Ignatieff's No Trudeau

Michael Ignatieff is no Pierre Trudeau. That's what he said yesterday during his major speech in Ottawa.

"There was one Pierre Trudeau, there's not going to be another. I'm not in his shoes, I'm not trying to imitate him."

Now that that's settled, how about Iraq and torture? Ignatieff faced hostile questions with aplomb, even allowing protesters in Gitmo orange jump suits to interrupt him.

But he's still trying to dance away from his support for the Iraq war, saying he "wasn't in Mr. Chrétien's shoes" when he argued Canada should support the US-led war effort. A little weak. "Going forward, I don't want to send Canadian troops into harm's way unless I'm pretty sure it's got Canadian public support. Period." Weaker still.

Intellectual honesty is a slippery thing when you decide to run for the country's highest public office.

Still, Ignatieff is a new guy with new ideas. Check out the text of his speech and decide for yourself.

The Conservative war with the media continues. Now they want to jail bad reporters. Nice.

Candidates Lining Up Support

As we get closer to a full-on leadership race, candidates are lining up key organizers and fundraisers. Maclean's has this on declared candidate John Godfrey and soon-to-be-declared
candidate Michael Ignatieff:

There's already plenty for Liberal insiders to buzz about. John Godfrey, the first MP to throw his hat in the ring, has signaled his seriousness by signing up Dalhousie University's former top fundraiser, Dale Godsoe, to raise money for his campaign. And party sources say rookie MP Michael Ignatieff, who has still not declared, has secured the support of Trudeau-era Quebec cabinet icon Marc Lalonde and former Ontario premier David Peterson, who some had speculated might support Belinda Stronach.

Peterson and Lalonde are good catches for the Professor, but where is the new blood in the Party?

Ignatieff isn't really supportive of torture, doesn't really like the war in Iraq, and is really a dedicated Canadian despite not having lived in the country for three decades. At least that's what he wants his major speech in Ottawa to leave you with today.

Bevilacqua and Dion likely to run, according to the Globe.

Denis Coderre says it is a francophone's turn the lead the Liberal Party. Does that mean he's supporting Dion?

The Quebec conundrum

The unexpected Tory breakthrough in Quebec has many Grits fearing a Conservative majority is a possibility in the next election. With the Liberal base largely confined to Toronto, Vancouver and Atlantic Canada, Quebec is the key battleground. So why are there so many candidates from the GTA and so few from Quebec? And why do so many unilingual anglophone candidates look credible, at least at this stage?

Admittedly, the Tory success in Quebec was more of a result of Liberal incompetence (cough, cough, Jean Lapierre) and the Gomery fallout than a true desire for a Conservative government. But majorities have been built on less.

The good news is Liberals already look ripe for a comeback in Quebec.

So we need a leader who can hold the base in Ontario, BC and Atlantic Canada, has credibility in Quebec and the hope to rebuild the Party's fortunes in the West. A tall order indeed.

Hot on the heels of his Ignatieff attack, former David Dingwall assistant Warren Kinsella lists his favorite candidates:

Here is my list, with no explanation whatsoever, and not necessarily (but possibly) in order of preference:

Martha Hall Findlay
Gerard Kennedy
Stephan Dion
Maurizio Bevilacqua
Ken Dryden
Joe Volpe


The very quiet Liberal parliamentary opposition says childcare and taxes are the key issues for the upcoming session of Parliament.

Big surprise. Tory staffers becoming lobbyists.

Ignatieff and Torture

Ignatieff's campaign continues to be dogged by two "US" style issues - his support for the war in Iraq and his controversial support for the use of some forms of torture. Former David Dingwall assistant Warren Kinsella slams the professor over what some see as a "pro-torture" essay in Prospect magazine:

It is not very often that one gets to witness a "leadership frontrunner" immolate his own candidacy so blithely, so recklessly... He is done – and if he isn’t, he should be.

By the way, Warren left Navigator. I wonder if he's joining Feschuk-Reid?

Two-time Tory leadership loser David Orchard may run for the liberal leadership. Great.

Liberals are adrift says Gerard Kennedy. Really?

Ignatieff Set To Announce

Dreamboat intellectual Michael Ignatieff is set to announce a run for the Liberal Leadership, marking the true start of the race. Expect some of the other big hitters like Stronach and Dion to follow along shortly.

