Now that Martin has resigned...

[na85]

Who do you think will become the new leader of the Liberal party? I wouldn't be surprised if Ignatief (sp?) and Stronach wound up in a leadership race.

Also: Hi, I'm na85 and I'm new here. I'm 20 years old, studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Western Ontario in London.

[kimmy]

Hi and welcome!

I also hear Frank McKenna often mentioned as a likely frontrunner.

Some also wonder if John Manley might try again.

-k

[Slavik44]

With out a doubt ignatief will be in the leadership race, especially after winning his riding, Stronach on the other hand I am not so sure about. While it certainly is possible for someone to run for leadership of two major parties during their lifetime, i think 3 years may be cutting it just a bit short. It would just be to easy to critisize her. I am tryign to think of other possibilities so far I figure;

Ignatief

Mckenna

Manly

Tobin

Cauchon (don't know much about him but I have heard his name tossed around)

Any one else have some insights into the candidates in what should be one of the better Leadership races we have seen in recent history?

Oh and welcoem to Mapleleafweb na85.

[geoffrey]

Dryden?

[CCGirl]

Hi I am new here too!

Frank McKenna.

[geoffrey]

Welcome aboard both na85 and CCgirl. Hope you enjoy it here.

[normanchateau]

Kudos to Martin for wasting no time in stepping down. Let's hope that the new leader is an outsider and not someone who is tainted by association with the Chretien era.

I expect that the Liberal leadership race will have higher quality candidates than the last Conservative leadership race which brought out only the mediocre Tony Clement, Belinda Stronach and Stephen Harper, not exactly a stellar cast. The Conservative leadership race was hampered by the fact that it happened when the Liberals still held a majority and therefore few quality candidates were interested in what might have turned out to be a very long wait. By contrast, the Liberal leadership race will happen when CPC holds a mere 124 seats and can be outvoted at any time on any issue by the Liberals and NDP (even if the BQ abstains from the vote).

The good news for those of us who can't stomach Harper and are eager to see him defeated in the next election, is he at least can't do any harm to Canada since his 124 seats will cripple him from making any changes which don't meet with the approval of the opposition. And since all opposition parties (and 64% of the voters in this election) are to the left of Harper, he is essentially a lame duck.

[scribblet]

Who do you think will become the new leader of the Liberal party? I wouldn't be surprised if Ignatief (sp?) and Stronach wound up in a leadership race.

Also: Hi, I'm na85 and I'm new here. I'm 20 years old, studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Western Ontario in London.

Hi and welcome:

I would say Ignatief and Stronach will be key players, but I think B. Tobin would be a good bet if they can persuade him to run.

[Argus]

Who do you think will become the new leader of the Liberal party? I wouldn't be surprised if Ignatief (sp?) and Stronach wound up in a leadership race

That depends on whether they decide Paul Martin is English or French. The party has a tradition of switching linguistic groups with every leader.

[tml12]

Who do you think will become the new leader of the Liberal party? I wouldn't be surprised if Ignatief (sp?) and Stronach wound up in a leadership race

That depends on whether they decide Paul Martin is English or French. The party has a tradition of switching linguistic groups with every leader.

Chretien was clearly French, so that makes Martin look pretty.

On the other hand, Martin Cauchon is the only francophone that I know of that may be in the Liberal running.

[sage]

Is Belinda Stronach that significant of an individual that she can seriously contest the Liberal nomination. I'm actually in agreement with Norman on this one, that there may have been a lack of urgency to the Tory leadership convention, and this is what lead to perhaps "sub-par" participation in terms of candidates.

By saying this however, implicitly Belinda wasn't even a serious Tory leadership candidate. Given her record of late I simply don't see how anyone could think she is a serious contender. This is especially true when it was the Liberals questioning Harper's experience in this past campaign.

My bets are on Ignatieff and Manley. God help us if we have to listen to that dipshit Tobin in a campaign.

[tml12]

Is Belinda Stronach that significant of an individual that she can seriously contest the Liberal nomination. I'm actually in agreement with Norman on this one, that there may have been a lack of urgency to the Tory leadership convention, and this is what lead to perhaps "sub-par" participation in terms of candidates.

By saying this however, implicitly Belinda wasn't even a serious Tory leadership candidate. Given her record of late I simply don't see how anyone could think she is a serious contender. This is especially true when it was the Liberals questioning Harper's experience in this past campaign.

My bets are on Ignatieff and Manley. God help us if we have to listen to that dipshit Tobin in a campaign.

McKenna wants it, that I am sure of.

