It is unfortunate to hear that Gerard Kennedy is not running, as I wrote in an earlier blog, I think he had the potential to be a good Liberal leader.
At this point, it is looking that this race is shaping up to be a rematch between Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae with Dominic LeBlanc positioning himself to pull a potential upset win at the convention.
The Liberal Party needs new ideas, it needs youth and it needs to reconnect with Canadians to build a new electoral coalition. For this reason, I think Dominic LeBlanc is the best candidate to lead the Liberal Party. I have to confess that, at this point, I do not know that much about him, but what I hear sounds promising. He's young, he's energetic, and he promises party renewal.
Unfortunately, I do not see this same potential in either Ignatieff or Rae.
As well, LeBlanc is from Atlantic Canada and, as leader, he could give voice to a region that is too often taken for granted in Canadian politics.
Furthermore, Dominic LeBlanc is fluently bilingual. Also, he would make some history as, if he were successful in his leadership bid, he would be the first Acadian to lead a major political party.
Dominic LeBlanc also brings with him Parliamentary experience. He's been a Member of Parliament since 2000, and he has served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. This is more federal Parliamentary experience than Michael Ignatieff, who has been in Parliament for little more than two years, and even more than Bob Rae whose cumulative time in federal politics (which includes his time as an NDP MP three decades ago) is only four years.
Dominic LeBlanc is also from a political family. His father, Romeo LeBlanc, served as Minister of Fisheries and later as Minister of Public Works under the Trudeau government. Also, Romeo LeBlanc was Governor General of Canada from 1995 to 1999. Thus, there is a strong family tradition of public service which is strongly ingrained in his son.
Dominic LeBlanc recently set down some of his ideas in an editorial for Macleans. He presents some interesting proposals to move the party forward.
So as this race begins to take shape, it is looking that Dominic LeBlanc is the strongest candidate.
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