Rodger Crane, 55
Rodger Crane is a restaurant
owner from Guelph, Ont.
He is impressed by the intellectual pedigrees of the four top contenders but leans most toward Bob Rae. "I like his experience. He's a pragmatist."
He was less keen on Michael Ignatieff, feeling that his years away from Canada made him lose "a certain sense of nuance" about the country. "I didn't like him bringing up that whole 'nation' issue."
That's why he'll vote for Mr. Rae on the first ballot. "Whom am I going to vote after, I haven't the foggiest idea."
Terry Albright, 54
Terry Albright is a former NDP
candidate from Saint John
Now converted to the Liberals, she will support Michael Ignatieff on the first ballot.
She feels that Mr. Ignatieff has been unfairly painted as a hawk when his support for war in Iraq stemmed from his support of the Kurdish minority. "He really does seem to have a heart for people who are oppressed," she said.
She said she is uncommitted for the second ballot. She likes Stéphane Dion - "I have tremendous respect for him" - and she praises Gerard Kennedy for his past social activism as a food bank director.
"My concern is that he needs to do some more growing," she said, alluding to Mr. Kennedy's relative youth and lack of federal experience. Dianne Surridge, 59
Dianne Surridge is a nurse from Calgary
She will vote for Stéphane Dion on the first ballot, having been impressed by his record in the unity and environment portfolio. "I like the way he looks at Canada."
Her praise for Mr. Dion suggested she wasn't keen on someone like Michael Ignatieff for the second ballot.
Of Mr. Dion, she said that "he doesn't come with a lot of baggage. He's a Canadian and hasn't been away for several years."
She was more impressed with Gerard Kennedy, finding him "a good, honest man," and she praises his record as a social activist.
Mr. Kennedy's lack of federal-level experience was no liability for her. "We all have to jump in at some point."Regina Ramos-Urbano, 40
Regina Ramos-Urbano is
a teacher from Winnipeg
After meeting Ken Dryden at a riding barbecue this summer, she came away impressed by his thoughtfulness and will cast her first ballot for him.
"I really like this idea of a strong Canada. I didn't hear that message from other candidates," she said. "Maybe he doesn't have the same flashiness as the others but he's a thinker. He's very unassuming."
The other leadership hopefuls appeared arrogant, she thought. While she was keen to hear from other campaigns, she made clear there was one man she liked less than the others, commenting that Mr. Ignatieff "seems to get in trouble all the time."
"I'd rather see the party destroyed than the country destroyed. Some candidates, their views are divisive."
