Canadian Politics: Martin is out. Who will lead the Liberal Party?

Now that Paul Martin has announced that he is stepping down as the Liberal Party leader, who will be his replacement?

I've seen a few names tossed around. Here are a few of them with a little bit of information.


Belinda Stronach:
Most Canadians know this woman as the Conservative MP that crossed the floor and became a Liberal. Stronach ran against Stephen Harper for the leadership of the Conservative Party. Will she be able to do the same in the Liberal Party?


Michael Ignatieff:
Former director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University. He is currently a Liberal MP representing the south-western Toronto riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore. Some have ben calling Ignatieff "the new Pierre Trudeau."


John Manley:
He was the deputy prime minister under Jean Chrétien and made a failed bid for the Liberal leadership in 2003.


Frank McKenna:
He is the current ambassador to the U.S and former premier of New Brunswick. He used to sit on the corporate board of the Carlyle Group and attended the 2005 Bilderberg Conference.


Please feel free to add more people and information to this thread

Once a new leader has been selected by the Liberal Party I will be posting it here.

Frank McKenna has resigned as US Ambassador.

I guess he wants to start his campaign for leadership right away.

ctv.ca

McKenna never seems afraid to speak his mind and I guess that's a plus but his shady connections give me pause. Ignatieff is unknown to me and the hype surrounding him seems prematur. Stronach is untrustworthy IMO and John Manley is just more of the same. We need more choices. I may actually join the Liberal party just to vote for the next leader Then again....maybe not

I like what McKenna had to say about FoxNews. I also thought he seemed like a nice guy when he was on the Mercer Report.

However I shutter at the thought of a possible prime minister that is so closely affiliated with the Carlyle Group.

I suppose if I had to pick out of the four I listed I would have to go with the one I know the least...Michael Ignatieff .

I think they need more of an "unknown" person to take the helm. Someone young, fresh and full of gusto. Hey, is Rick Mercer a Liberal? He'd be great!

Do some research...

Pro-Iraq War;
Bush supporter;
Missile Defense Shield Supporter;
Supports American Imperialism; (he even wrote a book on it called "Empire Lite"!!)
Supports American policy on torture!
Lived outside of Canada for nearly three decades (UK and US).

What does he know about Canadian politics?

Also read up on how he secured his riding nomination. There was quite the controversy over it that got almost no media attention:

Michael Ignatieff: Opportunist? Reactionary? U.S. Lackey? Liberal Leadership Hopeful?

...he gained his nomination victory to loud cries of “sleaze” from all sides. The other two candidate hopefuls, it is said, were given almost no time at all to gather the required nomination signatures. When they did so, in a hurry, they found the necessary office doors locked before the deadline hour, while office staff inside pretended no one was seeking entry and refused to answer knocks on the door or telephone calls.

No way this guy is a Trudeau "liberal".
The only "liberal" in that group is Manley and he's no leader IMO.

Canadian Politics is in trouble. :shk:

I'm actually thinking of joining the liberal party just so I can vote against Ignatieff at the convention.

One of many articles you can find on him: www.counterpunch.org...

We are being played...
.
edit: added link to the book

[edit on 1/25/2006 by Gools]

Bob Ray is looking more and more desirable all the time

Wow!

Thanks for that information Gools.

I'd give you a wats vote or an applause if I could.

Originally posted by Umbrax
I'd give you a wats vote or an applause if I could.

You can thank me by spreading the word on him to people you know...
.

Will do . It is a shame he is already a Liberal MP.

Another name I've seen mentioned a few times is Ken Dryden.

www.tbs-sct.gc.ca..." target='_blank' class='tabOff'/>

That would be kind of fun.

If Frank McKenna was the leader, it would not improve my vision of the liberals. I cannot stand the guy. Ugh.

Remember his actions on missile defense?

Trade?

He is a goon.

I'm telling you guys, watch out for Belinda. She's smart, monied and personable. She would have the young vote, the hard core Liberal vote AND the womens vote. The men's vote also that don't factor politics into the mix.

I agree with you, intrepid.

I think Belinda may have this in the bag. She's got the money and the recognition factor. Martin even specifically mentioned her in his concession speech. If they want to come back in the next election (2007 anyone?), she's the best choice. She didn't give up her high-paying job at Magna just to be an MP.

It would be fun to watch her run against Harper.

Originally posted by Duzey
It would be fun to watch her run against Harper.

It wouldn't be the first time. She came in second to Harper for the Tory leadership, as a novice. She got elected as a Conservative, re-elected as a Liberal. Watch out gang, this politician is for real.

And she has a better smile than this.....................



Damn, who wouldn't trust this smile, thanks Umbrax:




[edit on 26-1-2006 by intrepid]

Hmmm, Belinda would look like an opportunist if she ran for the leadership of the party barely a year after quitting the Tories, and barely two years after running for the Tory leadership...

I think Brian Tobin might be an interesting choice. He still has a Captain Canada aura about him, he's clean, and he's bilingual...

I understand what you're saying Otts but one question, would you vote Liberal with Belinda at the helm?

Intrepid - my MP is Mauril Bélanger... I'm used to people who are in politics just for power.

Originally posted by Otts
Intrepid - my MP is Mauril Bélanger... I'm used to people who are in politics just for power.

I'll take that as a "yes" then. See my point?

I couldn't bring myself to vote for Mauril... but I do see your point... a lot of people - potentially me included - would vote for the Libs headed by Belinda as the lesser of two evils...