Ignatieff will talk about the "vision thing" in Ottawa on Thursday in a prelude to a formal campaign launch announcement. No one doubts that Ignatieff is smart and compelling. But the open question remains, can he connect with average Canadians like a Jean Chretien? And, after being away from the country for decades, does he really know Canada, the Canada that exists outside Toronto mansions and law firm boardrooms? The harsh media spotlight will quickly answer these questions.

If Ontario Education Miniser Gerard Kennedy runs, what happens to the McGuinty (Dalton, that is) cabinet?

While Liberals were busy congratulating themselves on the leadership campaign spending cap, turns out there is a loophole big enough to drive a Magna Auto Parts truck through: Canadidates can borrow millions.

Candidate Buzz Index

We are still months away from the Montreal convention and the big guns haven't yet declared, but the Liberal Leadership campaign is generating oodles of interest. The Buzz Index ranks the candidates according to the amount of media interest (or fawning, if you prefer) they're generating.

Michael Ignatieff - 82.
Iggy gets mad props for his buzz machine. The media are in a full swoon over him and his every utterance is greeted with a dreamy sigh. Get a room you two.

Bob Rae - 75.
Still-not-a-Liberal Bob Rae is generating mucho buzz given his lack of affiliation with the Party (or even a membership card). Rae has some key party insiders behind him.

Scott Brison - 72.
Oh, he's got buzz. But not the good kind. Most of the Brison buzz is about his BlackBerryIncomeTrustGate mini-scandal and if he can recover to become a viable candidate. But it's far too soon to count him out.

Belinda Stronach - 71.
The Belinda buzz is lower than expected at this stage with the candidate sequestered away learning French. The good news is you can buy buzz, and we imagine Belinda will.

Stephane Dion - 68.
The smartest guy in the race is quietly emerging as the anybody but somebody from Toronto candidate. Watch for his buzz to soar.

Gerard Kennedy - 68.
The provincial minister gets big play in Ontario but is less well known in the outer colonies. He needs to hit the road to perk up his profile.

David McGuinty - 63.
The McGunity express is starting to pick up steam.

Ken Dryden - 61.
Hall of Fame hockey player. Public intellectual. Affable personality. Why isn't this guy PM already? Well, maybe it's the lack of charisma, a key ingredient in buzz.

Joe Volpe - 60.
The buzz is modest, but rumour has it the machine is strong. Another possible up and comer on the Buzz Index.

Martha Hall Findlay - 59.
The dark-horse candidate should not be ruled out as real contender. The media loves the underdog story, and Martha brings a lot to the table.

John Godfrey - 48.
He's here for a good time, not a long time.

Maurizio Bevilacqua -47.
Credible. But quiet so far.

Ralph Goodale - 45.
Smart. Experienced. Capable. But is he serious about a run? The Magic 8-Ball says ask again later.

Joe Fontana - 41.
Longtime MP and known as a hard worker. But the Buzz can be a cruel mistress.

Dan McTeague - 3.
McTeague is where buzz goes to die.

Can you feel the love?

The King Edward was swarming with Liberals intent on putting on a happy face. But with Martin and his "Board" absent from the event, the healing may have a ways to go. Instead, the event was a testing ground for leadership candidates including still-not-a-Liberal Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff who was quoted as saying:

"Can we herd these cats? Yes, the question does occur," Mr. Ignatieff joked. When asked if he can, he smiled and said: "Oh sure. These are great cats. These are the best cats there are."

Brison gets an early endorsement from Young Liberals' chief. Did he get the news by email?

Are the McGuintys the New Kennedys?

With David McGuinty mulling a bid for the leadership, the Globe and Mail takes a look at the political force of the McGuinty family, including the best analogy of the day: "Mr. McGuinty, whose family is to Ontario politics what the Sutter brothers were to NHL hockey"...

What's less clear about the David McGuinty candidacy is what it does to his brother's government. With Gerard Kennedy expected the run, the federal campaign is sure to roil Queen's Park. By splitting the Queen's Park machine, will Kennedy and McGuinty allow another Toronto candidate like Ignatieff to emerge as the dominant one?

Will the King Edward piss up be an accelerated Liberal "truth and reconciliation committee" or only the opening shots in a divisive leadership campaign?

Joe Fontana's hometown paper takes another look at his quixotic quest to become leader.

Martin A Disaster for Liberals - CBC

CBC's Larry Zolf calls Paul Martin "modern liberalism's worst disaster". Strong stuff but hardly surprising from the CBC. He also, rightly, calls out Martin for his damaging decision to make Jean Lapierre - cofounder of the Bloc Quebecois - his Quebec lieutenant. Lapierre, along with the fateful decision to call the Gomery inquiry, destroyed the party's base in Quebec.

