CanaDions in CanaDenial

Some green scarves here, a dog named Kyoto there -- Stephane Dion became the leader of the Liberal party based on cheap gimmicks like this. But what's the substance behind all this? Dion's first two months have been a complete disaster, from Holland's "there will be consequences" threat, to Dion's latest policy reversals.

Jason Cherniak says, don't worry, Dion just got a S.O. from a Liberal party crowd! Imagine! No problems here. Just wait till our platform!

The problem is that everyone already knows the new Liberal platform -- or at least, some major parts of it -- and, frankly, it's a disaster. I tried to post this on Jason's site, but apparently posting by non-CanaDions is not allowed today. Poor Jason.

Jason,

The fact that you think it's a great sign Dion can still get a standing ovation from a group of Liberal partisans (even without your media cheerleaders in attendance!) is proof, frankly, of just how far the Liberal Party has fallen in the last two months.

Keep your powder dry? Everyone knows your platform:

(1) Kyoto at any cost, even though Dion himself admitted during the leadership campaign that it's not possible to meet its targets after 10 years of Liberal failure on the issue.

(2) Withdrawal from Afghanistan -- from a mission that the Liberal Party committed us to.

(3) Repeal of key provisions in the Anti-Terrorism Act -- again, that the Liberal Party passed after 9/11 -- over the objections of Bob Rae, Irwin Cotler, Anne McLellan, John Manley, and many other Liberals.

The more I watch Dion, the more it becomes obvious that the "not a leader" ads were entirely correct.

Don't worry though, Young Liberals are uniting behind Dion. It's just the old ones who are upset. Rae, Cotler (and his wife), McLellan, Manley... You know, the sane ones, who aren't happy with Dion's decision to let Omar Alghabra write party policy on Canada's anti-terrorism laws (i.e., we need to get rid of them!).

Update: A blogger named Sarah responds on Jason's site with this:

Chris Vanoosten [sic],

Currently there are very few Liberal MPs that do not want the anti-terrorism measures to expire. John Manley and about 3 others I believe are working to get *twenty* Liberals on their side. That's a small minority right there.

Furthermore, constructive dialog and different opinions are to be expected within a party. It doesn't mean that the party is divided. There are no camps this time around. People who supported Ignatief or Rae last time are still for the vast majority willing to support Dion. The fact that a few MPs (four on the last count) don't want an act to expire doesn't signal that the party is divided. That's just ridiculous to think.

Well, here's my response, which Jason refuses to post (again, I'm not a CanaDion):

Sarah, it's not just 4 MPs. According to this, the mutiny's bigger than you think:

- Irwin Cotler (former Justice Minister)
- Marlene Jennings (Justice Critic)
- Stephen Owen
- Keith Martin
- Don Bell
- Roy Cullen
- John Manley
- Bob Rae
- Anne McLellan

Not to mention provincial Liberals like B.C. Solicitor-General John Les. They all think the provisions are vital, and their removal might compromise the work of the Air India inquiry.

The problem is that there has been no constructive dialog, as far as I can tell. Dion simply announced that the party's against renewing the measures.

We'll see how united the party is when the vote is taken.