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 Posted: 05/ 16/ 07 4:16 pm Post subject: Liberal official’s quotes raise MPs’ ire |
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Liberal official’s quotes raise MPs’ ire
N.S. native complains about backroom plotting
By STEPHEN MAHER Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA — The young Nova Scotian who helped make Stephane Dion leader of the federal Liberal party appears to be dodging knives in the backrooms today after several Liberal MPs complained about him publicly.
Jamie Carroll, a 27-year-old who grew up in Truro and Guysborough County, has been national director of the Liberal party since February, a reward, perhaps, for his role as deputy national campaign director during Mr. Dion’s successful Liberal leadership run.
Mr. Carroll’s comments in a new biography of Mr. Dion have angered some MPs.
Even before the comments appeared in print, some Liberals in other leadership camps muttered quietly about Mr. Carroll, part of a pattern of unhappiness with Mr. Dion’s leadership from people who supported his former rivals.
It’s that same grumbling and internal dissent that led Mr. Carroll to make the comments in Stephane Dion: Against the Current, a new book by Toronto Star reporter Linda Diebel.
"I am starting to wonder if he may not have been a little too good to his former competitors," Mr. Carroll said, expressing fear that the rivals might be out to get Mr. Dion.
"What they do in public doesn’t bother me. It’s the shit they do behind the scenes — which I may not know they’re doing — that keeps me up at night."
After an excerpt from the book was published on the weekend, Liberal MPs reacted angrily.
Denis Coderre, a Quebec MP who supported Michael Ignatieff and virulently opposed Mr. Dion’s candidacy, objected to Mr. Carroll’s statements.
"It’s totally misplaced comments and it’s totally unacceptable," he said.
Mr. Coderre said he complained to Mr. Dion.
"Well, it’s an internal issue and I’ll let the leader address it but I would say that, for the record, there is no clan and I will not accept that anybody from the party who’s stating that there’s some clans who’s plotting right now because it’s not true," he said.
Mr. Ignatieff, whose strong question period performance has drawn favourable comparisons over Mr. Dion’s sometimes shaky performance, was also unhappy with the comments.
"Look, I get up in the morning, I show up, I prepare for (question period), I do my job. We’ve united the party. All this stuff is kind of tired rehash gossip from a leadership campaign that’s over."
Mr. Ignatieff said he had expressed to Mr. Dion his thoughts on the matter.
"I’ve made my views very clear to the leader and I think he’s communicated that to Mr. Carroll, as far as I know."
Mr. Carroll declined to comment Monday but several Liberal spokespeople made comments that suggested he was getting chewed out.
"There’s conversations that are being had, which is always the case when a new book comes out," said Elizabeth Whiting, who works for Mr. Carroll. "You know Jamie. He’s a blunt guy."
Jean-Francois Del Torchio, a spokesman for Mr. Dion, said Mr. Carroll is staying in his job but he suggested there were conversations going on behind closed doors.
"What we’re saying is we’re not going to comment on private discussions," he said.
Karl Belanger, a spokesman for NDP Leader Jack Layton, said the conflict highlighted divisions in the Liberal party.
"It’s a well-known fact that the Liberal caucus is divided, on the issues and the issue of Mr. Dion," he said.
( smaher@herald.ca)
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