Buses needed to fill Quebec convention with delegates
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Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff with a bundle of the thunder-sticks that urged him on. GRAPHIC VIVIEN LEUNG AND GINGER COONS
On Oct. 4, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff shook hands with delegates and attempted to repair the damage caused by the resignation of his Quebec lieutenant, Denis Coderre, on Sept. 28.
A week before the Quebec City convention, Coderre resigned after Ignatieff gave long-time rival Martin Cauchon the contested nomination for the riding of Outremont.
During his very public resignation, Coderre took a swipe at Ignatieff saying that decisions for Quebec were being made by a circle of advisors in Toronto.
Coderre’s resignation created a ripple effect that extended to the convention. Several senior members of the party’s Quebec executive resigned in solidarity. Hundreds of attendees also dropped out, leaving the party scrambling to rescue the convention and put up a united front for the media.
Closer scrutiny in the packed convention hall showed that appearances were deceptive; a majority of those on the floor sported yellow IDs, not white ones, meaning they were invited guests and not actual voting delegates.
The Liberal Party had feverishly offered free passes, meals and bus transportation to hundreds of people in the final days before the convention.
This complicated matters when delegates were asked to vote on policy matters and constitutional amendments. Many people without voting rights were allowed to speak at the microphone and, although officials claimed that quorum was achieved, the number of voting delegates in the room might have dropped off throughout the day.
In an effort to mitigate the effect of Coderre’s accusation that Ignatieff’s Liberals are Toronto-centric, party officials banned Ontario MPs from attending the event, forcing several high-profile guests to cancel at the last minute.
The audience members had a lukewarm response when Ignatieff delivered his speech, although supporters banged their thunder-sticks aggressively to give the impression of thunderous applause.
Ignatieff used his speech to try to save face from the Coderre fallout and expressed his love for Quebec and its people.
“You are the grassroots,” Ignatieff told the crowd in his French-only address, “but I am the leader.”
The Liberal leader hugged and praised his predecessor, Stéphane Dion, in a moment that received a standing ovation.
There were no hard feelings on Dion’s part as he urged party unity behind Ignatieff to which the crowd responded with applause.
Another newsmaker at the convention was speculation about whether or not Ignatieff will replace Coderre—a hot topic The Canadian Press has been following closely. According to the news service, Ignatieff will confirm this in a matter of days.
During a time when Liberals have vowed to oppose the government at every turn—which could possibly triggering an election at any time—and have faced bad publicity for the Coderre fallout, the party is turning to recreating their image.
In a sign of party renewal, delegates voted in an almost entirely new executive headed by incoming President Marc Lavigne. In his acceptance speech, Lavigne vowed to better organize the party in every region of Quebec and to make use of modern fundraising techniques to fill the party’s bare coffers.
Elisabeth Faure attended the convention as a delegate.
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