4 Comments

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  Loucas Raptis - 14 years ago

  What just happened to the Liberal Party of Canada does not reflect a leadership problem but one of ideological cohesion. A party of the center becomes irrelevant in a political climate of strong polirization between the right and the left. The historical strength of the Liberal Party served well the inveterate wishy-washiness of Canadians, but when a clear choice came up between conservative timidity and socialist courage, with the recent surge of the left, the Liberal supporters were scattered between the right and the left (mostly to the right) depending on their pre-existing leaning. As long as political forces pull Canadians into two opposing camps, no leader would ever rise to offer justification for the existence of a Liberal Party - affiliations would already be well established and hard to break.

  To me this finally reflects that Canadians might be ready to display some guts and passion about their ideas for the future of their country.

  The Liberal Party of Canada had as good a leader as it'll ever get. It was the ideological spread of its base that sent its members running right & left (27 Liberal seats went to Conservatives and 16 to the NDP). "Jump," said Harper to the Liberals, and indeed most of them jumped.

  The Party needs to examine its relevance, not its need for a new leader. The party ended up betraying its leader (and the right-leaning arm betrayed the left) because of its very psychological consitution. And its leader never really understood the fickleness of those whom he was trying to lead. He is a man who deserves better.

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  saskboy - 14 years ago

  Goodale for interim, and then Marc Garneau. If the Liberals want their seats back, they'll have to first build value in Canada at the economic and cultural level, instead of coasting on their past.

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  Darren Sproat - 14 years ago

  I have been a strong believer in Ralph Goodale for a very long time. He galvanizes support and is a team builder... Look at the results of the last several elections in his Regina Wascana constituency and you will find 40-50% of the popular vote going to Ralph Goodale in a city and province that the Liberal party can barely crack double digits in popular vote.

  If the Liberals need anything right now it is exactly that... a leader with personality, a leader with experience (Deputy Leader, Finance Minister, etc.), a leader that can rebuild the party. He has seen it all. Justin Trudeau has the star quality right now but I believe that's all he has... I believe Ralph can be an extremely effective leader in what can only be called a transition period for the Liberal Party.

  Now, having said all that, I am not so confident he will go for the leadership. At his last opportunity, he brushed off encouragement from his supporters to run for the leadership.

  I will end with this... How about a leader with a personality, with respect, with support of the Canadian voter... a leader who could stand in any constituency in this country and garner support for his party. How about Ralph Goodale!

  Regards

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  Shannon Powell - 14 years ago

  I would like to see the Liberals choose a woman leader and think Joyce Murray has an exceptional record. I think Canadians will rally behind someone with a proven track record in environmental stewardship, part of which includes enabling the BC Ministry of Environment to improve services to clients while reducing costs through advocating changes of approach in delivering those services.
  2nd choice: definitely Carolyn Bennett. Another great Canadian woman politician.

  Liberals need a woman leader not just to appeal to women, but to inspire women to join politics.