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Liberals won't run candidate against May


Pierre the Great

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SWEEEEEEEEET!!!

Peter looks like he'll have a lot of time on his hands now, he can visit he gf Condi more often.

Liberals won't run candidate against May

OTTAWA — Stéphane Dion has decided not to run a Liberal candidate against Green Party Leader Elizabeth May in the next federal election.

Mr. Dion, who shares Ms. May's environmental idealism, is expected to make the announcement today. In return, sources say Ms. May will promise not to run a Green candidate against the Liberal leader and will essentially endorse Mr. Dion for prime minister.

The extraordinary back-scratching between two supposedly rival leaders is unheard of in Canadian politics and could generate a backlash within both parties.

Many Greens are already upset with Ms. May for lavishly praising Mr. Dion's environmental record and inferring that he'd make a better prime minister than Stephen Harper.

But there are potential benefits for both the Liberals and the Greens in such an arrangement.

For Ms. May, the strategy could shorten her lengthy odds of winning the Greens' first seat in the House of Commons. But she still faces an uphill battle.

She has chosen to run in Central Nova, a long-time Conservative stronghold currently held by Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay. To beat Mr. MacKay, Ms. May would have to pick up all the votes that went to the third-place Liberals in 2006 and half the second-place NDP's votes.

Many polls suggest the Greens have doubled their support from the 2006 election since Ms. May became leader in August. That support has bobbled above and below 10 per cent, but Ms. May is perceived to have credibility on the issue that has been a top priority for Canadians of late — the environment.

Mr. Dion's odds of holding his safe Montreal seat are already so good that the Greens' non-participation will make little difference. He won St. Laurent-Cartierville with almost 60 per cent of the vote last time.

But there are other potential benefits for Mr. Dion. Liberal sources say the move is intended to demonstrate that Mr. Dion is different kind of politician — a man of principle who believes so strongly in the need for environmental sustainability that he's willing to sacrifice partisanship.

Rest of the Story:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...y/National/home

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