The federal Liberal party's national director is accusing the party of besmirching his reputation, and is demanding more than a year's pay to step down following his controversial comments last week about the hiring of francophone Quebecers, CBC News has learned.
In a confidential letter addressed to senior party executives, Jamie Carroll says his name has been publicly and unjustifiably damaged by high-ranking Liberals.
Carroll says he's talked to lawyers who have told him he would be eligible for considerable damages should he pursue the matter in court. In the letter, he says he wants 12 to 18 months pay as compensation.
Members of the party's management committee are reported to be meeting Tuesday night to discuss the letter and decide Carroll's fate
The leader says Carroll will stay, the management committee decided to discuss his fate. Anyone else see a disconnect here? The optics suggest Dion isn't in control, or people just choose to ignore his musings.
Although CTV calls Bellerose a Liberal MP, which he isn't, the fact that a candidate has backed away from the Liberal Party in such a vocal way is telling:
Pierre-Luc Bellerose, who announced he won't run as the party's candidate in Joliette and called on Dion to step down as leader immediately.
Bellerose told the French all-news channel, RDI, that Dion shouldn't wait to be sent "to the slaughterhouse" in an election.
"At some point, you can't be too self-absorbed. You have to think of the whole party and I think that Mr. Dion better leave," he said, adding that Ignatieff would "change people's perceptions of our party" in Quebec.
Bellerose is the third prospective candidate in Quebec to announce he won't run for the Liberals in the next election. Former astronaut Marc Garneau has also said he won't run again.
Dion set to hand out some discipline?:
There was also speculation today that fellow Montrealer Pablo Rodriguez, who openly called for Carroll's head, might be stripped of all responsibilities in Dion's new shadow cabinet.
What a mess.
14 comments:
Again, the other thing that is troubling is that regardless of what you think of Carroll, that was a confidential letter he gave to the board, and it got leaked a day later.
scott
Agreed, which speaks to a organized effort.
That's what I was trying to say Steve...an organised effort. That has to be exposed and quashed, (sp?).
Hey, if hot-shot Rodriquez is behind this...out of there. He'll squawk though, very loudly, and Ignatieff should come down on him hard.
I replied to your question Steve.
Steve,
You were right all along.
The wheels have come right off. The warfare is now in the streets of Montreal.
As Duffy said, who is Bellerose? Nobody knew or cared until his mouth opened up.
Tomm
I see Bellerose as a conduit for others. The fact he took to the airwaves today is becoming a familar trend.
Steve,
How do you think it will end?
Tomm
Liberal majority? ;)
Well, if this unknown is a conduit, so be it. We need a pipe to let the sewage out, imo.
Not, repeat, NOT, to the media, but within the party, absolutely.
To continue the crude terms, until you actually look at the festering sore, you're not likely to do anything about it.
The meeting should start tomorrow with someone handing out mirrors to all those who attend, as they walk through the door.
Sound nut's? I'd do it if I was there. Sometimes, "simple" makes the point.
...' Dion better leave," he said, adding that Ignatieff would "change people's perceptions of our party" in Quebec.'
It appears the runner-up for Lib leader doesn't have much control over his supporters/MPs either.
Do the Quebec Libs think that they can push Dion out and have Iggy installed automatically?
If Dion resigns wouldn't Graham take back the role of leader? Gawd, not another 8 month leadership race.....
Vote the way the Tories do , and it won't take so long...no delgates.
Right now that sounds bad enough..how the Hades did we get into this?
Elspeth,
All of this is attributable to the euphoria of the convention floor.
Remember Dryden saying "I'm going for it!"?
I think the oxygen was getting a little thin by the 4th ballot.
Tomm
But hey, at least the backbiting, infighting and destructiveness of the Chretien/Martin battle is over!
I actually think Carroll has a case for defamation, if it is true his comments were taken out of context, and I believe they were.
During the leadership campaign I grew somewhat more comfortable with the notion of Ignatieff leading the party, but ever since the convention that comfort has disappeared.
Either this man is intentionally working against Dion in Quebec, or, as Wilson pointed out, he has no control over his people. Either way, he is destroying this party by dragging it back into the infighting they were trying to avoid.
Making him leader may boost the liberals' prospects in Quebec, but it will be bad for the party.
I never thought I would say this because I absolutely despise Harper, but I would prefer PM Harper over PM Ignatieff. That is because I think we can undo the harm Harper does to Canada, but the liberal party may never undo what Ignatieff does to the party.
"I never thought I would say this because I absolutely despise Harper, but I would prefer PM Harper over PM Ignatieff."
Ouch. Fair enough, the only counter I would add, Ignatieff's environmental policies were the most progressive and bold of any Liberal I've heard.
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