Saturday, December 2, 2006

How Stephen Harper decided the Liberal leadership race

The drama in Canadian federal politics continues to thrill. With the aid of the former supporters of Gerard Kennedy and Martha Hall Findlay, Stephane Dion leapt ahead of Michael Ignatieff to become the new Liberal party leader on Saturday.

This move to the left was perhaps to be expected. After Jean Chretien's dynasty of majority governments, the Paul Martin Liberals failed to inspire Canadian voters. In the end it was Dion who defeated the well organized campaign of Ignatieff. Dion was instrumental in the drafting of the Clarity Act under the Chretien administration, which set clear rules regarding secession in the aftermath of the last Quebec referendum, . His ascension to power should cause Canadians to recognize that the influence of Chretienites in the Liberal party has returned in full force.

Given recent developments in Canadian politics, this leadership decision is not a surprise. The decision by Stephen Harper to threaten an opening of the constitutional debate in order to attract Quebec voters was an overwhelming influence. With the spectre of Canadian politics becoming dominated by the national unity issue in the forseeable future, it was perhaps necessary to once again return to a leader from Quebec.

Dion now has the enviable position of being the primary alternative for the majority of Canadian voters at a time when the Conservative party's poll numbers have been falling. It is clear that Dion has decided to run on a message of environmental stewardship. Whether this will be the issue to inspire Canadians to return to a Liberal majority in the upcoming federal election is yet to be seen.

The question whether Stephane Dion has the leadership skills to defeat Stephen Harper will have to be answered relatively soon. Many Canadians will be interested in watching Dion's performance in question period for a possible indication of his leadership style.

What we do know is that Canadians are lame for having the two leaders of the dominant parties named Stephen and Stephane.

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