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OPEN LETTER, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, November 30, 2008
Mr. Doug Ferguson,
President, Liberal Party of Canada
Members of the National Executive
Liberal Party Caucus members
Dear President, Members of the National Executive and
Parliamentary Caucus,
I am writing to you as a member of the Liberal Party
who is greatly concerned about the reports and
interviews in the media where comments are being made by
Liberal caucus members and "insiders" about "who should
be the leader of the coalition" (between the Liberal and
New Democratic parties). The media reports, gleefully,
that various proposals are being discussed, and that
there is a plan to oust our present leader, Mr. Stephane
Dion, and replace him with a more palatable (to the
caucus, to the executive members, to the party elites)
person.
That this could even be talked about in Liberal party
leadership circles is shocking, as it indicates a lack
of elementary loyalty to, and solidarity with, our
elected leader and a contempt for the membership, an
attitude which will only create havoc in the party, and
perhaps lead to a severe crisis from which the party
will not recover for years to come.
The facts are these: back in December 2006, in our
convention in Montreal, Stephane Dion was elected by the
membership to be the party's leader. He was chosen, I
believe, because there was a strongly-felt need for
something new and fresh, not part of the "same old, same
old" which had ceased to attract Canadians to the party,
as members and voters. This decision by the members
stands, and cannot be undone by a handful of individuals
in the caucus and on the executive.
It should be no surprise to anyone that Mr. Dion did
not fare well in the electoral arena. He inherited the
fate that had befallen the previous leader, Mr. Paul
Martin, of being defined by the Conservatives before he
had a chance to establish himself. Paul Martin's rapid
descent from an experienced and competent politician,
and — unlike Mr. Dion — well known to Canadians, to "Mr.
Dithers," was even more spectacular, and speaks to the
success of Stephen Harper's U.S.-style negative
campaigning. This aggressive campaigning will no doubt
define the next leader as well, unless we can stop it —
and unless we are prepared to protect our leaders better
than we have in the recent past.
The only remedy we have as party members is our
loyalty and respect for the men (and women, when that
happens) who are putting their lives and reputations on
the line for the good of the country. To see a leader as
shabbily treated as Stephane Dion, not just by the media
and Conservatives, but our party's parliamentary caucus
and behind-the-scenes elites is intolerable and
unforgivable. It was bad enough that he received the
bum's rush after the election and was forced (by the
caucus, we are told) to walk the plank and be publicly
humiliated in the process, but is outrageous beyond
belief that now we have the same people, often without
their names known to us, speaking to the media about
replacing Stephane Dion with "somebody else" if and when
the coalition becomes a reality. We only have one leader
and by definition a coalition government will have as
its leader the leader of her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.
End of discussion!
Along with other party members, I expect public
assurances, in words and actions, from yourself, Mr.
President, and the national executive, that there will
be no coup d'etat attempted, no subterfuge tried to
replace Mr. Dion, and that the caucus and the executive
will act as loyal members of the party, and not as some
self-selected rogue element which makes decisions
without the slightest consideration for the membership —
or for the consequenses of their actions on the future
of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Awaiting your response, I remain
Sincerely yours,
Marjaleena Repo
Saskatoon (Blackstrap)
P.S. Much is being made, STILL, of the fact that
under Mr. Dion's leadership, the party lost 26 seats. Do
the caucus members, executive members and various
"anonymous Liberals" not know or remember, that under
Mr. Martin the party dropped 69 seats in his two
elections? Clearly, there is more to be questioned than
the performance of the current leader, and by focusing
on his alleged shortcomings, the party itself, with its
lack of any sign of "renewal" or "revitalization" (as we
are so often rhetorically promised), avoids a
well-deserved scrutiny.
Marjaleena Repo
201 Elm Street
Saskatoon, S7J 0G8
306-244-9724
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