How big will be Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal tent? Plenty big, judging by entreaties and feelers being put out to prospective candidates.
In Western Canada, a target for Liberal growth under Mr. Martin, his team has sounded out three prominent New Democrats to think about running under the Martin banner in the 2004 election.
They are: former Saskatchewan finance minister Janice MacKinnon, former Saskatchewan justice minister and federal MP Chris Axworthy, and former British Columbia premier Ujjal Dosanjh. A less direct approach has been made to former B.C. NDP premier Mike Harcourt, who said no.
Under the right circumstances, however, the other three could be lured into the Martin tent as part of a two-fold political strategy: improve Liberal fortunes in the West by attracting moderate New Democrats in urban areas, and give his government a quite different face from that of the Chrétien government.
All three former NDP bigwigs are reported by friends to be intrigued by the possibility of running federally for the Martin Liberals. Each might yet decide against running because formidable obstacles remain to be cleared away. But that they have been sounded out and are interested says something about their dissatisfaction with the NDP and just how large Mr. Martin would like his tent to be.
The Martin team is feeling out many possible Liberal "name" candidates across Canada: people such as former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna and Winnipeg Mayor Glenn Murray.
The Martinites' trouble is that their cabinet can only have so many ministers, and each of the name candidates would expect a seat. Mr. Martin's most ticklish problem will be finding enough seats for some holdover ministers, plus some of the breathlessly ambitious Liberal backbenchers, while making room for the new recruits.
One way might be to change to a British-style, two-tier model, with a core set of ministers augmented by a series of junior ministers.
Canadian governments have used variations on this model with ministers of state, but never anything as large or structured as the full British model.
Mr. Martin, who likes throwing out ideas and testing them, has apparently raised this possibility in conversations. Some form of this model, however, might allow him to accommodate the holdovers, backbenchers and recruits, while placing a stronger political grip on the civil service.
Saskatchewan illustrates Mr. Martin's problem with new recruits. Ralph Goodale, a strong Martin supporter, will be a fixture in his cabinet from Saskatchewan. What room would that leave for Ms. MacKinnon or Mr. Axworthy, both of whom might realistically hope for a cabinet seat, having held important ones in provincial politics?
Even if they did decide to run, the question would be: where? Local Liberals in Saskatoon, the home political city for Ms. MacKinnon and Mr. Axworthy, might not like their ridings invaded by NDP outsiders. An effort by Mr. Chrétien to impose a Liberal candidate on a Saskatoon riding in 1993 created a storm of recriminations.
Mr. Dosanjh has a bit of the same problem in Vancouver. He would naturally eye the riding of Vancouver-Kingsway that overlaps his old provincial constituency. Liberal Sophie Leung holds the seat. She is 69, and has served two terms. She needs to retire to ease Mr. Dosanjh's path.
Then there's the Herb Dhaliwal problem, B.C.'s political minister who is also from the East Indian community. Would there be room for Mr. Dosanjh if Mr. Dhaliwal ran again?
Saskatchewan and B.C. NDPers would be furious at defections from three stalwarts. It would signal to NDP moderates that a Jack Layton-led party is too ideological to be taken seriously and that Mr. Martin has room for them inside his coalition.
New Democrats such as these would widen the Liberal coalition, perhaps help the party in urban Western Canada, and show Canadians that a former finance minister does have a social conscience.
Apart from the thrill of being back in the political arena, the NDP trio is intrigued by the possibility of giving Western Canada a stronger voice in Ottawa, and perhaps in cabinet as part of a government likely to enjoy a commanding Commons majority.
Nothing might come of these Martin feelers to the NDP trio. The tug of their old political allegiance might prevent them from switching parties. Cabinet seats might not be available. Internal Liberal Party politics might scupper the possibility.
But it is a possibility that might change the political map of parts of the West.