Daily BrewThe Pretenders: The Liberal leadership longshots looking to upset Trudeau
Yes, there is a Liberal Party of Canada leadership campaign going on. And it is not, as you may have been led to believe, merely an informality ahead of crowning Justin Trudeau the party’s new champion.
There are actually six people still vying for the position and none of them are ready quite yet to fade into the night. The top contenders to upset Trudeau may be Joyce Murray and Martha Hall Findlay. But there are three other candidates of value and pedigree showcasing themselves at this weekend’s Leadership Showcase.
And they would all likely bristle at being considered "pretenders." So, with apologies to Karen McCrimmon, Marin Cauchon and Deborah Coyne, let’s take a look at those "other" people running for Liberal leadership.
Deborah Coyne took her turn speaking at the Liberal Leadership Showcase by addressing the perceived shortcomings of the Conservative government.
"[A]t the moment when we need more than ever needed to renew our sense of national purpose, to collaborate to overcome economic uncertainty and to repair our broken social contract, our federal government is letting up drift apart, shirking the mantle of leadership," she said
Coyne has worked as a professor, lawyer, activist and public servant in her successful and varied career. She is a law graduate of York University's Osgoode Hall and hold a Masters of Philosophy in International Relations from Oxford University.
She participated in constitutional debates involving the Meech Lake Accord and the referendum on the Charlottetown Accord, and was a member of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board. Her appeal is widely based on her public policy experience.
On the downside, Coyne has never sat as a Member of Parliament. She ran in the Toronto-Danforth riding in 2006, but lost to former NDP leader Jack Layton. But she has promised to run for a seat in the Toronto area during the next federal election.
Karen McCrimmon's official profile notes her experience with the Royal Canadian Army Cadets and her military service as a reservist. She was the first woman to command a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron and was awarded the Order of Military Merit in 1995.
Like Coyne, she is not a sitting MP, but is the candidate for the riding of Carleton-Mississippi Mills. Her focus is youth unemployment and the treatment of Canada's military veterans.
Cauchon first served in public office in 1993, when he was elected MP in the riding of Outremont, which he held for more than a decade. The riding is now held by NDP Leader Tom Muclair.
During his time in office, Cauchon acted as minister of justice, attorney general and secretary of state. He is currently a partner at the Montreal law firm Heenan Blaikie and vice-chairman of the Canada China Business Council.
His official bio stresses his socially progressive stance on marijuana decriminalization and his role in legalizing same-sex marriage.
