Saddam Hussein is executed

I cannot say that I am overly sad about his execution, still I believe the process that led to it was wrong. He was a brutal dictator who deserved the maximum punishment by law and should have gone to jail for the rest of his life. Still no matter how evil one is, I cannot in good faith support the death penalty or the person not receiving a fair trial. In addition the fact the United States attacked Iraq and still occupies it further undermines the legitimacy. Had the Iraqis overthrown Saddam and executed him much the way the Romanians executed Carcescu, I would have had less problems since it would have been a domestic decision free of any foreign influence.

On the issue of the Iraq War, this will not change my mind since the death of 3,000 coalition forces and at least 30,000 Iraqis for one man is clearly not worth it and not proportionate to the threat he posed. I also worry he may become a martyr over this. In addition there are many other dictators who deserve a similiar fate. I continue to oppose the death penalty out of principle, but believe the decision to kill or not kill a former dictator must be made by its own people free of any foreign influence. I should note that even Britain who was the second most important player in the Iraq War does not support the death penalty of Saddam. Still I cannot say I am the least bit sad since if anyone deserved the death penalty it was him, but the way it was done was wrong and I cannot in good conscious compromise my principles on this no matter how tempting it may be.

RIP Gerald Ford

I would like to send my condolensces to the family of former US president Gerald Ford who passed away yesterday at the age of 93. As president, he didn't do anything spectacular, but neither was he a horrible president. His most questionable move was to pardon Nixon, which I am torn on since I think Nixon should have been punished on the one hand, yet I am concerned it would have torn the country apart and dragged on over 5 years so maybe it was the lesser of two evils. He was also the last moderate Republican who was relatively centrist compared to the current Republicans. It was in the 80s, that the party began its shift to the right. He also had a relatively strong understanding of Canada compared to most Republicans, partly since he lived in Michigan so Canadian issues would register more with him than say someone living in Texas. In fact he was the one that promoted the idea of Canada being a member of the G-7.

Anyways Rest in Peace Gerald Ford

Happy Holidays

Best Holiday to wishes to all faithful readers. The Holiday season is a time for family, giving, as well as being thankful for what we all have. May everyone have a safe and happy holiday.

Stephane Dion's Appointments

Today Stephane Dion made more appointments in order to reach out to various candidates in the leadership race. Gerard Kennedy was given election readiness and renewal, which seemed like a good choice considering he was the candidate he ran the most on renewing the party so I am glad this will be put to use. Martha Hall Findlay was given platform outreach chair, which I also think was a good choice, although I think she would do well in pretty much any role. For writing the platform, Bob Rae will be responsible, while Scott Brison will be the co-chair. I think these were good choices when put together since having one from the left (Bob Rae) and one from the right (Scott Brison) shows the party is a big tent, but also will ensure the platform is one that appeals to both the centre-left and centre-right since we need both of those groups to win, not just one. If only Bob Rae were appointed, I would be worried about the party drifting too far to the left, but with Scott Brison being the co-chair, I am confident a good balance will be struck.

The other big issue of the day is the Conservatives fired the Canadian Wheat Board president Adrian Maesner. I am no fan of the heavy handed tactics of the Conservatives at the same time I understand that some in the Tories are frustrated by the fact Prairie wheat and barley farmers must sell through the Wheat Board, while Ontario ones don't. I think the best solution here is to have all fifteen directors elected by the farmers, make the Canadian Wheat Board a completely private organization. The problem is the CWB is a quasi-private organization so the Tories can still argue the government has a legitimate right to interfere in its governance while the Liberals at the same time can say the government should stay out. As a private organization, it would operate much the way a union does. Unions can make membership in the union mandatory for one to work at a job, even if in the private sector, so as a private organization it would be up to the farmers to decide whether the Wheat Board is a dual marketing system, single desk, or open market as well as enforcement would be done by the Wheat Board not the government. I personally favour a dual marketing system, but since I am not a farmer, I don't believe it is my job to decide what system they follow, rather the farmers should decide. I also think another possible compromise is allow farmers the choice, so long as once they leave the Wheat Board, they cannot use it for at least another ten years. In this scenario it would operate much like our health care system, which contrary to public perception, is not actually a pure monopoly, but since doctors have to choose one or the other system, no parallel private system has emerged and I suspect if the Wheat Board operated the same way, over 95% of farmers would still use the Wheat Board while those who do truly believe in choice, would still be able to get what they want.

