Waiting in the Wings

Leader-in-waiting Bob Rae makes the Liberals sound inspiring. Or at least less like bunch of pansies you wouldn't vote for in a million years.

Most observers predict that Canadians will be going to the polls in early 2011, but the Globe and Mail’s John Ibbitson speculates that a major factor in the timing of the next election will be how much longer Michael Ignatieff can stomach being Liberal leader. “A year ago, Angus Reid put the Liberal leader’s support at a lousy 29 per cent. So he changed his senior staff, pounded the government over prorogation … and devoted an exhausting summer to a countrywide bus tour. And what did it get him? Angus Reid has him at 26 per cent.” If Iggy doesn’t fancy another year in the thankless job as opposition leader, look for him to trigger an election in the spring.

The Montreal Gazette’s L. Ian MacDonald says right now everything is moving in the Conservatives’ direction. “Usually, any government's popularity goes up during the summer recess, and takes a hit during the fall session of Parliament,” he writes. This year the opposite happened. “The Liberals are going nowhere,” says MacDonald, pointing to internal dissatisfaction with Ignatieff and polls that indicate a majority government is moving closer to Stephen Harper’s grasp. Given this trend, the Tories might want to keep this session of Parliament going for as long as possible and avoid a spring election.

This impassioned speech Liberal deputy Bob Rae made in Parliament last Friday might be indicative of the Grits’ future. “The only method that [the Conservatives] know how to deal with any question, is to attack. Attack the character, attack the personality … attack history,” he said. “This is an approach to democracy that simply cannot be allowed to stand.” This is exactly the kind of direct assault on the Tories’ governing style that Liberals have been waiting for. But while Rae declared that the Conservatives’ governing style “cannot be allowed to stand,” he stopped short of threatening to bring down the government. So Rae’s speech is perhaps evidence of two things: First, the Liberals aren’t ready to take on the Conservatives at the polls. Second, when they do, Rae might make a more inspiring leader than the one the Liberals have now.