Rae will decide on Liberal bid in next few days
WINNIPEG — He may need a few more days to make up his mind about a federal Liberal leadership bid, but former Ontario premier Bob Rae was much more decided Monday about the greatest challenges facing the country and how to tackle them.
Rae was quick to tell his Canadian Club luncheon audience that his speech would not contain any revelations about his political future.
But his passionate address, centred on a quote from former Liberal prime minister Wilfrid Laurier that "hope is stronger than fear," left some listeners convinced they had heard a dress rehearsal for a campaign stump speech.
Rae acknowledged he is seriously considering jumping into the race to replace Paul Martin, but said he has a lot to think about after being out of politics for 10 years.
"To go back in is a change and it would be a change in my life, which is quite a big deal," Rae said following his speech.
"Then there's always the question of: What can you do? And then there's another question, which is: Have you got a chance? I don't know the answer to those questions."
Rae, who was Ontario's first NDP premier from 1990 to '95, said he expects to make a decision in the next few days.
He would be no stranger to federal politics, having been elected in 1978 in a federal byelection in the Toronto riding of Broadview-Greenwood.
Rae was re-elected in 1979 and 1980 and was the NDP finance critic when he resigned his seat in March 1982 and switched to provincial politics.
Toronto lawyer Martha Hall Findlay is the only declared candidate. Rae joins a list of more than a dozen others, including several former cabinet ministers, who are considering entering the race.
Should he run, sources say Rae would have the backing of some of the party insiders closest to former prime minister Jean Chretien, including his brother John Rae and right-hand man Eddie Goldenberg.
While he would be seen as a candidate well-positioned to create a powerful left-of-centre political force, his supporters acknowledge he would also carry the baggage of his poor economic record in Ontario.
His government posted the largest deficit ever at that time and followed it up with massive cost-cutting.
In his speech Monday, Rae cited higher education as the greatest challenge facing Canada, especially as it struggles to remain competitive with emerging economies such as China and India.
"There has to be a national vision for learning and for education to make sure that Canada maintains the prosperity that is such a key part of our social justice," Rae said to warm applause.
Alternating between English and fluent French, Rae also addressed the problems he sees with the previous Liberal government's deals with individual provinces in areas such as natural resource revenues.
"It's not transparent," said Rae.
"If you're going to have an equalization formula, everybody has to understand it, everybody has to stick to it, it has to be consistent, it has to be clear. You can't have one deal for one province and a completely different deal for another province and nobody being clear about what the overall impact is going to be."
He also said discussions need to take place with provinces such as Alberta to make sure others aren't left behind in the wake of high oil prices, but he did not put forward any concrete suggestions.
Rae is the second prospective leadership hopeful to swing through Winnipeg in the last week.
St. Boniface MP Ray Simard listened to Rae speak and was also in the audience last week when Ontario MP Belinda Stronach addressed a fundraiser for the Liberal youth wing.
He said he hasn't thrown his support behind anyone yet.
"His Achilles heel is probably his fiscal record in Ontario," Simard said of Rae. "At the same time the delegates would have to establish whether or not that is such a negative thing that we could maybe lose Ontario."
WINNIPEG — He may need a few more days to make up his mind about a federal Liberal leadership bid, but former Ontario premier Bob Rae was much more decided Monday about the greatest challenges facing the country and how to tackle them.
Rae was quick to tell his Canadian Club luncheon audience that his speech would not contain any revelations about his political future.
But his passionate address, centred on a quote from former Liberal prime minister Wilfrid Laurier that "hope is stronger than fear," left some listeners convinced they had heard a dress rehearsal for a campaign stump speech.
Rae acknowledged he is seriously considering jumping into the race to replace Paul Martin, but said he has a lot to think about after being out of politics for 10 years.
"To go back in is a change and it would be a change in my life, which is quite a big deal," Rae said following his speech.
"Then there's always the question of: What can you do? And then there's another question, which is: Have you got a chance? I don't know the answer to those questions."
Rae, who was Ontario's first NDP premier from 1990 to '95, said he expects to make a decision in the next few days.
He would be no stranger to federal politics, having been elected in 1978 in a federal byelection in the Toronto riding of Broadview-Greenwood.
Rae was re-elected in 1979 and 1980 and was the NDP finance critic when he resigned his seat in March 1982 and switched to provincial politics.
Toronto lawyer Martha Hall Findlay is the only declared candidate. Rae joins a list of more than a dozen others, including several former cabinet ministers, who are considering entering the race.
Should he run, sources say Rae would have the backing of some of the party insiders closest to former prime minister Jean Chretien, including his brother John Rae and right-hand man Eddie Goldenberg.
While he would be seen as a candidate well-positioned to create a powerful left-of-centre political force, his supporters acknowledge he would also carry the baggage of his poor economic record in Ontario.
His government posted the largest deficit ever at that time and followed it up with massive cost-cutting.
In his speech Monday, Rae cited higher education as the greatest challenge facing Canada, especially as it struggles to remain competitive with emerging economies such as China and India.
"There has to be a national vision for learning and for education to make sure that Canada maintains the prosperity that is such a key part of our social justice," Rae said to warm applause.
Alternating between English and fluent French, Rae also addressed the problems he sees with the previous Liberal government's deals with individual provinces in areas such as natural resource revenues.
"It's not transparent," said Rae.
"If you're going to have an equalization formula, everybody has to understand it, everybody has to stick to it, it has to be consistent, it has to be clear. You can't have one deal for one province and a completely different deal for another province and nobody being clear about what the overall impact is going to be."
He also said discussions need to take place with provinces such as Alberta to make sure others aren't left behind in the wake of high oil prices, but he did not put forward any concrete suggestions.
Rae is the second prospective leadership hopeful to swing through Winnipeg in the last week.
St. Boniface MP Ray Simard listened to Rae speak and was also in the audience last week when Ontario MP Belinda Stronach addressed a fundraiser for the Liberal youth wing.
He said he hasn't thrown his support behind anyone yet.
"His Achilles heel is probably his fiscal record in Ontario," Simard said of Rae. "At the same time the delegates would have to establish whether or not that is such a negative thing that we could maybe lose Ontario."
