Alfred AppsThe Globe and Mail/The Globe and Mail
The Liberal Party's national board is asking that the leadership race be put off until at least November, 2012, but be no later than Feb. 28, 2013, to allow for the rebuilding of the devastated party.
Party president Alfred Apps laid out this scenario in a letter to the Liberal caucus Tuesday - on the eve of its choosing a new interim leader.
Mr. Apps and the party's board want delegates to an "Extraordinary Convention," to be held by teleconference on June 18, to amend the constitution to put off an imminent leadership race.
The leadership issue was triggered by Michael Ignatieff's decision earlier this month - the day after the election debacle - to resign as leader. The party was reduced to 34 seats and lost its official opposition status to the NDP. Mr. Ignatieff even lost his own seat in Toronto.
The party's constitution had stipulated that a new leader be chosen within five months - or no later than Oct. 1, 2011 - of the leader's resignation. But many Liberals wanted this changed, feeling that they and the party were in no shape for yet another leadership race. This will be the fourth leadership race since 2004.
"National Board of Directors, in consultation with the Caucus and the Council of Presidents and on five (5) months' notice to the Party, shall set a date for a Leadership Vote between November 1, 2012 and February 28, 2013," according to one of the resolutions.
This was "unanimously approved by the National Board", according to the Apps letter accompanying the resolutions. He noted that it and another resolution to hold the party's biennial policy convention in January, 2012, were adopted after "extensive consultation with the Caucus leadership, riding presidents, defeated candidates, Commission executives and other Liberals."
Liberals MPs, meanwhile, are to choose their new interim leader at their national caucus meeting Wednesday. It is expected Toronto Centre Bob Rae will take over that role.
Mr. Rae indicated he was seeking the post last week after agreeing that he would not run for the permanent leadership of the party. His only caveat was that it not be a "summer job" - that an interim leader would have at least 18 to 24 months in the job. This Apps letter indicates that an interim leader would be in that position for more than a year, at least.
Despite having a lot of support in the Senate caucus and among MPs, Mr. Rae is facing competition from Montreal MP Marc Garneau - Canada's first astronaut and the Quebec lieutenant under Mr. Ignatieff.