Next Liberal leader

[Posc Student]

So is there someone in Quebec who could be leader? Martin Cauchon was seen as a likely possibility but he seems set to be defeated by Tom Mulcair. There's rarely any women mentioned as possible leaders.

[punked]

So is there someone in Quebec who could be leader? Martin Cauchon was seen as a likely possibility but he seems set to be defeated by Tom Mulcair. There's rarely any women mentioned as possible leaders.

That is because the Liberals never run women in competitive ridings so they don't know if the women they have elected are up for the fight. Except Ruby who seems like she is being chased out of her ridding by her own constituents. Even Martha Hall Findlay was given a ridding she could win after she proved herself a fighter in 2004. I mean she is a fighter they didn't need to give her a safe ridding they should have had her fight it out and hone those skills.

Edited April 22, 2011 by punked

[Posc Student]

Is there anyone outside the current LPC who could be leader. We hear of some for the CPC but I never do for the Liberals.

Is there any popular federal Liberals within the the Quebec Liberal party who could possibly run?

[kimmy]

For the most part I would agree however historically their have been a couple Liberal seats in Alberta almost every election until just recently.

David Kilgour made it to Parliament as a Progressive Conservative and later won the admiration of his constituents by quitting the party over the GST. He wrote extensively about western alienation. He stood up for things like humanitarian aid for Darfur and other humanitarian causes. He was viewed as a committed representative, a principled man, a proud westerner ...and a Liberal much behind the rest of those things. Edmonton voters knew he was a Liberal in name-only.

"Landslide" Annie McLellan was also greatly respected, was exceptionally intelligent and had a great legal background. She had the added benefit of having a lot of clout in the Chretien cabinet.

And those are the only two Alberta Liberal MPs in the past 30 years.

Neither were elected because they were Liberals. They were both elected because they were exceptional individuals... they won in spite of the Liberal banner, not because of it.

-k

[nittanylionstorm07]

It will probably be Justin Trudeau vs. Bob Rae with younger Libs going for Trudeau and older ones going for Rae.

[punked]

It will probably be Justin Trudeau vs. Bob Rae with younger Libs going for Trudeau and older ones going for Rae.

Scott Brison will through his hat into the ring and will bring some big Sobeys money with him. Don't count the guy out he might be the only Liberal in the country who hangs onto his vote and come out of this thing looking pretty good. I think the backroom might move to him because he has some connections going way back. Use to be a Con the Iggy camp might be looking for another righty to support.

[nittanylionstorm07]

Scott Brison will through his hat into the ring and will bring some big Sobeys money with him. Don't count the guy out he might be the only Liberal in the country who hangs onto his vote and come out of this thing looking pretty good. I think the backroom might move to him because he has some connections going way back. Use to be a Con the Iggy camp might be looking for another righty to support.

I just don't see anyone that could possibly bring the Libs out from where they are heading... and that's perpetual third party status. Trudeau, maybe... he's attractive to younger voters, but the keys to Parliament for the Libs lie in Ontario and Quebec. Quebec still hates the Libs because of the other Trudeau and Chretien, though he could probably salvage Montreal if the NDP doesn't get too entrenched.

Brison is interesting but could turn off the leftists that are bleeding over to the NDP, as well as Quebec.

[punked]

I just don't see anyone that could possibly bring the Libs out from where they are heading... and that's perpetual third party status. Trudeau, maybe... he's attractive to younger voters, but the keys to Parliament for the Libs lie in Ontario and Quebec. Quebec still hates the Libs because of the other Trudeau and Chretien, though he could probably salvage Montreal if the NDP doesn't get too entrenched.

Brison is interesting but could turn off the leftists that are bleeding over to the NDP, as well as Quebec.

I know but if this elections holds and the left leaves the Liberals the progressive wing is going have a hard time against an entrenched Liberals who has money behind him. I am just thinking in a year will the Liberal party still have the progressives they have now or will they be crushed by the NDP run right now. If it is the later expect to see a hard turn to the right for the Liberals and Brison is just that guy.

[Posc Student]

I don't think it will be hard for the party to win back lost support with a good leader, the "Liberal" brand is still strong.