Dion's Team-Building

I was pleased today to see Stephane Dion choose Michael Ignatieff as deputy leader. While Ignatieff was certainly not my first choice for leader, I do believe that we need to be united if we wish to succeed in the next election and therefore it was essential that Dion find roles for all the other candidates including his strongest competitor, Michael Ignatieff. Part of the reason we lost the last election is the Martin and Chretien factions spent more time fighting each other, than focusing on their main opponent. By reaching out to all Liberals and building a strong team, we can have our focus squarely on one target, which is Stephen Harper's Conservatives. Politics is a teamsport, not a one man show and I believe one of Harper's biggest mistakes was trying to run everything himself. No person is perfect and everyone his weaknesses so by delegating out one's weaker aspects, that allow for a stronger team than one who tries to do everything on their own. In the case of Harper his negatives have weighed him down and this may have not been the case had he allowed other members of his caucus to have larger roles.

I was also pleased to see Stephane Dion meet with several CEOs from Bay Street. Besides the fact I work in the financial sector, I believe it is important for him to send strong signals to Bay Street that despite not coming from a business background he believes in a strong economy and is willing to work with business rather than against it. Indeed business can not only play a role in bringing about economic prosperity, they also contribute to social justice since they provide much of the tax revenue as well as the people they hire contribute to the tax revenue to provide our social programs. Also we cannot have environmental sustainability without business being onside so that is another reason why it is important to reach out to them.

Although it is early going and Stephane Dion may end up disappointing me, so far to date, he has impressed me. I have every reason to believe I made the right choice at the DSM.

End of Fall Session

In the final days of the Fall session a number of issues have surfaced. It is clear all opposition parties are in election mode ready to take down the government in the not too distant future, the question is will there come a time soon when it serves to each party's advantage to do so? The Conservatives also seem to be an election mode as well, however with Harper now being a known quantity, will just have to see how that will play out.

One of Harper's promises was to have senators elected and limit their terms to eight years. I do support senate reform, although my preference would be to abolish it completely. However, before we can go to an elected senate, we need to deal with the points Dion brings up which are ensure the West is properly represented. What is ironic is senate reform is an issue near and dear to many Westerners, yet BC and Alberta are the most grossly under-represented in the senate each having only six seats, while New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have ten despite having 4 to 5 times less in population. Jack Austin and Lowell Murray have already proposed a bill to rectify this and I believe this should be done first. Also an elected senate would acquire more power and with that comes the concern we would get deadlock. Therefore some type of dispute resolution mechanism must be in place to ensure there isn't constant deadlock. Finally if the senate elections are like the Alberta ones have been where one has a choice only amongst former Reformers, then forget it. If that is the case in a senate election I will spoil my ballot by writing LIBERAL in big print over it since I believe this would be unfair to the majority of Canadians who are not on the right side of the political spectrum.

Stephane Dion has proposed to have 1/3 of candidates be women. I fully support this and while my preference is not to have them parachuted in, I do support the leader appointing women in winneable ridings if not enough are nominated. Beyond that though, Dion should commit to strike a committee to look at why few women are interested in running for office and find ways to make it more attractive for women to want to run for office, so we can have proper representation without the leader having to parachute women into certain ridings.

As for when the next election should be, I believe the current government has lost the moral authority to govern and therefore once the house resumes a non-confidence motion should be tabled ASAP.

Bloc Quebecois Threatens to topple government

Up until now it has been the Bloc Quebecois that has helped save the Tories twice from possibly falling on a confidence motion (softwood lumber and the budget), but now they are threatening to pull the plug. While I am not sure of the exact reasons, I wonder if they are worried about Dion and realize he is a strong opponent who could gain big in Quebec, so they want to pull the plug before he has time to establish himself.

