Angry in the Great White North

Stephane Dion's job description seems to have changed. From Leader of the Opposition to firefighter:

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion has cancelled a trip to the Arctic so he can stay close to home and manage the crisis in his party, especially among the troops in Quebec.

Mr. Dion will shuffle his caucus later this week, handing out new critic roles and realigning his team in preparation for the new fall session, according to a senior Dion aide.

Wednesday night, Mr. Dion was to travel to the North and spend three days in Yellowknife and make several stops in Nunavut. But an announcement late yesterday said he has scrapped the trip for now.

“… he felt that the priority was to be here on the ground making sure that everybody was 100 per cent focused to those particular milestones and initiatives …,” said the Dion aide, noting that the Liberal Leader had also just named a new principal adviser.

This is just one cancelled trip, so we have to be careful not to make much of it. But it will matter if it becomes part of a patten. Cancelled trips, cancelled speeches, cancelled photo ops -- the work of a party leader not getting done because the party leader is too busy putting out fires that seem to spontaneously ignite whenever he glances away.

But here's one more thing to consider. Perhaps Stephane Dion is afraid to leave Ottawa right now. While he's in the office, his presence keeps a lid on things. But if he leaves with his key staff in tow, the people left behind might feel free to speak.

Things are said that would never be said with Stephane Dion and his key loyalists within earshot. People wander by the fax machine with papers that should never be faxed. People type out emails not worried about who might see something over their shoulder.

It's not like someone would change the locks while Stephane Dion was away...well, it's not likely someone would change the locks...but when a leader's position is under threat, he never goes on a trip.

Remember too, that Ignatieff's people are now in the inner sanctum:

Mr. Dion has also appointed veteran campaign strategist Senator David Smith as the third co-chair of the national campaign. Mr. Smith, who supported Mr. Dion's leadership rival, Michael Ignatieff, served in key campaign positions during the Chretien years.

Unless Stephane Dion morphs into a real leader in the next 24 hours, he is best not to plan any trips for a while.

Update: Talking about looking like a leader by pressing the flesh and talking to Liberals, Michael Ignatieff has a busy calendar:

• October 3: Party with the Dalhousie Young Liberals, Nova Scotia
• October 3: Reception at Pier 21
• October 4: Dalhousie Law School, Nova Scotia
• October 11: Cocktails at the Vancouver Aquarium, British Columbia
• October 19: Fundraiser with Romeo Dallaire, Richmond Hill, Ontario

Quite the contrast, eh? The leader holed up in the bunker, while the deputy is out talking to the troops and rallying their spirits.

When push comes to shove, who is going to remember Stephane Dion as an inspiring presence?

Of course, I'm certain Michael Ignatieff is telling all these people he is meeting with that Stephane Dion is a fine leader, and quickly coming into his own, and that he, Michael Ignatieff, is pleased to be serving under Stephane Dion. I wonder if Ignatieff is mentioning all the things about quality leadership he has learned from watching Stephane Dion's performance, lessons that would serve him and the Liberal Party well should, by some happenstance, Michael Ignatieff find himself humbly accepting the reins of leadership.