Courageous or disastrous? Liberals mixed about Dion’s pact with May

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This article was published 13/04/2007 (6762 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA (CP) – Man of principle or political disaster – Liberals were calling Stephane Dion both Friday.

Some praised while others derided their leader as they absorbed his unconventional decision to not run a candidate against Green Party Leader Elizabeth May in the next election.

For public consumption, Liberal MPs and senators endorsed their leader’s choice, albeit grudgingly in many cases.

But some rank and file Grits were angry – particularly in Nova Scotia where May plans to run against Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay.

Some were even whispering about the possibility of fielding an independent-Liberal candidate against May in Central Nova, in defiance of Dion’s dictum.

And privately some senior Liberals were positively apoplectic, going so far as to predict that Dion has dealt a death blow to his already shaky leadership. One called it “colossally stupid.”

In Nova Scotia, reaction tended to revolve around concerns that Dion has effectively abandoned the more than 10,000 Central Nova constituents who voted Liberal in 2006.

“It disenfranchises all the people who normally support the Liberal party and principles of the Liberal party,” said Bill Gillis, a former longtime Liberal MLA for Antigonish.

Moreover, Gillis said traditional Liberals who are forced to vote for another party in the next election may never come back.

“It certainly hurts our voter base.”

Gillis said he’s heard talk of disgruntled Grits running an independent candidate but, thus far, the idea hasn’t caught on.

Outside the province, criticism focused more on the long-term impact on the party.

Some Liberals privately questioned how it’s in their interests to help give credibility – and possibly a beach-head in Parliament – to another party that could one day seriously compete with them for votes on the already crowded centre-left of the political spectrum.

Some also worried that the party is giving up its claim to being a national party.

“I guess I’m of the school that says the Liberal party is a national party and we run in 308 ridings,” said former deputy prime minister John Manley. “But, not my call.”

Running beneath much of the criticism was a strong strain of resentment over the perception that Dion is relying too heavily on advice from some of the same strategists who drove the Liberal party, under Paul Martin, into the ground.

A number of senior Liberals said giving May a pass looks desperate and manipulative, a hallmark of some of the tactics deployed in the last election.

Insiders said all six Liberal MPs and five senators from Nova Scotia initially opposed signing a non-aggression pact with May. But they were over-ruled by Dion who informed them Thursday evening of his decision.

Caucus members swallowed their objections Friday with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

“My view all along was that we need to run a candidate in every riding across the country,” Senator Jim Cowan said in an interview.

“The leader took the position that there was sort of a bigger issue here . . . I support his decision. It’s not one I would’ve pushed myself but it’s his decision and I support him.”

Cape Breton MP Roger Cuzner acknowledged that it will take a while for longtime Liberals to warm up to the idea. His own mother was irate and he had to spend 20 minutes “trying to talk her down off the ledge.”

But once they stand back and look at the broader perspective – the need to defeat Stephen Harper’s Tories and take urgent action on climate change – Cuzner expressed hope that Liberals will come to appreciate that “it’s a bold move by a brave leader.”

Sydney MP Mark Eyking said Dion’s decision was “a bit of a shock.” But, after listening to the leader explain his rationale for the move, Eyking said he’s been persuaded it’s the right thing to do.

At a luncheon meeting Friday with the Central Nova Liberal association executive, Eyking said some disgruntled members grumbled about being consigned to political limbo. He advised them to look upon their situation as a necessary and historic sacrifice.

“They’re taking one for the team here and they’re also doing one for the country. And they’re showing leadership.”

While Dion’s move took “a bit of getting used to,” Senator Terry Mercer said it’s smart and necessary.

“If we’re serious about beating the Tories . . . and if we’re serious about the environment . . . we need to do this.”

Susan Green, the Liberal candidate in Central Nova in 2004, had been seriously considering running again in the next election. While she was personally disappointed by Dion’s decision, she said it underscores his history of “putting Canada’s best interests ahead of everything else.”

She compared the move to Dion’s determination to lay down rules for Quebec secession in the face of vicious personal attacks by separatists.

Dan Walsh, the Liberal candidate in 2006, said his first reaction to the move was “shock and disappointment.” But some of that wore off after meeting May, whom he found credible and sincere.