When Stéphane Dion was elected Liberal Party leader in early December, he was presented as a "new face." But this was spin trumping reality. Remember that Dion was Minister of the Environment in the Martin cabinet from July 2004 until February 2006. He was also Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the Queen's Privy Council for over five years.
In a display of "party unity," Dion recently reached out to his opponents in the leadership contest. Michael Ignatieff has been appointed deputy leader, and Bob Rae will work on the party's policy platform. Also: Gerard Kennedy will prepare the Liberals for the next election, while Martha Hall Findlay will "consult" with the grassroots.
The appointments by Dion have been understood by the mainstream news media as wise politics. But the Liberal Party still faces serious challenges. For starters, they have an attitude problem. This was illustrated at the leadership convention by former Trudeau press secretary Patrick Gossage. Asked about Bob Rae and Michael Ignatieff, Gossage said they were not "real Liberals." This sort of smugness casts a dark shadow on the party --and reinforces the idea that the Liberals are hypocritical when they boast of being inclusive.
Although the leadership candidates' speeches in Montreal were salted with uplifting platitudes, there were surprisingly few bold ideas. Instead the prevailing motif was that the Liberals were the "natural governing party" and Stephen Harper was just a rude interlude until they grasped the reins of power again.
Throughout many of the candidates' speeches in Montreal, delegates were told the Liberals represented "Canadian values." But the specifics were never articulated. Additionally the party likes to remind Canadians they're open to new ideas, but too often they're a closed policy shop.
Tom Axworthy is the chair of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Queen's University. In a recent Op-Ed piece for The Globe and Mail, he cites some ideas for genuine reform in the Liberal Party. He says the party should convene a "thinker's conference" to prioritize and provide details on issues from health care to foreign policy. Among other things, Axworthy says the Internet should be used to reach out to every member who would subsequently rank the proposals and offer feedback.
It would serve Stéphane Dion well to consider Axworthy's proposals. At the leadership convention in Montreal, former Prime Minister John Turner spoke about the Liberal Party's renewal at the Kingston Conference in 1960. He was saying the Liberals need the same event now, but it wasn't evident the delegates understood what he was saying (or were convinced they needed renewal at all).
Already Dion is facing a dilemma over the party's position on Canada's military mission in Afghanistan. So far there have been only muddled statements, and the promise that the Liberals wouldn't force an election on the issue in February. But will they take a clear stand when a parliamentary debate arises in the New Year?
Just as important is the issue of poverty. The annual Campaign 2000 report card recently indicated that 17.7 percent of all children in Canada are living in households below the poverty line. Where are the bold, imaginative, and creative solutions from the Liberals on this issue?
It's not good enough for the Dion Liberals to simply catalogue what's lacking in Stephen Harper and be the government-in-waiting. The Liberals held power for over 13 years and didn't distinguish themselves on either the environment or fighting poverty. As the prospect of a spring election increases, the party has time to implement new ideas and renew themselves. But that time is running short.
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