Camelot on the Rideau?

Gerard Kennedy is almost certain to run. Nominal Nova Scotian Senator Terry Mercer, former Executive Director of the LPC, is spearheading the effort to generate national support for the GTA candidate. But can Kennedy break out of the mass of Toronto candidates planning to run?

Meanwhile, Martin Cauchon will bow out of the campaign, due to the ever popular "family reasons". A nation weeps.

Paul Martin won't attend the so-called "King Edward Accord" event honouring Sheila Copps. Nice. Way to support the renewal of the party. Jean Chretien is traveling but will send a videotaped greeting and his wife Aline will speak at the Thursday event.

Joe Trippi, the strategists who turned Howard Dean from an obscure governor from an obscure state into a powerhouse contender for the White House (before he got fired) will talk with Liberal organizers about how to use the Internet to build (and finance) a campaign. Senator Jerry Grafstein is organizing the event. Good one, Jerry.

Why is the national media giving so much play to a desperate PR stunt by Ashley MacIsaac? Are they that shallow or that gullible? They are certainly that predictable.

The Road to Nowhere, or Renewal?

Do you like the Star? Sure you do, I mean, it's not the National Post, right. Well, today's Star features two very different takes on the Liberal Leadership race. It's either the "Liberals are running fast with no idea where they are going" or "Liberals set stage for exciting race". Of course, both opinion pieces could be correct.

Still-not-a-Liberal Bob Rae met with advisors, including Eddie Goldenberg, Jean Chretien's able right hand man, to discuss his leadership ambitions.

Michael Ignatieff says he will annouce his decision on running within 10 days.

John Godfrey said he is running "less to be somebody than to do something."

All this and notorious fiddler (how often do you see those words together?) Ashely MacIsaac too in today's useful Jane Taber piece.

The Race is On (Almost)

The date is set and so are the rules. December 2-3 in Montreal. The convention will formally be called on April 7. Candidates will then have just 12 weeks to sign up new members of the Liberal party before a July 1 membership cutoff date. After that, it's just three months to the so-called "super weekend" of delegate selection — Sept. 29-Oct. 1, when every riding association and club will choose who to send to the convention.

With a $50,000 entry fee and a $3.4 million spending limit (including travel and polling), it is hoped that a big money candidate like, oh, say Belinda Stronach, won't buy the title.

John Godfrey jumped out the gate immediately as a declared candidate, joining our dark-horse favorite Martha Hall Findlay . Others are keeping their powder dry. And with Dominic Leblanc as co-chair of the convention, you can strike his name from the long-list of leadership candidates. Alas, Canada will survive.

Is the Liberal Party too Toronto centric? No fewer than ten possible leadership candidates come from the GTA. Some of them are even members of the Liberal Party.

The Dream is Over

The Martin-ites are crying in their green beer today. Operation Phoenix is over. Paul Martin has responded to growing discontent among Liberal troops (and the Martin Comeback Conspiracy crowd) and handed in his formal resignation as leader.

"I look forward to continuing to serve and contribute to the party that I have always and will always regard as my second family," Mr. Martin wrote.

The formal call of the leadership convention could come Sunday, when the party sets the date and rules of the leadership vote, but might be delayed for a week or two, party officials said. That's because the committee that will set the spending rules will not be formally appointed until the party's executive meets tomorrow.

Canadian Press breaks the shocking news that prospective leadership candidates are seeking support from Liberal MPs, often through, get this, phone calls! Madness.

The fun-lovin' Chantal Hebert says that the Liberal Party isn't just an "Old Boys" club, it's at risk of turning into an "Old Man" club. She notes that Michael Ignatieff, Bob Rae, Ken Dryden and Joe Volpe are all 58. John Godfrey, 63, is also assessing his chances, which will raise the average age of prospective candidates.

Of course, Hebert ignores the youth of Stronach and Brison, among others considering a run. You don't want to let facts get in the way of a good headline.

Dion Goes West

Stephane Dion picked up a key BC organizer, Paul Martin's top man on the left coast, Mark Marissen:

According to a senior B.C. Liberal, Marissen is acting as a coordinator for Dion to "try to help him figure out if there's the organizational will around the country" to support such a bid.

The senior Liberal went on to say, "if [Dion] were to decide to run then [Marissen] would likely be the national campaign manager."

