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Manley at the Gate

© David Russell

Finally. The race has begun.

Sheila Copps has long been the frontrunner in the race to lead the federal Liberal party by virtue of being the only candidate in it.

But now, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister John Manley has officially declared his intention to park his wheels in the garage at 24 Sussex. What's worse, at least for his running mates, he seems willing to talk about - really talk about - issues that would appear on a Manley-led Liberal platform.

Even Paul Martin, whose lack of presence in Ottawa rivals the lead character in a Ralph Ellison novel, has found himself forced to make statements that actually look like policy statements.

For Mr. Manley is committing that most cardinal of political sin: he's laying out concrete ideas.

Goodness knows there have been plenty of issues of late over which those interested in running the world's second largest country perhaps ought to hold a point of view: the war in Iraq; the war of words between the U.S. and Canadian governments; the war on SARS; the war on the WHO on SARS.

For months, however, both Manley's opponents, Heritage Minister Sheila Copps and Minister Hiding Behind the Bushes Paul Martin have had little to say beyond general platitudes about how things need to get better. The Prime Minister, of course, has had little concrete to say since, er, well, I'll get back to you (was anyone even aware he spent twelve days in the Dominican Republic?).

Not so Mr. Manley. Indeed, throughout his career in office, on a number of issues he has been unusually candid about his views and about directions he believes the government ought to go on certain files. Following the terrorist attacks on New York City on September 11, 2001, it was Mr. Manley - not Mr. Chretien - that was the symbol of Canada's response to the crisis. On the taxation file, Manley has laid out concrete proposals that - whether or not you agree with them - at least they are understandable enough to form an opinion.

Interestingly, for his transgressions, Mr. Manley has oft been criticized by the Canadian media for the very candor they usually proclaim to be lacking from other politicians, falling into the classic "damned if you do, damned if you don't" trap so often experienced by our parliamentarians.

Take what ought to have been the trivial issue of Canada's relationship to the monarchy of Great Britain. On more than one occasion Mr. Manley has expressed his belief that a Canadian head of state ought to at least be a Canadian, and that the concept of hereditarily achieved power is inconsistent with the values of a democratic nation.

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