not just problems in Outremont that are creating difficulties for Dion’s leadership. The new leader, who was elected as a second choice of everybody, was given the opportunity to become the first choice, but failed.

  Liberals in Montreal at last December’s leadership convention voted to have a leader able to build a bridge between the past and the future, a leader capable of getting rid of the people of the previous “regime,” and a leader who is able to re-evaluate most of the economic and social policies of the past, and prepare a plan for the future.

   Unfortunately, Dion fell into the hands of people who have continued with the same attitude of the past. He failed to form a team and has based his policies on a raucous criticism of the present government without being able to present credible alternative. The most controversial and childish position is the support he has lent to the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Danny Williams on the offshore resources and the equalization formula.

                “The Government of Canada,” wrote Dion when he was minister of environment, “believes it would be ill-advised to grant such special treatment to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, or any other province.  First, it is wrong to attribute to equalization a disincentive or paralysing effect on economic development. And second, it is essential to maintain equitable treatment of all the provinces within the equalization framework.” Has he now changed positions? If so, why is he accusing Prime Minster Stephen Harper of flip-flopping? And if not, has he told Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams that his position is just like Harper’s? With his stand on Newfoundland he has upset most of his MPs in Ontario.

  And, what about the environment? He has tried to sell himself as “Mr. Green” with schizophrenic initiatives and an alliance with the leader of the Green Party but, at the end of the day, the NDP is still the party most trusted when it comes to the environment. In fact, the Liberals’ record, is pitiful in this sector: the only thing they did was sign the Kyoto agreement. Then they forgot about it.

                Then there’s Afghanistan. I can understand the position of the NDP, even though not necessarily agreeing with it, but it makes sense: we want the soldiers out now. After sending our troops into Afghanistan now they want them out by the end of the mandate. Even if this is the case, you don’t give to the enemies’ information like this. It’s like telling the Taliban, “Just hang on for another few months, and then you do whatever you want.” The list of these frantic behaviours could go on and on and still this is not the worst of it. What is of concern to most Liberal strategists is that the situation, instead of improving, is deteriorating.

                Now the new strategists around Dion are trying to raise their voice, when the House resumes in October challenging the Conservatives to go to the polls. Can you imagine that? They’ll have difficulties winning Outremont, a Liberal stronghold, and they are challenging the other parties in the country? Some might ask which side they’re on.

 

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