Despite his qualifications for the job of leader, Dion has yet to generate any real buzz. As the architect of the Clarity Act and Jean Chretien's attack dog against Lucien Bouchard, Dion made history as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. Those acheivements and his Trudeau-esque intellect should give him credibility outside Quebec. Dion could be poised to be the strongest "not from Toronto" candidate.

So the question of the day becomes, is Dion for real? Can he put together a national machine and compete with the numbers and dollars of the Toronto candidates like Stronach, Kennedey or Rae?

Let's hear from you.

Fraudwanski!

Former New Democrat MP now working for Tories. Ah, those NDippers and their flexible definition of ethics.

It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To

Robert Howard poses the question that's on a lot of Liberals' minds: where are the Liberal candidates for the leadership of the Party? We've got a New Democrat (Bob Rae, who apparently still hasn't taken out a membership), Tories (Brison and Stronach) and Newbies (Ignatieff) with little connection to the party. But where are the true Grits? The newest Liberals are quality individuals with prospects to be good prime ministers. But it remains a valid question.

Gerard Kennedey says maybe.

David Herle speaks!

Brison: I only lied about BlackBerryIncomeTrustGate because "I was caught offguard". Yikes. Perhaps this is not the best angle to use in your media comeback effort.

Rae Slams Martin's Deals

Presumptive candidate Bob Rae slammed equalization deals signed by Prime Minister Martin and the governments of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland & Labrador yesterday in Winnipeg.

In a speech to the Canadian Club of Winnipeg, Rae didn't announce his intention to run to replace Paul Martin as leader of the Liberal party-- as some had anticipated -- but said he is giving it serious thought. And then he launched into a speech that highlighted a number of areas his campaign would likely focus on, including rejigging equalization and finding a better way to even out revenues between provinces with oil and those without. He was highly critical of the side deals Martin's government signed with Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, allowing them to keep oil and gas revenues outside the equalization formula.

Curious strategy, no? Equalization is an issue that few Canadians understand or care about passionately and these deals were signed by a Liberal government. Seem's like a difficult issue to frame a leadership campaign around.

Liberals, repent. So sayeth Thomas Axworthy. And he's right.

Martin Comeback Conspiracy Fears

Are Grits getting nervous that the Martin Comeback Conspiracy is more than just the fevered wish of members of the Martin "board" seeking a little redemption? As they say, the third time is the charm.

One top Liberal source said that the possibility of Mr. Martin (LaSalle-Émard, Que.) resigning at next week's national executive meeting is "a course of action that is being recommended," because Liberals definitely do not want to go into the next election with Mr. Martin as the leader, something which has been talked about in the pages of The Hill Times for the last few weeks. "People are going snaky across the country. These Martinites need to give their head a shake, that will never happen. If it did, we'd end up with 40 seats and up in John Turner territory from 1984," declared the Grit.

The Hill Times is also reporting that blowhard MP Dan McTeague is considering a leadership bid. My God, has it come to this?

Harper the Hero

Stephan Harper is in the midst of an unscheduled visit to Afghanistan to visit Canadian troops. So, is this good politics? The Conservatives are going big with the US-style photo-ops, but does that play in our more peaceful society? I know what Michael Deaver would think. How about you? Fire up the old comments box.

Our only declared candidate is hitting the road in Ontario. Go Martha.

The bills for the Gomery boondoggle are in. Some old school Tories did quite well for themselves, including Chief counsel Bernard Roy, a onetime principal secretary to former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who billed $1.56 million. Surely a bargain at twice the price.

It's Tricky to Rock a Ryhme

Scott Brison may be a bit happier today. His BlackBerryIncomeTrustGate "scandal" appears to have run out of legs. That is, until one of his many fellow contenders to the throne goes on the attack on the issue. Conference calls are buzzing about the right strategy. Since someone on the Grit side leaked the story, you can expect they will want to keep it going through not-for-attribution digs about the damage to Brison's electability and more rumors about the RCMP investigation.

Brison's more or less hometown paper the Chronicle Herald says this about the sordid, silly affair:

Mr. Brison first said he didn’t communicate with anyone about income trusts, but changed his tune the next day, saying he regretted sending the e-mails. He denied having inside knowledge of the pending policy change. The controversy couldn’t have come at a worse time for the ambitious MP, who’s contemplating whether to launch a bid to succeed Paul Martin.

There’s no evidence from the e-mail exchanges that Mr. Brison leaked insider information, only that he showed poor judgment in broaching the topic on his BlackBerry. It’s not the first time the colourful politico’s verbal indiscretions have landed him in hot water. Only now, he may have gone too far in leaving an electronic trail.