[sage]

So for serious contenders we generally agree on:

Manley

Ignatieff

McKenna

What about Copps? Would she crawl out from under a rock for this one?

[fixer1]

I hope John Manley does not get back into politics. He was never a very bright person to begin with, but never was he leadership material, unless you count being the parties yes man to Chretien as being a quality.

Ignatief was supposedly being groomed for leadership, but I can not see him as being in anyway ready for it. First he needs to do something to prove himself.

McKenna, would definitely be one of the possibilities, but I do not see him as leadership material yet, but it is not that their are many choices.

Stronach, while a new comer, does have some possibilities, but also has many liabilities as well. But if she did give it a go, and she has the money and backing to try. It would be a first for the liberals in having a women as party leader, and that would play well with the voters next time out. But she would really have to take a high profile position on publicly displaying her beliefs, before she would be seriously considered. It will be interesting to watch.

[na85]

I have been hearing Manley's name being tossed around, but I don't think he'll run based on what he said on CBC after Layton's speech. Peter Mansbridge asked Manley if he would be running, to which Manley replied

Well, there are some people who would want a dynamic and charismatic leader, and there are some people who would want me

I think he knows that he isn't what the Liberals need right now.

[tml12]

I have been hearing Manley's name being tossed around, but I don't think he'll run based on what he said on CBC after Layton's speech. Peter Mansbridge asked Manley if he would be running, to which Manley replied

Well, there are some people who would want a dynamic and charismatic leader, and there are some people who would want me

I think he knows that he isn't what the Liberals need right now.

I think that is probably a good point na85 although I didn't hear that last night.

BTW: Welcome!!!

[na85]

thank you

[CCGirl]

Besides needing to do alot of self-examination, the Liberals need to inject some new blood into the party, perhaps wooing younger people with leadership skills.

I still believe that the Party is in denial, Frank McKenna is mentioned often and MacLeans Magazine has done extensive articles on the possibilites of McKenna. Frankly, I see McKenna as way too right wing for the Liberal Party, but I also felt Martin was too. :angry:

[betsy]

Who do you think will become the new leader of the Liberal party? I wouldn't be surprised if Ignatief (sp?) and Stronach wound up in a leadership race.

Also: Hi, I'm na85 and I'm new here. I'm 20 years old, studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Western Ontario in London.

Btw, what's the credentials of Stronach, aside from being super-rich? The first time I've heard of her was when she ran for leadership in the Conservative Party.

[Hicksey]

So for serious contenders we generally agree on:

Manley

Ignatieff

McKenna

What about Copps? Would she crawl out from under a rock for this one?

Hope so. Makes a second CPC government much more likely IMO.

[tml12]

So for serious contenders we generally agree on:

Manley

Ignatieff

McKenna

What about Copps? Would she crawl out from under a rock for this one?

Hope so. Makes a second CPC government much more likely IMO.

I would never vote for Copps or any other individual associated with the Chretien years and I hope that any Liberal with a brain would agree...

Then again, please do vote for them...after about 16 years of Harper majority rule the Liberals may be able to learn that Canadians don't want any more of those people around.

[na85]

Btw, what's the credentials of Stronach, aside from being super-rich? The first time I've heard of her was when she ran for leadership in the Conservative Party.

Probably none. It's not hard to imagine the Liberals running her because she's a woman though.

[normanchateau]

By saying this however, implicitly Belinda wasn't even a serious Tory leadership candidate. Given her record of late I simply don't see how anyone could think she is a serious contender. This is especially true when it was the Liberals questioning Harper's experience in this past campaign.

Agreed Sage. I never took her seriously as a CPC leadership candidate nor is she any more impressive as a Liberal.

[Black Dog]

What about Landslide Annie? She was an able enough Deputy PM, and a westerner to boot. She was popular enough in Alberta (really, her loss this time was due to the weakness of the federal campaign and not the strength of her opponnent, the run-of-the-mill reactionary Goldie Laurie Hawn) and, while a Martin loyalist, has enough distance on the inner circle to appear untainted by the scandals of the Quebec wing.

[geoffrey]

What about Landslide Annie? She was an able enough Deputy PM, and a westerner to boot. She was popular enough in Alberta (really, her loss this time was due to the weakness of the federal campaign and not the strength of her opponnent, the run-of-the-mill reactionary Goldie Laurie Hawn) and, while a Martin loyalist, has enough distance on the inner circle to appear untainted by the scandals of the Quebec wing.

That wouldn't be un-reasonable, though losing your seat doesn't really help the vote count normally.