Liberal buttons await supporters Michael Ignatieff election-night headquarters on May 2, 2011.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail
Party president Alf Apps might be advised to bring a helmet and shield to Centre Block, where the Liberal caucus is meeting Wednesday to chart its future as the third party in Parliament.
There are lots of MPs, and especially former MPs, who are gunning for him.
Mr. Apps is in Ottawa to explain the rules the party's national board has devised for the selection of both the interim leader to replace Michael Ignatieff, and the permanent chief who will lead the Liberals into the next election in four and a half years time.
The board has decided that the interim leader must be bilingual - which rules out Ralph Goodale, one of the top runners for the job. That will not sit well with some Liberals who see Mr. Goodale as a steady hand and someone who is adept at leading the charge in the House of Commons.
On the other hand, there are those who would rather let someone who has not been so directly associated with the old Liberal brand serve as the new face of the party as it goes through a rebuilding phase.
Mr. Apps is also going to lay out the board's plans to hold a virtual convention next month to amend the party's constitution so the vote on a new permanent leader can be put off past next fall. Many Liberals want to regenerate the party before they choose a new chief.
But others - including Bob Rae - worry that any delay will just prolong caucus infighting and lead to a lack of unity and cohesion. So Mr. Apps will have to fend off some tough questions about the long-term leadership plans.
Above all, he will be facing a room full of people who want to know what happened in an election that saw the "natural governing party" reduced to a shadow of its former self. There are many people who believe the national executive should wear much of the blame.
The close-door morning meeting - the last time the Liberals get to use the large Railway Room for their caucus gathering - will include both the MPs who survived last week's carnage and those who did not, as well as Liberal senators who now outnumber their colleagues in the House. Expect a lot of emotion, and possibly anger.
The afternoon meeting, which is also off-limits to the public, is just for the survivors who are left to keep the party alive in a Commons where the Conservatives have a majority and the first question will go the Jack Layton.
Harper visits flood zone
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is making his first major foray out the Langevin Block since winning the election last week with a quick trip to Manitoba, where spring floods have forced the province to declare a state of emergency.
Mr. Harper will be briefed on the flood situation by Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger then the two men will travel to Brandon where the rising water levels are posing some of the greatest risk.
The Prime Minister has been reshaping his Conservative government, which now has a majority in the House of Commons, and figuring out how to fill six cabinet posts - including the senior job of Foreign Affairs Minister.
There is much speculation about when the cabinet announcement will take place, including some suggestion that it could be as soon as Friday.