Angry in the Great White North

Liberal Party National Director Greg Fergus sends his first email, minus any references to Stephane Dion

The National Director of the Liberal Party, Greg Fergus, has sent his first email since taking over the job from Jamie Carroll. The letter is interesting for more about what it doesn't say. Not a word about Stephane Dion anywhere in an email whose purpose seems to be to inspire Liberals.

Isn't Stephane Dion inspiring?

Worse yet, Greg Fergus makes pains to remind the reader that the Liberal Party is about more than any one man. Curious.

Jean Chretien, public revelations, and stupid f*cking idiots!

Jean Chretien's memoirs are coming out, and boy, don't they just play into the whole "don't air Liberal Party problems in public" issue in a big way?

Stephane Dion is not going to be served well by the assertion by Jean Chretien that Canada was on track to meet Kyoto commitments until Paul Martin took over as prime minister in December 2003. Paul Martin quickly put Stephane Dion into his cabinet as environment minister in July 2004. Dion served in that role until the fall of Paul Martin's government nearly two years later in February 2006.

Sure sounds to me that Jean Chretien's published memoirs are going to put the blame for Canada's poor environmental performance right on Stephane Dion's shoulders.

And we already know that people who go public with problems inside the Liberal Party are "stupid f*cking idiots".

Jamie Carroll story winds to a close, and we tally up the score

When Jamie Carroll allegedly told Quebec Liberals that if followed their advice to hire more Quebecers, he would have to hire more Chinese too, Quebec Liberals went ballistic.

A crisis quickly erupted as Quebec Liberals, none of them fans of Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion, went to the press to tell any reporter who would listen just how awful Stephane Dion's handpicked team leading the Liberal Party really was.

At first Stephane Dion said that Jamie Carroll was misinterpreted, and that no action was required.

Then Stephane Dion fell silent, and the Liberal Party made it known that Jamie Carroll would be shuffled out of his position as National Director and into another role.

Then Liberal Party fell silent, and a leak revealed that Jamie Carroll was threatening to sue the Liberal Party for defamation unless he was generously compensated.

Finally, over a week after the alleged comments that kick off this whole episode, Jamie Carroll is gone. Apparently action was required, and there was no role for Jamie Carroll in the Liberal Party after all. As for compensation and lawsuits, no word on those subjects. Presumably no lawsuit, but money remains a "confidential personnel matter".

You know the Liberals have got problems when Denis Coderre is their top news story three days running

I know it was the long Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, but when you look at the news, Stephane Dion has been utterly out of sight. The leader of the Liberal Party has not been heard of or seen since last...what...September 29? That was the Friday appearance in Halifax when Dion state unequivocably that Liberal Party National Director Jamie Carroll was not guilty of a firing offense for what he allegedly told Quebec Liberals when advised to hire more Quebecers.

Since then, Jamie Carroll has been under a political deathwatch, Stephane Dion has not been seen (as far as I know), and Denis Coderre's laughable trip to Afghanistan is just about the only news coming out of the Liberal Party.

Jason Cherniak vs The Mission

Jason Cherniak, Liberal blogger and defender/apologist for Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion, has had enough. He has gone on the attack, trying to remind the "stupid f*cking idiots" who are attacking Stephane Dion that they are hurting the Liberal Party in the process.

That argument won't work. These people don't care. Found at all levels in the Liberal Party, this secret cadre is on a mission. A mission to remove Stephane Dion and anyone who worked for him from the Liberal Party. If the Liberal Party is wrecked along the way, so be it.

Call it collateral damage. It doesn't matter. Nothing can get in the way of the mission.

Marlene Jennings' big mistake could hurt Stephane Dion

Liberal MP Marlene Jennings is not the sort of person to put in front of reporters. She has made a rookie mistake that could have serious implications for the coverage of the ongoing problems besetting Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion. By expressing a level of suspicion that Stephane Dion is the target of a coordinated campaign to remove him as leader, she has moved the question of a Liberal coup from the opinion pages to the news pages.

Anonymous Sources (and the Missing Man)

Jason Cherniak had a scoop this afternoon. Jamie Carroll would not only be staying in the Liberal Party, he would be keeping his job as National Director. Of course we know that not only was Jamie Carroll chucked out by the Management Committee, Jamie Carroll is reported to be threatening to sue the Liberal Party for defamation unless he's paid 18 months salary.

Well, Jason deleted his scoop by erasing the post called "Anonymous Sources". But we have a glimpse of it caught by Google.