[RNG]

As someone else posted way above, it may not be a writen rule, but tradition means a francophone is next. Sucks to be Brison.

[betsy]

There are a few that would make "okay" leaders....but it seems no one that's "strong."

[capricorn]

As someone else posted way above, it may not be a writen rule, but tradition means a francophone is next.

That's correct. Perhaps the Liberal back room boys could travel to the Sorbonne in Paris, in search of a French-Canadian expat they can lure back to Canada with promises of grandeur.

[Smallc]

[RNG]

That's correct. Perhaps the Liberal back room boys could travel to the Sorbonne in Paris, in search of a French-Canadian expat they can lure back to Canada with promises of grandeur.

[Keepitsimple]

Liberals would be better off electing a caretaker leader - someone who is given the authority to clean up the party from the ground up. They have to get it in their heads that they won't be back in power for at least 4 or 5 years. By then, Bob Rae will be too old. They have to cleanse the party of their dependence on the old backroom boys and let new blood revitalize the power from the inside out. Garss roots - especially fund-raising....yes, just like the Conservatives. If they keep getting mesmerised by the scent of power, they'll be spinning their wheels and they will HAVE to merge with the Dippers.

Edited April 23, 2011 by Keepitsimple

[cybercoma]

I've got my money on Warren Kinsella. Sure he's been behind the scenes for the most part, and one might as well go ahead and blame him for the problems the Liberal Party has had for the last 10 years or so, but I've got him in mind running for the leadership.

[Posc Student]

The Liberal caucus itself has become old which I do not think is good for them. The party still has a number of safe ridings, in Toronto for example, but a lot of the members in these riding are old and have been around for a long time. I guess it's not an easy thing to do but they should have tried to get some of these members to retire. After lasts year's Toronto Mayoral election I was thinking that Sarah Thomson, George Smitherman and now PC Rocco Rossi would have been excellent candidates for the Liberals to run. All were younger, should have easily won and would have added some new life to the party.

The reason there's not a whole lot of leaders to pick from is because the vast majority are to old to be leader. I'm fine with letting someone keep running if you know they are the reason you're winning the seat and without it the seat would be gone, but here we have the biggest city in the country and they could be running some great candidates who would easily get elected but they don't do it. Montreal is the same thing.

[Evening Star]

Ujjal Dosanjh is my favourite Liberal. He probably won't become leader since he doesn't speak French, however.

[Posc Student]

I looked through some of their MPs in the Toronto area and they have so many over 60 years old who have been around since the 1990's.

They do seem to have a great candidate running Derek Lee's old riding of Scarborough—Rouge River though.

[punked]

I looked through some of their MPs in the Toronto area and they have so many over 60 years old who have been around since the 1990's.

They do seem to have a great candidate running Derek Lee's old riding of Scarborough—Rouge River though.

Yeah the NDP are going to win that riding.

[Posc Student]

Yeah the NDP are going to win that riding.

Why?

[punked]

Why?

Because she is awesome. She is apart of and has ties to the Sri Lankan community in the riding.

[RNG]

Because she is awesome. She is apart of and has ties to the Sri Lankan community in the riding.

If the first part of your statement is correct, wonderful. If the second part is the determining factor, we are in deep, deep doo-doo.

[Posc Student]

I'm not to familiar with the riding or anything but the NDP didn't even get 15% of the vote in that riding in 2008 and they came in third. The Liberal candidate is Rana Sarkar who was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada-India Business Council, he also worked in Derek Lee's office and has an impressive resume. This must be a real big star for the NDP if she has a shot at winning.

[Scotty]

I don't think it will be hard for the party to win back lost support with a good leader, the "Liberal" brand is still strong.

Kelly Mcparland had a good point in the Post today. He said that in virtually every election the Liberals won they did so because of Quebec. Now that the BQ is there, and Quebec has lost interest in them the Liberals have lost their meal ticket. They're virtually dead in the West, and while they still retain some strength in Atlantic Canada that's not enough. They need Ontario, but they've been steadily losing seats there for four straight elections, and have to find a way to appeal to Ontarions outside Toronto.