John McCallum to be Liberal interim leader

[HeresyLives]

John McCallum to be Liberal interim leader: CTV

-CTV.ca News - Oct. 18 2008 -

Ontario Liberal MP John McCallum has been tapped to take over the reins of his party as interim leader if Stephane Dion steps down as expected on Monday, CTV News has learned.

"People in the Liberal Party are still telling us Dion intends to quit Monday afternoon," CTV's chief political correspondent Craig Oliver said Saturday.

Dion's office released a media alert on Friday announcing Monday's 2 p.m. press conference.

Dion has not spoken publicly since losing his bid to become prime minister in Tuesday's election.

Oliver said that McCallum was chosen because he is bilingual, an authority on finance and well-regarded by the Liberal caucus.


http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081018/liberals_mccallum_081018/20081018?hub=TopStories

Nice goin' Canada.

Enjoy PM Harper.

[ironflange]

1. "If?"

Is there still an "if" involved?

[HeresyLives]

2. Won't know for sure until 2 pm.

Stéphane Dion is not acting like a man easily accepting his defeat as he is expected to announce today that he will step down as Liberal leader.

He has been in seclusion at Stornoway, his official residence in Ottawa, for nearly a week now. And while he began to reach out on the weekend to some MPs defeated in last Tuesday's election, he doesn't appear to have been in a rush to contact some one of his most senior caucus officials. That included, as of Saturday morning, Whip Karen Redman, who lost in her Kitchener, Ont., riding. And for at least three days after Tuesday's result, Mr. Dion had not spoken to his closest rivals, Toronto Centre MP Bob Rae and deputy leader Michael Ignatieff.

Mr. Rae would not comment yesterday as to whether he has yet spoken to Mr. Dion.

Over the weekend, Mr. Dion told one defeated candidate to “stay strong and trim and be ready,” surmising that the budget that the Harper Conservatives deliver in February “is going to be a mess.” The Harper Tories were held to a minority government last Tuesday and a budget vote is a confidence matter that could bring down the government.

“He didn't sound like someone who is leaving,” a senior Liberal source said.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081019.wliberals1020/BNStory/National/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20081019.wliberals1020