It's clear, for Canada to remain a parliamentary democracy, the megalomaniac from Calgary has to go, but the Liberals, too, have to make some serious changes. The most important one, and one that needs to be made sooner rather than later, is to choose a new leader.
There's no doubt that Stéphane Dion is a highly intelligent and honourable man, and a true Canadian, but we've all seen that's not enough in today's politics. Even in the seventies, to be intelligent and honourable was not enough, otherwise Robert Stanfield, then leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, would not now be called "the Greatest Prime Minister Canada Never Had". He was no match for Pierre Trudeau. Sadly, neither is Dion a match for Harper, Layton, or Duceppe.
The Liberals need a strong leader, an excellent communicator, a man with not enough baggage to be a target for Harper's constant attempts at character assassination and lies. It's sad that so many Canadians are so uneducated, unintelligent, not to say stupid or prejudiced, that they can't see the true character of a quiet man. The only way to fight that is to give them what they want, but someone also with intelligence and integrity and vision - something the Conservative Party has not been able to do. It's important that the new leader be chosen during the next few weeks, before Parliament is recalled, so that the Progressive Coalition can do its work, hold Harper's feet to the fire and if necessary to replace him.
My choice is Michael Ignatieff, not because I prefer him to Bob Rae (who is equally intelligent and qualified), but because he'll be able to cut Harper down to size more easily. He presents a smaller target to the forces of reaction who've demonstrated already they're willing to risk national unity and at the same time to attack even Canada's Head of State (as represented by the Governor General) in their desperate attempt to foist their neo-conservative social and economic agenda on Canadians.
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