Regardless of their motivation, I would support such move provided it is done after Christmas since having an election campaign two holidays in a row is a little much. I believe Harper has tried to govern for too long like he has a majority, so he needs a clear message to either cooperate or be defeated. Perhaps with his falling poll numbers he might soften his stance now realizing his government could be defeated any day and there is no guarantee he would win the election. I also feel our Afghanistan mission has been poorly handled with all the focus on combat and very little on reconstruction. Rather than following the traditional peacekeeping approach, Harper seems to want to follow the Bush ideology of good vs. evil and war as the only solution to all problems. This needs to stop and if it requires a non-confidence motion to do it, then so be it. Some may say the Liberals are being hypocritical since they sent the soldiers to Afghanistan, but I should add only until the Spring of 2007, not until 2009 as Harper did. Some may say we shouldn't play politics with our men in uniform, but I ask how is this playing politics anymore than Harper's sham vote with only six hours of debate last spring or then Harper's tough we won't cut and run talk. I fully support our men and women in uniform and will never give them anything but my full support. But I do feel I have every right to question the government's reasoning for putting them there. Some will argue this is a NATO mission so as a NATO member we must be there, yet with the exception of United States, United Kingdom, and Netherlands, none of their other NATO countries are interested in going into the South and a full 1/3 of casualties have been Canadian so we are doing far more than our fair share. For those blaming more reluctant countries like France, Germany, Spain, and Italy, I say nonsense. Had the United States not invaded Iraq they would have had more than enough troops to do the job in Afghanistan, and I for one don't believe we should bail the US out for its misadventure in Iraq.

Week In Review

This was the first week of new Liberal leader Stephane Dion and on the whole a very good one. I felt he has provided a strong opposition, but I am also pleased he is now willing to propose solutions not just attack the problem. In all fairness I realize Bill Graham couldn't really do that since until the party had a new leader, taking a firm plan of action might undermine one of the candidates, but now that we have a leader we can propose actual solutions that will not only drive people away from the Tories, but actually make people want to vote Liberal. I liked his Marshall Plan for Afghanistan and I think this a constructive solution that seeks a strong balance between the hawks like Harper who think combat is the only solution and the Doves like Layton who simply wanting pull out regardless of the consequences. On the Canadian Wheat Board, I also agree with him even though I do support a dual marketing system. I believe that farmers in the prairie provinces should have the option of selling outside the Wheat Board, but the decision whether to allow it or not should be made by the farmers not the government. Dion simply stated he would maintain the status quo until either the farmers through a plebiscite or through the board of directors they elect choose to change its mandate. In both Ontario and Australia, the move to a dual marketing system was decided by the farmers not the government. The only thing I would add is I would go a step further and ensure all 15 board of directors are elected by the farmers since under the current system when the Liberals are in power, 8 of the 10 elected directors would be needed for a change to a dual marketing system, while under the Tories only 3 out of 10 would have to be since the other five are appointed by the government. This was part of the Liberal platform in the last election and I hope it is again.

A lot has been made out of Stephane Dion's dual citizenship. Quite frankly this is a trivial issue and considering that France prohibits its citizens from serving in foreign governments, he will have to surrender it anyways should he win the next election, so lets drop the issue and move onto other more important manners. Some other good news is the rising Liberal fortunes in several polls. They have a clear lead in Ontario, Atlantic Canada, and British Columbia, and practically tied with the Tories in Saskatchewan and Manitoba while in second in Quebec ahead of the Conservatives and behind the Bloc Quebecois. This is definitely bad news for Harper, but also for Layton. The only question now is will Layton then vote in favour of the next budget to avoid an embarassing election or will he stick to his principles and defeat this government and live without whatever outcome occurs. Besides if the Tories want a strong split on the left, maybe choose a less polarizing leader. When they choose a moderate leader, the NDP tends to be better as NDP voters are less fearful of a Tory win than when they choose a more ideological one. The great news about these polls holding is not only will Stephane Dion become Prime-minister of Canada, but hopefully the Tories can finally choose a half decent leader. Ever since March 20, 2004, which was my 23rd birthday, I have from that day onwards been anxious to see Harper turfed as leader and it looks like that day is fast approaching.

