Thursday, December 4, 2008

Team Ignatieff Not So Coalition Crazy

Gotta wonder sometimes. Other times you just gotta shake your head.

IGNATIEFF WARNED OFF COALITION CABINET POST
JANE TABER

SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER; with a report from Campbell Clark

December 3, 2008


Michael Ignatieff, the front-runner in the race to replace Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion, is being encouraged by supporters to stay out of a Dion-led coalition cabinet.

Mr. Ignatieff's "instinct" is also to stay away from the cabinet, says a source close to the politician, and spend his time concentrating on his leadership bid by selling memberships, rebuilding the party and eventually winning a majority government instead of worrying about this fragile coalition.

The Ignatieff official said Mr. Ignatieff's view not to accept a cabinet position - if one is offered and it likely would be - should not be interpreted as some new-founded concern over the coalition or that he is backing out of the coalition.

Rather, it should be looked at as Mr. Ignatieff's decision to concentrate on party rebuilding and his leadership, the official said.

Mr. Dion was meeting with his officials yesterday to deal with cabinet posts, according to a well-placed source. Mr. Ignatieff is to meet with the leader today.

It appears his leadership rivals, Toronto Centre MP Bob Rae and New Brunswick MP Dominic LeBlanc, could be named to the 25-member coalition cabinet - a change in past practice because MPs who ran in the 2006 leadership contest were not allowed to hold opposition critic roles.

There is a belief among some Liberals, however, that if one leadership candidate is in cabinet so should the other two.

Meanwhile, some of the MPs and others supporting Mr. Ignatieff do not want him mixed up in what is increasingly becoming a controversial coalition, as the Tories mount a major campaign condemning the Liberals for cozying up to Quebec separatists.

22 comments:

Aaron said...

I am not an Ignatieff supporter, or a Rae supporter, or a Leblanc supporter. I am a Liberal though.

It would be hard to run for the leadership and hold a portfolio in a coalition government at the same time.

So I think this statement should be taken at face value: "Rather, it should be looked at as Mr. Ignatieff's decision to concentrate on party rebuilding and his leadership, the official said."

I see nothing sinister in this. In fact in seems like an appropriate acknowledgement of time management. The ministers should be devoted to their posts. Running a leadership campaign at the same time would not be ideal.

Aaron said...

Ummm... Ideal necessarily. Ignatieff will make up his own mind. But I don't think either way it should be over-interpreted.

Anonymous said...

Well, I will tell you one thing and I do mean this. I've been wondering this for a while, but this article to me is proof.

What this article tells me is the "liberal insiders" Jane Taber has been writing articles in conjunction with for the past 18 months are in Team Ignatieff.

Whether he is involved remains to be seen, but isn't it a bit strange that they have the inside track on what Ignatieff is thinking or being advised, but not any inside scoop on anyone else.

Someone ought to be grilling them on this, not so much on this article but on the slow painful and sometimes cutting insider crap that has been filtered through on these type of articles for months now.

I'm serious. Regardless of what happens with the current situation, the Liberals need to find the Liberal moles who can't seem to keep from mouthing off to their buddy at the G&M.

Aaron said...

The Taber/Duffy/CTV(spit) crowd say alot of things that I would not rely on.

Taber writes to incite controversy.

Aaron said...

In fact, I have read sooo much in the media recently that is factually untrue that I am starting to seriously doubt the quality of our news sources.

red and proud said...

Will these people keep it up if Ignatieff loses the leadership race again?

the regina mom said...

I'm not a Liberal or an NDP or a Bloc or a Con, but I have some communications experience and I'm a damned fine organizer. Do you think they'd hire me to head up the comm team? I mean, I could do no worse than what they've got, that's for sure!

Better Days said...

James, why have you made it your mission to demonize every action that Ignatieff makes?

It seems perfectly legitimate that he doesn't want to be a part of cabinet while travelling the country trying to build support.

