Monday, December 8, 2008

Ignatieff makes his move


OK, yesterday I said this all might happen by Christmas -- perhaps Christmas is being moved up?

Ignatieff rallies MPs' support

Swayed by negative polls and discomfort with coalition, Liberals near agreement to oust Dion immediately

With reports from Brian Laghi and Campbell Clark

TORONTO and OTTAWA -- Toronto MP Michael Ignatieff launched a bulldozer-charge at the federal Liberal leadership yesterday, campaigning for the party's House of Commons caucus to elect him immediately as an interim replacement for Stéphane Dion.

Mr. Ignatieff's organizers said last night they had the support of at least 55 of the party's 77 MPs, including Mr. Dion's most vocal supporter, suburban Toronto MP Bryon Wilfert, and MP Maurizio Bevilacqua, who chaired the 2006 leadership campaign of Mr. Ignatieff's major opponent, Bob Rae.

In addition, leadership contender Dominic LeBlanc was preparing to fly to Toronto last night to meet with Mr. Ignatieff. He is widely expected to drop his own leadership bid and pledge support to Mr. Ignatieff today along with a group of Atlantic MPs and senators.

The plan called for Mr. Dion to be ousted Wednesday followed by a vote to put Mr. Ignatieff at the helm as interim leader. At some second-stage process - possibly the leadership convention currently scheduled for May - the party either would confirm him as leader or turn to his only other declared opponent, Mr. Rae.

Story here:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081207.wdion1207/BNStory/politics/home



5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I guess we gave up on democracy within the Party...

FredM said...

"Anonymous said...

I guess we gave up on democracy within the Party..."

Apparently you also gave up on telling the truth and keeping your word to the public, as far as most people know Dion told us in a national televised speech that he will hold power until May.

Anonymous said...

Ever stop to think, if there is an election, and Dion is still there?
I think the membership should be moved up , let the Liberal party members vote on who hey want . by phone or computer.

FredM said...

"Ever stop to think, if there is an election, and Dion is still there?"

I sure did, and so did millions of other people that seen the fuzzy speech. Dion went on TV and told millions of people the liberal plans, one of them being he is the leader of the party until May. Thats what he said and that's what the libs should do. And if the liberals go against what they said on TV then should be called on the carpet for lying on TV and not trusted to run the country, since they cant eve run their own party.

Anonymous said...

If I can't have my vote, then I don't think the Party should have my vote, money, time, or effort in the next election. I have been a proud Liberal for a decade, and NEVER have I seen a leadership hijacked like it is being by Ignatieff's campaign.