Liberal Post Convention Bounce or Permanent Lead?

This past week four polls have come out which all show great news for the Liberals and bad news for the Conservatives. While this may be a post-convention bounce, I would say at the moment the likelihood of Harper winning the next election is under 50%. As PM he hasn't really inspired too many people, while angered a good chunk of the population, although the majority are probably neutral. Dion in all the polls leads in BC, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada, while is second in Quebec ahead of the Conservatives and behind the Bloc Quebecois, a very close second in the Prairies, while Alberta remains the lone area where the Tories are still well out in front. I think last election was one the Liberals lost rather than the Tories won. Had the Liberals choosen a leader Canadians didn't like they would still be trailing, but since they choose one Canadians are comfortable with they have pulled ahead. While a lot can change between now and the next election, we are definitely in a great position, so lets keep it up.

Dion's Dual Citizenship

I hadn't discussed this issue much since for me it was not a major issue. While I would prefer the Prime-minister be only a Canadian citizen, as long as their loyalty lies with Canada ahead of any other nation it really becomes a symbolic issue. After watching Dion's stance on the clartiy act, I don't think anyone could question his loyalty to Canada. And considering he doesn't hold a French passport and has not voted in any election he is really only a French citizen in name. I certainly despise Ezra Levant and feel his attacks were totally inappropriate. On the issue of foreign policy, I would rather we align ourselves more with France rather than the United States. However, the issue becomes that if one has dual citizenship, will it appear as a conflict of interest if there is ever a dispute between the two countries. In addition while I have no problem with a PM being Canadian/French citizen, I would have a big problem if one was a dual American/Canadian citizenship so the question becomes is it fair to say one can have dual citizenship with some countries but not others. At the end of the day, I will support Dion no matter which choice he makes, but if I were advising him, I would renounce just to take the issue off the table so we can focus on the real issues and actually defeat the Harper government.

I am though a little concerned about the nasty rhetoric of some Liberals calling people racists, bigots, and intolerance for being against a PM having dual citizenship. Lets remember citizenship is in relation to a political entity, not a religion, culture, or ethnicity and it relates to one's political rights and obligations not one's cultural heritage. I am strong believer in multiculturalism and immigration, but I am a proud Canadian, only a Canadian, and a Canadian first and I don't think those who advocate that our politicians should be loyal to Canada and no one else should be called intolerant. After all we are a diverse nation so loyalty to Canada and no one else is not intolerance. In fact part of the reason I have strongly challenged Harper is notwithstanding the fact he is only Canadian, is I sometimes feel he has greater loyalty to the United States than Canada and this is an issue for me. The fact Dion has said he will renounce it if Canadians make a big issue out of it should hopefully put this trivial issue to rest. In addition I believe it is illegal for a French citizen to serve in a foreign government so he would likely have to renounce it anyways, although it might be wrong here.

UPDATE: I Checked French citizenship laws and French Citizens cannot serve as a foreign government leader, so he would lose his French citizenship making it a mute point. More importantly my understanding is he had the opportunity to obtain French citizenship, but I don't believe he ever applied for it.

Results of Same-Sex Marriage Vote

I was pleased to see the motion to re-open SSM go down in defeat. Unlike in the past where it has generally been the Liberals who have been divided and the Tories who have been united, there were roughly as many Tories who broke party ranks as Liberals. Interestingly enough not one Tory in the fifth row voted against the government, while half came from the cabinet. I guess that proves there are still many nutbars in the party, but Harper has figured including them in cabinet is not the best idea. Hopefully this issue will be put behind us for good.

