"In many ways, that 1980s rivalry set battle lines that still exist today. Only the players have changed.Mr. Turner's core of support largely backed Paul Martin in his bid to unseat Mr. Chrétien.
And many Trudeau and Chrétien supporters now share Mr. Dion's federalist vision of Quebec's role in Canada.
Many of those who supported Mr. Martin appear, according to some experts, to have found an advocate in Michael Ignatieff." - OTTAWA CITIZEN
An Ottawa Citizen story this morning seems to confirm my suspicions that Michael Ignatieff's organization has been re-activated. La Presse reported Michael Ignatieff was stepping up his fundraising activities in Quebec and was quoted as saying Mr. Dion lacked "the stature of a leader."
The knifes, swords, pens, emails and phone calls are out in an all-or-nothing campaign to discredit Dion. I sensed this storm coming when the stories broke about a month ago about Dion's inability to raise money to pay off his leadership debts, while the other candidates were meeting their obligations.
The eye of the storm, or the vanguard in the attack, is Quebec where Iggy emerged as a champion of francophone rights and sparked a debate over recognition of Quebec as a nation. His people continue to eat away at Dion's credibility.
Iggy will need his Quebec delegates to counter the new bastion of federal Liberalism that is Ontario, which has delivered for the Liberal Party Of Canada in spades since 1993. If Iggy's people get their wish and force Dion from power, Ontario will be the battle ground for the leadership. Enter Bob Rae.
Dion was toast from the moment it was clear that he was not going to force an election this spring. On Thursday, Mr. Ignatieff issued a statement claiming he was misquoted by La Presse.
This is going to get messy.
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