It will be up to the RCMP to probe the insider leak possibility further and decide whether any charges will be laid, and against whom. It will be up to Liberals to determine the effect of the controversy on a Scott Brison leadership bid, if, indeed, he now takes the plunge.

Over at the Star, Aaron Freeman says the Liberal race should be open and accessible.

As the Liberal party executive meets later this month to discuss how the upcoming leadership contest will be run, it would be wise to set rules ensuring access to wealth does not become the primary factor in determining the next party leader.

Yeah. That didn't work out well last time.

It's early days in the Harper government but surely it's not a good thing to be compared to Richard Nixon so soon in your mandate. Even Wayne Easter is scoring points.

I was not lying. I said things that later on seemed to be untrue. - Richard Nixon, discussing Watergate

It's Not the Crime

Bill Clinton was in Ottawa recently. He could have explained to Scott Brison that it's not the crime, it's the coverup, that does the most political damage.

Today the Globe breaks more news with the identity of the banker Brison emailed, not a random banker but a star Bay Street "income trust guy".

Mr. Nowlan, an executive in his late 30s, runs the income-trust portion of what is known as the equity capital markets group at CIBC World Markets, a leader in income-trust financing. He is also a committed Tory from the Maritimes and has known Mr. Brison since the days before Mr. Brison defected from the Conservative Party to join the Liberals.

Speculation continues to run rampant about what this issue does to Brison's leadership chances.

Mr. Brison’s e-mail does not show that he leaked insider information, but it has raised questions about his judgment, as has his denial when first contacted by the Globe that he had communicated with anyone about income trusts, a statement that the Tories call a lie.
His longtime strategist, Dale Palmeter, says the story has not been damaging.

"I’m hearing from people who are saying they liked the way he handled it yesterday . . . and it’s almost had the effect of drawing more people out, and confirming greater levels of support than existed the day before," he said.

Mr. Brison’s spokeswoman, Susan Murray, says it is too soon to make a decision on whether Mr. Brison will run for the leadership.

"He is far — and if there is a team, we are far — from making a decision on running or not," she said. "And I think it’s hard for us to judge whether this is going to hurt or not."

You can barely see the Peace Tower with all the Liberal trial balloons floating over Ottawa these days. The Hill Times summarizes the would-be contenders:

In alphabetical order, some of the other potential candidates include: Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul's, Ont.); Maurizio Bevilacqua (Vaughan, Ont.); Scott Brison (Kings-Hants, N.S.); former Grit MP Martin Cauchon; Denis Coderre (Bourassa, Que.); Stéphane Dion (Saint-Laurent-Cartierville, Que.); Ken Dryden (York Centre, Ont.); Joe Fontana (London North Centre, Ont.); John Godfrey (Don Valley West, Ont.); Michael Ignatieff (Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Ont.); Ontario Education Minister Gerard Kennedy; Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc (Beauséjour, N.B.); former Grit MP Dennis Mills; former Ontario premier Bob Rae; Belinda Stronach (Newmarket-Aurora, Ont.), and Joe Volpe (Eglinton-Lawrence, Ont.).

Mark the date. The Liberal Party's 61-member national executive will meet in Ottawa on March 18 to set the date and location of the next leadership convention as well as party membership rules and the entry fee for the candidates.

Brison's Blackberry

Will someone please take Scott Brison's Blackberry away from him? First there was the embarassing French lessons exchange with a staffer. Now, much more seriously, we have the first mini-scandal of the leadership campaign, and it's the same damn scandal that knocked the Liberal Party off balance during the election.

After the Globe broke the story that Brison was being investigated by the RCMP, the leadership contender quickly called a news conference in Ottawa to try to stop the story from expanding and "set the record straight". He's denying he passed on insider information. From the Halifax Chronicle Herald:

Mr. Brison said at the news conference that he realized when he read the article that he needed to set the record straight.

"My initial instinct was not to — and continues to believe it’s important not to — comment on RCMP fact-finding," he said. "So I wish to correct that, to ensure that the substance was accurate."

And Mr. Brison said he would not send such an e-mail again, and joked that hand-held e-mail devices make it too easy to send messages.

"No, I wouldn’t," he said. "Clearly. I know BlackBerry’s having enough difficulties these days, so I don’t want to add to complaints about BlackBerrys, but the fact is sometimes, in moments when you’re sending out a quick e-mail, you don’t really think about the content of it."