As for what Harper will do now, I don't know, but despite my disagreements with him on many issues, he is a great tactician so if he is wise he won't bring it up again. The only case I could see him re-visiting the issue again is if he wins a majority. Not so much that he is keen to visit it, but the social conservative element in his caucus is quite strong and I cannot see them giving up on the issue easily. If he wins a minority again, the issue won't likely be re-visited since the So-Cons know they would lose again. If he loses the next election, I suspect the next leadership race will be a very divided one unlike the Liberal one where each of the candidates generally agreed on the main issues, but choose to emphasize different areas. On the other hand I expect in the next Tory leadership race to be a clash between the moderates who will argue the party lost for being too right wing and too far outside the mainstream vs. the conservatives who will argue the party lost for straying too far from prinicpled conservatism and not doing enough to differentiate themselves from the Liberals thereby causing many principled conservatives to stay home. I've never bought the latter argument, but I am sure it will be used.

Same-Sex Marriage Vote

Well finally Stephen Harper fulfills his ridiculous promise of re-opening SSM. Thankfully it has absolutely no chance at passing when considering the Bloc and NDP and possibly the Liberals will have whipped votes while for the Tories it will be a free vote. Although the party has been united in the past, I believe this time from what I am hearing you will see a strong split in the Conservatives between the former Progressive Conservatives who may have been uneasy about the issue, but want it put to rest as opposed to those from the Reform/Alliance wing who will never accept SSM even when everyone else has. In the case of the Liberals, Stephane Dion has yet to decide whether to make it a whipped vote or not. While I will respect whatever decision he makes, if it were up to me, I would make it a whipped vote. Any Liberal who broke party ranks would be able to remain a member of the party and run in the next election, but would be stripped from the shadow cabinet if currently a critic and barred from being in the next shadow cabinet as well as being a cabinet minister or parliamentary secretary in the next Liberal government. Some will say this is being unreasonable, but I disagree. The issue here is not whether one supports same-sex marriage or not, the issue is whether one believes in respecting the Charter of Rights and Freedoms or not. And despite what Harper claims same-sex marriage cannot be repealed nationally without using the notwithstanding clause. With the exception of PEI, Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, every other provincial court has declared the traditional definition of marriage unconstitutional so it would have no effect in those provinces. The issue would almost certainly land before the Supreme Court who would likely strike down the law. The reality is the sky hasn't fallen as some opponents claim and for most Canadians who are not part of the religious right, it is a non-issue. Issues such as lower taxes, shorter wait times, a cleaner environment, a more prosperous and competitive economy, reducing poverty, and strengthening Canada's role in the World are far more important and pressing issues than Same-sex marriage. Although some will say it is good Harper kept his promise, I have often argued and will say again, I am all for politicians breaking bad promises. In fact I have even at times encouraged politicians to break their promises if I thought they were bad ones to begin with. That is not to say politicians should make a habit of breaking promises, but they should be flexible enough to change their position if conditions warrant. I also noticed the Conservative webpage is making a big issue how the Liberals may make it a whipped vote. All I can say, is go ahead, I don't think it will impress the majority of Canadians who want the whole issue dropped period. Hopefully once this issue is put behind we can deal with more pressing issues. Also now that the Liberals have a leader and could bring down the government at any time, I hope the Harper government drops its right wing agenda and starts taking a more centrist approach as well as a more concillitory approach to other parties. If it does this, I would be all for them staying in office a little longer (although I will still fight hard to have Harper defeated when the next election arrives), but if Harper continues his my way or the highway approach, then I think the Liberals, NDP, and BQ should introduce a non-confidence motion at the earliest date possible and defeat this government ASAP. If the Canadians give them a majority government, I will grudgingly accept their right to push ahead with their agenda, but otherwise I think their right wing agenda needs to be stopped since Canadians didn't give them a mandate to pursue a right wing agenda.

