Bob Rae, who is currently interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, confirmed his earlier commitment that he will not be running for permanent leader of the party. He will stay on as interim leader until the leadership vote is held in April 2013. His announcement came as something of a surprise as all indications were that the party executive planned to adjust the rules so Rae could run. Rae says he plans to play the role of "benign father figure" and will not endorse or recruit anyone in the upcoming race.
The next question for many will be if Justin Trudeau will run. He has been firmly saying he won't. He is just 40, has a young family and as the son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, knows only too well the difficulties a high-level political job can create for families. However, in the last week or two his denials have been getting less emphatic.
Other possibilities include former astronaut Marc Garneau, the MP for Westmount-Ville-Marie and Liberal House Leader, MPs Dominc Leblanc and David McGuinty, and former MPs Gerard Kennedy and Martha Hall Findlay. A year is a long time in politics though, and a lot can happen in that time. Given the low ebb of Liberal fortunes, the party can only hope that it does.
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