Why not try something new, why not try to write something positive for a change instead of these fake outrage stories. They're getting old.

RuralSandi said...

After last night's embarrassing performance by Dion and the fact that 64% of Canadians don't want Dion at the helm, something has to be done.

He may be a fine man, but he bungles repeatedly.

Enough. It's embarrassing.

They should appoint Goodale or someone like that as interim leader.

James Curran said...

Who exactly would "they" be Sandi? If Ralph wanted to be leader he should have run for the job.

As for my mission? Shhhhh. Don't tell noone.

Hilarious, yes, itks me that is the secret Iggy insider. Its really ME writing the articles in the MSM.

Shhhh.

RuralSandi said...

Oh for heavens sake - Bill Graham didn't run for leadership either.

You're daily Iggy rants is becoming rather obsessive.

I wasn't talking about Rae, Iggy or LeBlanc

I'm taliing about those non-blogging voters out there - they don't want Dion and we have to face the facts.

James Curran said...

Oh for heavan's sake. So are yours. Bill graham was appointed because Martin stepped down effective immediately!!!

And do you really think an interim leader would have made the camera less blurry last night? Pawlease.

RuralSandi said...

Fact is - Dion should have stepped down immediately.

We're going to lose this one because of stubborness.

Smart? Na, I don't think so.

James Curran said...

Fact is people like you choose to continue the myth that Dion is some kind of idiot, when in fact, he's a guy with a PhD that has held cabinet positions and wrote an entire Act that was passed in by the House. So, who on earth are you, and under what authority, to ask for his resignation?

Robert G. Harvie, Q.C. said...

For what it's worth.. which may be not much.. this Conservative, at present, would vote for Michael Ignatieff were an election called today.. so, one swing vote resulting from this stupid farce.

I don't really care about blurry videos.. just more smoke and mirrors that ignore the substance of what is in issue.

Brent Neill said...

Dion is not an idiot, but he is an inept modern political leader.

Politics today is about being able to deliver a clear message to the Canadian people about the polices of the government, and at this Dion fails.

He must not be allowed to led this coalition, if he does the Liberal party will never recover. I was in favor of the move to replace Harper until last night, when Dion and his staff showed that they are incapable of running the government, when they can't even present a 2 minute video without turning it into an embarrassment, than he and his inner circle cannot be trusted to govern with an unstable collation that threatens to blow up in our parties face.

Dion and his main staff must be let go, now.

Iggy, and Rae should not support any move to make him Prime Minister, if they do, the Liberals won't govern for a generation.

James Curran said...

Speaking of idiots...

Brent Neill said...

James,

Your blind devotion to Dion's failed tenure as leadership does the Liberal Party no favors. It's time for a caretaker leader until the convention (which should be moved up to Feb.) Dion last night showed why he should never have been put in a leadership position. His talents lie elsewhere.

Having him as prime minster in a coalition will destroy the party. He can't explain anything to Canadians. He is a dud.

James Curran said...

Yes. Its alllllll his fault. Give your head a shake! This goes beyond Dion. I doubt he held his own camera last night.

Robert G. Harvie, Q.C. said...

James - I appreciate your frustration.. you have a leader, and you support him until the party has decided on the new leader.

I may not agree with Dion - but I agree that, particularly in this period of political instability, it is refreshing to see someone hold to their convictions, and to avoid adding more gas to an already flaming fire.

..and this is coming from someone who believes the "greenshift" or the suggested new incarnation under the coalition would be a death-knell for Alberta.

James Curran said...

Greenshift? I wonder which leadership candidate had something like that in his platform in 2006?

Robert G. Harvie, Q.C. said...

LOL.. yes.. true 'dat.. but surely you're not suggesting Mr. Rae would not advocate similar carbon restrictions.. though I'll grant you, he was the one who most clearly pointed out that Dion's biggest error was probably is commitment to that policy.

Obviously I'm not voting for a leader.. and hopefully, a federal election is still a while away..