Stephane Dion's first day as leader

Today was Stephane Dion's first day as leader and on the whole I was generally pleased. I thought his plan for Afghanistan was a well thought out one and I hope he continues to release such plans rather than just attack the opposition. Much like Harper, his strength is in policy so he should continue to point out the Tories' flaws, but also propose positive solutions. Indeed it could be argued Harper lost in 2004 because he only opposed the Liberals but didn't offer Canadians anything while in 2006 he did. I agree the current government is a far right neo-conservative government, but unlike prior to last election, I suspect most people have mind up their mind so in my case, he is only preaching to choir, while in Brandon or BC Tory's case, no amount of saying it will make them believe it. That being said on the whole it was a good day. His show of unity and willingness to work with his rivals is definitely a good sign for Liberals. On the SSM issue, I personally think it should be a whipped vote since it is a rights issue, but I can understand the possible risks of party splits so I would be okay if a free vote although disappointed. I also think his emphasis on the three pillars and being a centrist is very important in order to win. I felt Martin focused too much on social justice and not enough on economic prosperity so I am glad to see Dion is emphasizing both equally and putting his stamp firmly in the centre, not the left. In fact even Bay Street was generally pleased with the choice and Thomas Aquilino, who is no Liberal supporter, assured Bay Street this is no tax and spend Liberal. He has a tough task ahead, but considering his successes so far and how well he has faced each challenge, I think he can manage.

I've already heard some, both Liberals and Tories, saying he cannot win the next election. I couldn't disagree more. It is no guarantee he will win, but I think there is a very good chance he will. Some of the common reasons sighted for his possible unelectability are he is unpopular in Quebec, messed up on the environment, his poor English skills, and Western Canada won't vote for a Quebec leader. On all four counts they are wrong. He is hated amongst separtists, but most federalist Quebecers like his no nonsense stance with the separtist. Lets remember Chretien and Trudeau who took the separtist head on did better than Martin and Turner who were willing to make compromises with them. On the environment, he was only environment minister for 18 months and almost all the GHG increases happened before then as well in the 2005 budget they did develop a plan to reduce GHGs. He has a strong accent, but his English is not poor. It is better than Chretien's and if Chretien could win three back to back majorities I don't see how this will hurt Dion. As for him being unelectable in the West, the only province in the West where the Liberals have much chance for gains is British Columbia, which also happens to be one of the most environmentally conscious provinces, so if anything his environmental plan should be popular in British Columbia. In fact the main guy behind his win was Mark Marissen who is from BC and is the husband of former education minister Christy Clark. Also former BC Liberal MLA Joyce Murray was one of his BC co-chairs.

To all Liberals, I say hang in there; if we stick together we can win the next election, but if we don't we won't, so don't underestimate him. To all Tories, I would be very worried since he has often been underestimated so if Harper underestimates him, he does it at his own peril. Now I doubt if Harper will underestimate him although I think some of his caucus members might.

Strategic Counsel: Liberals lead by Six

I am always skeptical if in between election polls so I do not whether these numbers will hold or not, but one thing they say for sure, Harper definitely has to really turn things around if he wants to still be PM in six months let alone in majority territory. According to the most recent strategic counsel poll, the Liberals are 37% compared to the Tories 31%, otherwise similiar to 2004 results and 48% in Ontario, 28 in the West, and 28% in Quebec. 55% said Stephane Dion was a good choice and that number jumped to 62% in Quebec. The only good thing for Harper is his approval rating was 56%. Now I'll admit it is really early to start making predictions, and considering an Ipsos poll showed the Conservatives at 37% and Liberals 31%, it is probably a bit early to start making predictions. However, hopefully come election the Liberals will be well ahead.

Alberta's Next Premier: Ed Stelmach

Yesterday was an interesting day in the sense we not only had two political races, but both winners came from behind to win. Both won largely because they were the second choice of many, but also both won because they were consensus candidates who were liked by most members of the party not just certain segments. In the case of the Alberta PC race, I was relieved after the first round to see Ted Morton get dropped off. I guess the fear of Premier Morton encouraged more moderates to sign up or perhaps he maxed out since those on the hard right have a strong base, but limited appeal beyond that. After Morton dropped off, I know Alberta would get a decent moderate premier whether Dinning or Stelmach won. As someone from Rural Alberta, but closer to Edmonton than Calgary, hopefully he can help re-build the party in Edmonton. In addition, should I land in Alberta before the next provincial election, I will support the Alberta PCs, whereas had Morton won I would have gone over to the Alberta Liberals much like I have federally after Harper won.

