This Week in the Liberal Party

-Liberal.ca has a make-over and, I must say, I think the new site is a big improvement.

-After talking to some people who were at a Bob Rae event in Edmonton last night, I'd be willing to put down any amount of money that Anne McLellan will be joining the Rae team once her work on the renewal commission is over.

-Speaking of endorsements, as reported yesterday by Jason Cherniak, David Orchard will be endorsing Stephane Dion this afternoon. I'll have a lot to say about this later tonight but I think it's important to see the press conference first to get an idea of what's involved in this endorsement.


UPDATE: So...umm...what's up with Orchard? I kept hearing that there was a 2 o'clock conference call today but haven't seen anything about it anywhere. Then I get this forwarded to me:

Dear Friend,

Over the past months many have encouraged me to consider entering the race for the leadership of the Liberal party. Others have asked which candidate would be my preferred one. After meeting with several of the candidates and reflecting on the matter, I have decided to support Stéphane Dion.

Stéphane has ten years of experience in government, most of that time as an able minister in cabinet. The environment is a passion for him and that interest showed in his effective work as environment minister and his achievements on the Kyoto file. He has worked hard to keep Canada together as a tolerant, bilingual nation and has shown a great interest in defending Canadian institutions, including the Canadian Wheat Board. Stéphane has a keen interest in agriculture and the problems of Western Canada.

For all of these reasons and more, although there are a number of very able candidates in the race, I have decided to offer my support to Stéphane.

This means we will be working together in the coming months to prepare for the coming leadership convention.

I hope this meets with your approval, and that if you are considering the possibility of attending the convention you will consider going with me as a Stéphane Dion candidate.

Stéphane and I will be holding a press conference in Saskatoon tomorrow at which time I will publicly offer my support -- a press release will follow.

I am sending below the URL for a recent, interesting and in-depth article on Stéphane from the Toronto Star for your information and refer you as well to the Dion web site http://www.stephanedion.ca

I look forward to working with you in the weeks leading up to the convention and afterwards, as we take the concrete steps to change the direction of our country away from the path Mr. Harper has set us on.

Please don't hesitate to call me with any questions, comments or thoughts that you have.

Sincerely,

David Orchard