Bob Rae May Sneak Through At Liberal Leadership Convention
Posted November 30, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
But Bob Rae is ready to take it from him.
As the chase to choose the man who will challenge Stephen Harper in the next election culminates this weekend in Montreal, it appears the former Ontario Premier may be gaining more traction than some had expected.
And he could emerge the frontrunner, a fact that worries those who support Igantieff.
“I think it is dangerous. I already talked to people in my riding that said they will tear up their membership cards if Bob Rae becomes leader,” vows youth delegate Justin Tetrault.
But he’s not in the majority. A new poll shows Rae is the choice of Canadians as the man who’s most likely to be able to beat Harper if the Tory minority falls.
“I am the favourite to take on Mr. Harper,” assures Rae.
Candidates have been wooing each other but nobody wants to talk about it yet.
Gerard Kennedy spent time meeting with Stephane Dion Thursday, as rumours swirled regarding what they talked about.
Pundits suggest he may have been working out a deal about how he’ll vote if he’s eliminated in the early balloting.
This isn’t the first time the former Ontario Education Minister has faced defeat. He was seen as the frontrunner to head the Ontario Liberal Party before Dalton McGuinty came from out of the running to win.
Does Kennedy think he’ll pull a McGuinty of his own?
“Having been McGuinty-ed, this is much less about where you stand on the first ballot,” he shrugs.
The others in the race are Scott Brison, Ken Dryden, Joe Volpe and Martha Hall Findlay.
It may take several ballots before we know who will challenge Stephen Harper for the Prime Minister’s chair.
CityNews’ Richard Madan is at the convention and will be filing reports all weekend. Be sure to read his blog entries here.