Mr. Brison said the story should not derail his bid for the Liberal leadership.

"I think that the fact that we’re dealing with it directly and immediately demonstrates a certain level of leadership and doing the right thing."

The story set off speculation that someone close to a rival leadership candidate may have leaked the e-mail.

On this last point, who's playing hardball so early in the game? And what does it mean for Brison's bid?

A senior Liberal source said it was still unclear whether Mr. Brison's hopes for the leadership would be harmed. But the Liberal said many party members were expressing concern yesterday because the Nova Scotia MP is seen as an asset to the party.

NDP finance critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis said that, even if Mr. Brison did not know of the details, he should not have been speculating.

She said Mr. Brison was wrong to send the e-mail, "whether it's inadvertent or advertent, deliberate or not."

Uh Oh

Is Scott Brison's leadership bid about to be derailed by reports that he gave the CIBC advance notice of the changes to taxation of income trusts?

When asked later whether he personally had a communication in which he might have speculated on the outcome without firm knowledge, Mr. Brison said "No," adding, "You're asking me something in terms of communication that I don't remember. I don't recall anything."

Mr. Brison also would not say whether he had been questioned by police.

"I'm not going to comment," he said.

Yikes.

Brison is smart and capable but this income trust issue won't stop haunting Liberals.

Speaking of haunting Liberals, the Gomery Report is a fantasy that recommends taking away authority from elected officials and centralizing it in the hands of unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats. That's what a group of non-partisan Canadian leaders are saying. Well, what would they would be saying if they weren't so polite.

In a letter to the Prime Minister made public yesterday, more than 60 former politicians, retired bureaucrats and private-sector CEOs contended Gomery went too far in his second report on the federal sponsorship scandal.

"Unfortunately, the report also includes some other recommendations that do not take adequate account of how governments actually function, and thus could do a good deal of harm."

Maurizio Bevilacqua talks about his leadership ambitions.

Ignatieff in Halifax

Martime Liberal gives a play-by-play on Michael Ignatieff's eastern charm offensive. The professor has his fans.

Schmoozapooloza in Halifax

A gaggle of possible leadership candidates were doing their best to charm Nova Scotia Liberals at the Party's AGM in Halifax this weekend. Newmarket-Aurora was well represented with Belinda Stronach and Martha Hall Findlay pressing the flesh as were Nova Scotia MP Scott Brison and Toronto-area Liberal MPs Carolyn Bennett, Maurizio Bevilacqua, Ken Dryden and Michael Ignatieff.

Two more names have emerged in the rumor mill - Robert Prichard, president and CEO of Torstar Corp., and Liberal MP David McGuinty, brother of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who confirms he's considering a bid.

Possible candidates now number over a dozen, none a clear leader, making this the most interesting leadership race in recent memory.

Going back to Hali

Halifax appears to be the centre of the Liberal leadership "race" this weekend. Carolyn Bennett, Scott Brison, Ken Dryden, Michael Ignatieff and Belinda Stronach are attending the Nova Scotia Liberal Party's Annual Meeting/piss-up. Our favourite darkhorse and only declared candidate - Toronto lawyer Martha Hall Findlay — will also be there.

Are you ready for Fontana-mania?

CTV does yet another roundup of who's in the race, quoting one furiously organizing candidate:

"This is not Hamlet-like indecision," said first-time Toronto MP and world-renowned public intellectual Michael Ignatieff.

Joe Fontana puts a toe in the water.

Frank McKenna blasts the Martin "board" for their handling of Canada-US relations during the campaign.

Gerard Kennedy

Is Ontario Education Minister Gerard Kennedy set to run for the federal leadership?

"The latest I've heard is that he (Kennedy) is going to run," said one source.

"He'd love to do it (run for the federal Liberal leadership), but he's so risk-averse that he needs a `draft Gerard' movement to get him off his ass," cautioned another source.

Helping create that draft are various and sundry persons, including Senator Terry Mercer, a former national director of the federal Liberals, community activist June Callwood, and writer-philosopher Mary Jo Leddy.

Is Belinda a Liberal?

Is Belinda a Liberal? Of course she is, a proud one. Then why no Liberal logo on her web site? Well, um....

Medicare, schmedicare. Does the lovable, over-refreshed, Barney Rubble look-a-like Ralph Klein give the Grits an opening to pound Harper for aiding and abetting the destruction of our most cherished social program?

George W. goes to Afghanistan. What now for Prime Minister Harper?