Liberal senators at odds over interim leader-selection rules

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This article was published 19/05/2011 (5540 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Manitoba’s longest-serving Liberal senator says it is not fair to prevent the party’s interim leader from ultimately seeking the position full time.

Sharon Carstairs, who was appointed to the Senate in 1994, said the party executive probably felt they were making good suggestions, but she said the caucus is independent and cannot be told how to choose an interim leader.

“The executive misspoke itself as far as I’m concerned,” said Carstairs.

Carstairs said the caucus — 34 MPs and 45 senators — is in control of choosing an interim leader.

This is the fourth time in seven years the Liberals are in need of a new leader. Michael Ignatieff resigned from the post May 3, a day after he led the Liberals to a historic defeat at the polls and lost his own seat in Toronto.

Party rules dictate the new leader must be chosen at a convention in October, but the party is holding a special vote by teleconference with all party members on June 18 to amend the rule and delay a leadership convention until 2012. That will give more time for internal discussions and party renewal.

In the meantime, the Liberals need an interim leader.

The executive has said the interim leader should be bilingual, agree not to enter into any talks with the NDP about a merger and would be disqualified from seeking the leadership job at the convention.

It is that latter rule that irks Carstairs the most.

“This will be a one-member, one-vote convention and the old concerns of the interim leader having too much power over the constituency associations and/or the ex-officio delegates is no longer valid,” said Carstairs.

It is the first time the Liberals will choose a leader through the one-member, one-vote process, rather than a delegated convention. The latter sees party members elect delegates from each riding association to attend the leadership convention and only those delegates get to vote for the leader.

Carstairs said if the leadership convention isn’t held for more than a year, it gives anyone interested lots of time to campaign and reach out to the grassroots. Being the interim leader, said Carstairs, can actually be a hindrance because it will keep that person in Ottawa at least four days a week while the House of Commons is sitting.

Carstairs said she believes waiting at least a year to choose the full leader is in the party’s best interest, but if the executive doesn’t back off with its rules, she will advocate to just go ahead and have the vote in October instead.

So far only Quebec MP Marc Garneau has thrown his name out seeking to be chosen as the interim leader. Toronto MP Bob Rae, who finished third in the leadership contest in 2006 and then withdrew in 2008, leaving Ignatieff to be acclaimed, is still thinking about it.

The interim-leader process is the first step for the Liberals in rebuilding after their vote share and seat count declined in four successive elections. For the first time in Canadian history the Liberals will be neither government or official opposition. With 34 seats they are relegated to third-party status, which means less research money and less attention.

Carstairs said that could play to their favour and give the party time to resurrect itself.

“It’s not going to be an easy time for the Liberals to get publicity, but it will allow the Liberals to take stands on issues they were reluctant to in a minority government,” she said. “It could well be the breath of fresh air we’ve been needing.”

Carstairs said the party has to dig deep and decide if the next leader should represent a generational change. That would likely mean choosing between someone like Rae — a longtime politician, former Ontario premier and someone who has been around the political block — or someone like Montreal MP Justin Trudeau or New Brunswick’s Dominic LeBlanc.

The caucus is set to meet May 25 to vote for an interim leader.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca