Angry in the Great White North

When Stephen Dion's handpicked candidate Jocelyn Coulon lost the by-election in the Liberal stronghold of Outremont, Stephane Dion's leadership was shaken to the core.  It is debatable if he has ever fully recovered.

On the other hand, the NDP had their Quebec breakthrough.  Thomas Mulcair, the former cabinet minister for the provincial Liberals, won the seat, and has fired up the NDP into pushing for even further breakthroughs in Quebec.

The French media is reporting on a rumour that the Liberals are going back to the past to snuff out an NDP future in Quebec.  Martin Cauchon might be running in Outremont:

Rumours come up in all elections, but this time it's serious, so says the Liberal Party: Martin Cauchon to return to public service and to try to retake his former riding now in the hands of New Democrat Thomas Mulcair.

It is said that Stéphane Dion and, more recently, Bob Rae, tried to persuade former Justice Minister Jean Chrétien to return to politics and that it would be highly sought.

Officially: "No comment, we will make announcements shortly," said Robert Fragasso, president of Liberal Party (Quebec).

Unofficially: "The name of Cauchon is circulating and it's a very likely scenario being worked on hard," said a knowledgeable source.

My translation is probably garbled, but the gist is right.  Martin Cauchon is an interesting choice.  Not only is he a former cabinet minister (Minister of Justice in Jean Chretien's cabinet from 2002 to 2003), he is a highly partisan Chretien loyalist who left politics soon after Paul Martin's takeover.  Apparently, he has never given up the dream of becoming Liberal Party leader himself.

Does Martin Cauchon see an opportunity here?  Does he think that this is a great time to jump back into politics?  Why would a former cabinet minister give up the benefits of private life (special counsel for Gowling, Lafleur and Henderson) for life as an opposition MP, a distinct possibility after the next election?

Unless Martin Cauchon also sees a Liberal Party leadership campaign coming up shortly, and perceives a unique opportunity to take the helm of a party that is still unlikely to unite behind either of the polarizing figures of Bob Rae or Michael Ignatieff.

If I was Stephane Dion, I'd be a bit nervous about seeing familiar faces from the past.  Any senior ex-Liberal who has done his or her time suddenly being convinced to run in a campaign that is hardly a guaranteed win for any party would give me pause.  Does Stephane Dion really think Martin Cauchon is eager to join the Liberals just so that he can take orders from Stephane Dion?