Front-runners woo Liberal laggards
As the party's leadership race develops, Hall Findlay becomes a coveted prize
JANE TABER
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
OTTAWA — It's being called the "Martha factor."
Martha Hall Findlay is one of 10 candidates for the Liberal leadership, who many Liberals believe has absolutely no chance of winning.
But some leadership camps like that she represents a fresh face in a party that needs to renew itself and attract a bigger grassroots base. Also because she has not been a member of Parliament, she comes without baggage from the sponsorship spending scandal.
"She doesn't have a pile of delegates to swing over, but she does represent faith and hope in the future of the party," one senior Liberal said.
And so for these reasons, Ms. Hall Findlay is perceived by some leadership camps as a "good get."
She is not the only one.
Topping the list of good gets is Ken Dryden. The former Hall of Fame National Hockey League goalie and Paul Martin cabinet minister is considered by some camps as the best catch.
One senior Liberal said attracting Mr. Dryden's support is akin to receiving a "papal blessing."
He said that's because Mr. Dryden has a national profile, has little baggage in the party -- having just been elected in 2004 -- and is known for his credibility and integrity.
There is no indication that Ms. Hall Findlay and Mr. Dryden will quit the race any time soon, although the chatter among the leadership camps continues to be who will drop out before the vote in December in Montreal.
Still, Ms. Hall Findlay, for example, is being wooed.
Both Bob Rae and Stéphane Dion, who are considered to be among the front-runners, have been speaking to Ms. Hall Findlay, according to a senior source. However, the source said, it is not believed that the conversations are more than "how are you doing?"
She is popular among Michael Ignatieff's supporters, one Liberal strategist said, because of her progressive views. She has even shown up at an Ignatieff event.
"The reality is . . . here's a woman who doesn't give up. Because she's committed, she's gaining kudos," said the strategist, who said as well that others admire the Ontario lawyer's straightforward and earnest approach.
Former Ontario education minister Gerard Kennedy, who is also perceived to be in the so-called top tier of candidates, said the pace of the campaign and the contact are picking up as the race moves into the delegate-selection phase.
Delegates will be chosen at the end of September.
"Everybody's talking more directly now," Mr. Kennedy said. "You're going to see a whole different tone to this leadership now . . . because it's time for that."
However, he said he is not aware of anyone "conceding anything."
". . . Therefore, it's not about who does what when, necessarily, but it is certainly about getting to know people better and in some ways setting the terms for how that might happen," he said.
Mr. Kennedy added that it is far too early to be twisting the arms of other candidates.
Toronto MP Carolyn Bennett, who is considered to be a second-tier candidate, said none of the other contenders has tried to persuade her to drop out, neither has any explicitly asked for her support.
Veteran Vaughan, Ont., MP and former Chrétien cabinet minister Maurizio Bevilacqua was the first, and, so far the only, candidate to step aside.
He has thrown his support behind Mr. Rae.
Although many of Mr. Bevilacqua's key organizers and caucus supporters have gone to other leadership camps, the Bevilacqua decision provided the Rae team with momentum.
No leadership camp would sniff at that.
Again, it's not just about bringing delegates over. It's about what that person stands for as a Liberal and what they can bring to the brand.
And bringing Joe Volpe over, some Liberals believe, would hurt their brand. One Liberal called gaining his support the "kiss of death."
"Everybody wants Volpe's people but not his brand," another senior Liberal said. "You don't want them coming to your camp wearing a Volpe pin."
Mr. Volpe is viewed by some Liberals as being an old-style, backroom Liberal. His candidacy has been slightly tarnished for the controversy his campaign attracted over accepting donations from 12-year-old twins.
And there was more contention later when his national campaign manager, Jim Karygiannis, a Toronto-area MP known for his organizational savvy, especially among ethnic groups, resigned over Mr. Volpe's pro-Israel stand on the Middle East crisis.
It is believed that Mr. Karygiannis signed up a considerable number of new Liberal members for Mr. Volpe. But it is unclear now whether those members will continue to support Mr. Volpe's campaign.
With a report from Campbell Clark
