Mount Royal Liberal questions Michael Ignatieff's leadership

While the federal Liberal party appears united behind its new leader Michael Ignatieff, there remains a pocket of dissenters who continue questioning his leadership, largely because Ignatieff was parachuted in when it became too obvious former leader Stéphane Dion had become a liability.

Just before a meeting of the Liberal Quebec wing general council held in Laval last Sunday, Marsha Akman, a member of Mount Royal Liberal MP Irwin Cotler's riding association, walked around distributing a leaflet urging Liberals to "break the silence about the disloyalty in undermining and sabotaging a duly elected leader."

Although vaguely worded, the document obviously alluded to the fact Dion was replaced by Ignatieff, whose leadership has so far not been formally confirmed by a vote of party members. While no one at the congress tried to prevent Akman from distributing the flyer, it is possible so few Liberals at the congress were concerned, that her effort went virtually unnoticed.

"It is apparent that the Liberal Party of Canada is on the road to self-destruction," states the document, whose authors identify themselves only as "concerned Liberals." It says the party "has been wounded by years of internal division. The wound cannot heal by itself, it needs to be honestly addressed …

"The longer the truth remains hidden and unspoken, the more the wound festers and the infection spreads," it continues. It says that for the well-being of the party "we need to break the silence about the perversity of eroding democratic decision making, particularly in the policy process" and "the impropriety of ignoring the LPC Constitution whenever that document becomes inconvenient."

Akman, who was alone when she handed out the leaflet, said in an interview with The Monitor that some of those behind the statement are here in Montreal and "there's a couple in Vancouver, actually. A handful of people. Let's say a handful." While most of the membership is observing silence as they try to maintain unity, Akman insisted, "Most people are afraid to speak out in a political party."

She also suggested, "How can they maintain unity? There was no loyalty to the last leader. What makes them expect there's going to be loyalty to this leader? They set a precedent and the people around undermined him, sabotaged him and then left. He wasn't a perfect soul, he being Stéphane Dion. He made a lot of mistakes and I was happy when he resigned. But we sort of kicked him when he was down already."

A Laval Liberal later confirmed that there indeed remains a small pocket of dissenters from Ignatieff's leadership, but that they are so far to the left, their political values have more in common with the NDP. At the congress last Sunday, Dion was nowhere to be seen.