Jamie Carroll turns on the Liberal Party, while Stephane Dion loses control

Jamie Carroll has been relieved of his position as National Director of the Liberal Party. An honourable end to this story? Carroll falling on his sword in order to protect his boss, Stephane Dion? Hardly. Jamie Carroll has spoken to a lawyer, and unless the Liberal Party pays him off generously, Carroll threatens court action for alleged defamation.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any uglier...

Jamie Carroll to resign today

CBC News is reporting that Jamie Carroll is going to resign today. Stephane Dion's leadership of the Liberal Party suffers another blow. Meanwhile the leak is not clear whether Dion demanded Carroll's resignation. Typical, when you think about it. It's never been clear if Stephane Dion has ever truly made a tough decision since becoming leader of the Liberal Party.

Stephane Dion's Caricature: I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready!

Is Stephane Dion the little yellow dude of Canadian politics?

CP reports of massive Liberal infighting over Jamie Carroll's Chinese joke

The Jamie Carroll story continues to spiral out of control. The list of Liberals publicly demanding that Stephane Dion take action grows by the hour. That Stephane Dion's leadership has taken another huge body blow is no longer in question.

Stephane Dion is openly challenged

An official call has been made by Robert Fragasso, the president of the Liberal Party in Quebec, that Jamie Carroll resign as national director of the Liberal Party. Carroll is Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion's longtime ally and an important party of Dion's inner circle. His position as national director is key to what control Stephane Dion has over his party.

But with this news, we have the first open sign of a serious challenge to Stephane Dion's leadership.

Update: Massive Liberal infighting goes public.

Liberal blogger demands Stephane Dion denounce Jamie Carroll's Chinese crack

We hear from Liberal sources that at a meeting with Quebec Liberals in the aftermath of the Outremount by-election loss, Jamie Carroll responded to demands that more Quebecers be included in Stephane Dion's inner circle. Jamie Carroll is the Liberal Party's National Director and a close supporter and advisor of Liberal Stephane Dion.

Jamie Carroll's response: If I hire more Quebecers, will I also have to hire more Chinese?

A Liberal blogger has had enough and wants Stephane Dion to slap Jamie Carroll down.

Meanwhile I am amazed at just how eager Quebec Liberals are to make sure that any misstep by Stephane Dion or his inner circle is made known to the press.

Update #1: The president of the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party of Canada, Robert Fragasso, is demanding that Jamie Carroll remove himself as national director.

Update #2: Massive Liberal infighting goes public.

Liberal Party in Quebec in rebellion?

Apparently the Liberal Party in Quebec will shut down tomorrow unless Liberal Party headquarters in Ottawa sends them $250,000 immediately.

I don't know what is more remarkable. That the Liberal Party in Quebec is shaking down HQ for money, or that we're hearing about it.

But to me, it comes near to confirming a pattern suggesting that the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party is in full rebellion.

Liberal infighting and past patterns

The serious allegations that Michael Ignatieff and his people are working against a Liberal win in the by-election in Outremont as a way of pushing Stephane Dion out as leader is not the first time this story has played out in the press.

But what is very revealing is that the two stories are very similar.

And I mean very similar.

Asking after the source of the funds -- Stephen Harper vs Jamie Carroll

The Liberals are trying to find fault with Stephen Harper's fundraising activities from five years ago, when it is clear that by the law of the time, nothing wrong actually happened. If they want to play that game, maybe we should be asking where Jamie Carroll got his hands on $30,000, since unlike the case of Stephen Harper, the answer to that question does indeed matter when it comes to the legality of the donations.

Stephane Dion's toleration of the intolerable...sometimes

Stephane Dion shows his leadership qualities with regards to Jamie Carroll, the National Director of the Liberal Party and a major Dion backer who is in trouble for suggesting that other senior Liberals can't be trusted, by telling him that the mistake cannot be tolerated before giving Carroll a second chance. And if you're confused, Stephane Dion helpfully announces he is being a leader.

Is Michael Ignatieff going to win over Stephane Dion?

Michael Ignatieff wants Jamie Carroll fired. Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion says absolutely not.

Of course, Ignatieff wins.

Did embattled Jamie Carroll earn Stephane Dion's loyalty, or did he purchase it?

Jamie Carroll is in trouble for making some serious allegations against the losing Liberal Party leadership candidates, saying that they are working to undermine Stephane Dion. As a result, there are calls for Carroll to be fired from his position as National Director. Stephane Dion is refusing to do this. Stephane Dion is acting very loyal to Jamie Carroll. There are many ways to earn loyalty.