Canada’s liberals lock, load, and blow themselves away.
If the poll numbers don’t end up a contributing factor to the good ship Liberal breaking up and sinking, its captain just might. In the span of a day, he’s created more divisions within his own party than prime minister Stephen Harper has been accused of creating in all of Canada during his 4 years in office. Well, really, it would be more accurate to say in the span of a week–it really started with his flap over Denis Coderre. It just ended up cranking into high gear on Wednesday.
A one-two punch that probably should have been aimed at the conservatives landed squarely on the noses of several members of Ignatieff’s own party, with first a private members’ bill that would shorten the residency period required for seniors to claim partial payments from old age security from 10 years to 3 being publicly opposed by seniors critic Judy Sgro on behalf of Ignatieff, and then while getting his feet under him after that, having his majority of the senate kick them away again by weakening criminal legislation that had passed, with the support of Michael Ignatieff as is, through the house of commons. In the face of all this, it’s difficult to see how Ignatieff can still profess to be uniting his party.
Add to that, there’s a growing murmer among party loyalists that suggest perhaps Ignatieff should reconsider his newly adopted “oppose the government no matter what” position. If it’s a dog eat dog world in Ottawa, the various liberal factions are getting a head start. And they wonder why it is they’re down below 30% in the polls. Well, while bob Rae and his supporters ready another volley for the Ignatieff camp, and while Ignatieff’s supporters keep looking for the answer to that question–hey, guys, try googling “liberal comedy act”–Ignatieff will continue the never ending search for that elusive party unity. I just hope for his sake the good ship liberal can actually stay afloat long enough. I do see a crack or 3 in her, though.