Canada's Next Prime-Minister: Stephane Dion

I would like to give a big congratulations to Stephane Dion on his victory as Liberal leader and soon to be prime-minister of Canada. As even Brandon points out, he poses the most formidable threat to the Tories, which probably explains why they are in full damage control rather than simply congratulating him like the NDP did. However, rather than talk about his electability, I want to discuss his remarkable come behind success. Last spring when he entered the race, few thought he had a chance, yet he proved them wrong and I believe he will prove many pundits wrong when he wins the next election. Another even more remarkable achievement is the fact he had the lowest campaign expenses of the four top tier candidates. This just shows those with a strong vision one can win against those with big money. He can count on my full support come next election and considering I live in an NDP riding, I plan to do my part to ensure it goes Liberal next election. I may not agree with him on every issue, but I am very impressed by the great thought he puts into every issue and his willingness to listen to those with different ideas, which is quite a contrast with our current PM. This is the best result I could have hoped for and hopefully just as Stephane Dion surprised people in the Liberal leadership race, he will surprise people in the next election.

As a side note, in the Alberta race, Ted Morton is currently in third, which is more good news. It looks like his hard right message hit a brick wall, which all I can say is good riddance. I'll have more tomorrow morning on the winner in Alberta.

Canada`s Next Liberal Leader: Stephane Dion

Now we are down to the final ballot with Rae gone and Ignatieff trailing Stephane Dion. At this point I am 90% sure Stephane Dion will be the next Liberal leader and Canada`s next prime-minister. I`ll have more later.

Kennedy backs Dion

Yessssss!!! Go Dion Go!!

First Ballot Results and Subsequent Events

Well the first ballot results are in and three have now dropped off and gone to other candidates so here is my take.

Martha Hall Findlay: She didn't get a lot of support, but she impressed many people so I am thrilled at her decision to back Dion. I know not all her delegates will follow, but I feel this a big moral boost. Hopefully Dion can convince Dryden to support him after the second ballot results come in.

Joe Volpe: No surprise here, that he went to Bob Rae, but considering what a slimeball the guy is, I would actually rather not have his support than have his. This will boost Rae in terms of delegates, but I am almost positive the Conservatives will use this in their attack ads next election if Rae should win. Hopefully if Rae drops off before the final ballot and Dion is still on, Volpe doesn't go to Dion, although as long as Dion doesn't go out of his way to get Volpe's support and Volpe comes on his own will I am fine.

Scott Brison: He goes to Bob Rae, which although would seem surprising on the surface when you consider their political histories, I think Brison is attracted to whoever will be the most aggressive against Stephen Harper, who I know he absolutely despises, so it would make sense he would choose Rae. He did release his delegates so while I think Rae will get the greatest number, they will also go to other camps too.

FIRST BALLOT RESULTS

A huge disappointment for Ignatieff since he really needed to be above 30% if not 35% to remain the likely winner. He can still pull it off, but unless there is major improvement on the second ballot, he will be facing an uphill battle. Bob Rae neither did well nor poorly so we will have to wait for the second ballot to see whether he has momentum or not. Stephane Dion was probably the biggest winner here since he moved up to third although only by two votes. Gerard Kennedy may have not lost much, but falling from third to fourth psychologically is not good for that team.

Anyways I will be seeing the sights and sounds of Montreal today and taking a late train back to Toronto, so my next blog will probably be on the final results.

Convention Speech

Unfortunately I wasn't able to see the convention speeches live since this morning I had to fix a flat tire on my car and wasn't able to head off to Montreal until 3:00Pm, although I did get to read the transcripts. None of the speeches were inspiring enough to have a major positive impact, but none were either terrible to sink a candidate. If anything the speeches will just re-affirm why people choose their candidates. I liked Michael Ingnatieff's tone, Ken Dryden's passion, Stephane Dion's enthusiasm, Gerard Kennedy's vision, and Joe Volpe's talk about his own family story. Rae did his without notes, which was quite bold, but came off fine. Tomorrow morning I will comment once the first ballot results are in.