It's payback time for Michael Ignatieff against Vancouver Liberal MPs

Vancouver’s three Liberal MPs—all political veterans—have been shut out of Leader Michael Ignatieff’s shadow cabinet.

Yesterday, Ignatieff announced what a party news release described as a “streamlined roster of critics”.

Vancouver South Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh, Vancouver Centre MP Hedy Fry, and Vancouver Quadra MP Joyce Murray were not given any critic positions.

From April 30 to May 3, federal Liberals will hold a convention in Vancouver to ratify Ignatieff's leadership.

Dosanjh and Fry are both left-leaning Liberals who supported Bob Rae in the 2006 Liberal leadership race. They threw their support behind Stephane Dion after the third ballot, helping to deny Ignatieff the party leadership.

Murray has made climate change her central issue, and was a strong supporter of Dion, who was also left out of the shadow cabinet.

Dosanjh is a former B.C. premier and attorney general, and served as a cabinet minister in the Paul Martin government.

Fry, a former president of the B.C. Medical Association, has held Vancouver Centre since 1993, and  was in the cabinet of the Jean Chretien government.

Murray is a former cabinet minister in Gordon Campbell’s B.C. Liberal government.

The only Metro Vancouver  federal Liberal appointed to the shadow cabinet is Newton-North Delta MP Sukh Dhaliwal, who became the critic for Western Economic Development and the Asia-Pacific Gateway.

Dhaliwal, who has no cabinet experience,  supported Joe Volpe in the 2006 Liberal leadership race, and later threw his support behind Ignatieff.

Ignatieff  has appointed himself as  the intergovernmental affairs critic. Rae retains his position as foreign affairs critic. John McCallum, an Ignatieff supporter, remains the Liberal finance critic.

Comments

3 Comments

gmc

Jan 23, 2009 at 9:50am

I don't no they had Dion now Ignatieff just as scary, like many. Is this all our Country has to offer. May as well stay with Harper we no what to expect.

Casman55

Jan 23, 2009 at 1:32pm

I don't think it's a very good idea to be almost shutting BC out. In Ignatieff's defence, he has always proposed a smaller cabinet as well, which sounds like a good idea. How anyone can say they "know what to expect" from Harper is a more than a bit puzzling though. Let's see what this Ignatieff is about before we start to panic and support the "Devil we Know".

edsdozin

Jan 23, 2009 at 10:54pm

Remember when Dosanjh was Preimier of B.C.---leader of the N.D.P.--- but then crossed the path to join the Liberal party when he thought he may loose as an NDPer. To me (a tax paying voter) this only means one thing- Dosanjh is only interested in one thing -A FAT PAYCHECK- it does not matter which party it comes from. Any politition that changes partys for any reason will never get my vote. B.C. has never had good support from a Liberal goverment federaly or provincialy as is sure being proved now under liberal rule . Thanks Ed.