Sheila Copps rumoured to be interested in becoming the next president of the Liberal Party

Sheila Copps rumoured to be interested in becoming the next president of the Liberal Party

Is this the face of the next Liberal Party President? (Image: Donald Weber/ Getty Images News/ Getty Images)

As the Liberal Party of Canada attempts to put itself back together in the wake of its crushing defeat on May 2—after spending the last three months wallowing in a pool of tears and a pile of half-eaten shame cake—it has some key positions to fill. Of course, eventually, somebody needs to take the reins as the party leader when Bob Rae is shuffled out of the interim position. But before the Liberals tackle that albatross they’ll have to sort out the not insignificant matter of who will replace Alf Apps as the party president. And apparently GTA native and former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps is considering returning to the Liberal fold to throw her name in the proverbial hat.

From Postmedia:

Former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps and recently defeated Liberal politicians Mark Holland and Siobhan Coady are all gearing up to challenge for the presidency of the Liberal Party of Canada.

While many would be loath to lead such a gravely wounded party, loyalists are rallying around a Liberal banner they believe can rise again.

Copps says the crushing electoral defeat Liberals suffered got her—and many other Liberals—thinking of a return to active politics.

Of the choices laid out by Postmedia, we think Copps would make the most interesting new party president. For one, with the former Hamilton MP and Rae essentially running the Liberals, it would appear the party was realigning itself around the people who were close to Jean Chrétien, and given Chrétien’s string of election wins and his successors’ string of losses, that’s probably as good a place to start as anywhere. Moreover, the pair would ground the Liberals’ brass once again in central Ontario (for better or worse).

Now, of course, we can’t help but wonder who else might we see run for prominent positions in the Liberal Party. If Copps does end up winning, coming up with some candidates might be as simple as drawing up a list of people who were pushed out by Paul Martin (yes, “2004 Liberal Party of Canada Infighting” has its own Wikipedia entry) and want a chance to get back in the game.

Is Sheila Copps returning to the Liberals? [Toronto Star]
Party veterans vie for Liberal presidency [Postmedia]
Copps may run for Liberal party president [Hamilton Spectator]