The Liberal leadership race is approaching a crucial juncture, with the delegates for its Montreal convention being selected across the country over the weekend of Sept. 29 to Oct. 1.
globeandmail.com invited all of the candidates to come on-line before that delegate-selection process.
We were pleased to have Gerard Kennedy take part in this series of live on-line discussions.
The questions and Mr. Kennedy's answers appear at the bottom of the page.
Gerard Kennedy, alongside his wife Jeanette and supporters (Tom Hanson/CP)
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As Michael Posner wrote in his Globe profile of Mr. Kennedy, "the dark horse in the Liberals' current grand national steeplechase is easy to spot." More than halfway toward the finish line — the leadership convention in Montreal — Gerard Kennedy is raring to go.
Most who engage with Mr. Kennedy, wrote Mr. Posner, seem to come away impressed: with his intelligence, his command of whatever dossier is in front of him, his commitment to constructive change, his prodigious work ethic and his essential rootedness.
Before entering politics, Mr. Kennedy was recruited to establish The Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, which he went on to lead as executive director until 1996. That same year, he won a by-election as an MPP in Toronto. He was relected in 1999 and 2003. Most recently, he served as minister of education in Ontario.
Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject each question/comment. Comments/questions may be edited for length or clarity. We will not publish questions/comments that include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily verified, or questions/comments that include vulgar language or libellous statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a pseudonym.
Rasha Mourtada, globeandmail.com: What is the single most-important reason why you should be elected leader of the Liberal party and have a chance to become the Prime Minister of Canada?
Gerard Kennedy: I have a strong connection to ordinary Canadians. All of our key challenges, whether global competition, an aging population, or regional and rural urban inequities, require this proven capacity and experience to engage working families. I have spent the past 23 years working with and for Canadians in various parts of the country, creatively mobilizing people — whether fixing education in Ontario or fighting hunger in Edmonton, Toronto or nationwide. As a lifelong Liberal, I have a reliable track record of acheiving the results that matter to Canadian families.
Jim Sheppard, Executive Editor, globeandmail.com: Where do you place the eight candidates right now in terms of being front-runners, middle-of-the-pack or well-behind-the-rest? What's your strategy since it appears no one will win on the first ballot at the convention?
Gerard Kennedy: Our campaign is earning a strong standing across the country in a way that can be fully apparent only after the votes of local Liberals take place [this weekend]. I have focused on engaging new members and fallen-away Liberals, meeting and earning the confidence of Liberals all across the country in face-to-face meetings and gatherings of varying size. Having won several ballots during the 1996 Ontario Liberal leadership race, I can only say my new strategy is to be concerned with doing what is necessary to be first on the final one.
Seamus F., Ottawa: What is your stance on the future of the Afghanistan mission? Is there a point where we should pull out, and if so where do you draw that line?
Gerard Kennedy: In August, I called for a re-evaluation of what amounts to a long-term losing strategy in Afghanistan, changing into one that would be a proper mandate for our armed services, the Afghani people and Canadian principles.
If NATO fails to change the strategy, Canada should pull out of the war in Afghanistan.
It is now clear, Afghanistan faces three interlinked crises: an opium crisis, a development crisis and a security crisis. The international community and the Afghani people must deal with the opium and development crises before lasting security can become reality.
Last year's crop was worth $2.7-billion at export, or 52 per cent of the GDP, representing a 20-per-cent increase in poppy planting and a record for the biggest crop in Afghanistan's history, according to the United Nations.
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