Stephane Dion Gives His Notice

OTTAWA (CUP) – Liberal leader Stéphane Dion announced today he will step down as party leader, but only after the next Liberal leadership convention sometime in 2009.
Dion left the door open to running again as a member of Parliament, saying he will refrain from making that decision until after the convention is over.
Dion made the announcement at the national press gallery in Ottawa at 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 20. He had not spoken to members of the media since his devastating defeat on election night, in which his party lost 19 seats.
Instead, he remained inside Stornoway, the opposition leader’s official residence, and discussed his future with Liberal party members.
Dion’s announcement today ended speculation about a possible interim Liberal leader should he have stepped down immediately.
In his speech, Dion drifted between statements that reflected his acceptance of responsibility for the significant Liberal party loss, to an indictment of the Conservative party’s campaign, which he called “propaganda.”
“I fully accept my share of the responsibility,” Dion said. “The blunt reality is that almost two thirds of Canadians voted for another choice.”
He admitted he had “failed,” but also said the Conservative party had a “massive financial advantage.”
“We have to bring our Liberal fundraising into the 21st century,” he said.
Despite many commentators speaking out this past week on the Liberal campaign’s failures, Dion had nothing but good words about it.
“There is no calling like politics, no country like Canada,” he said. “Politics has its ups and downs, and I am happy to say I enjoyed many more ups than downs.”
Dion said he was “sorry” to MPs who lost their seats.
“Canadians went to the ballot box thinking it was a carbon tax,” he lamented.
He blamed the Conservative party for confusing Canadians into thinking his plan was only a tax, and not a parallel tax cut.
After the press conference, Dion’s trademark green Prius waited at the curb along Wellington Street outside the press gallery for him to emerge.
He did not answer any questions as he walked out of the building and headed straight for the Prius’ front seat. Reporters snapped photos of him as his driver sped away.
[SUB] Toronto Climate Campaign supports Dion
Members of the Toronto Climate Campaign also waited outside the press gallery for Dion to emerge.
In an effort called the Sunshine Walk, the lobby group walked from Toronto to Ottawa in support of government policies that support action on climate change.
At noon, members had gathered outside the Prime Minister’s office at Langevin Block and dropped off letters. They then assembled outside the press gallery to await Dion.
The walk had been planned before the election was called, said spokesperson Adriana Mugnatto-Hamu, who was waiting outside in front of an unfurled banner.
But after hearing the election results, the group felt they needed to support Dion to stay on as party leader so the Liberal party, proponents of the Green Shift, would remain a cohesive symbol for climate change action.
The group is non-partisan, Mugnatto-Hamu said, and supports different climate change action initiatives, including a solution that combines a carbon tax and a cap-and-trade system.

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