But insiders say that Dion himself, despite receiving virtually unanimous advice to the contrary, is hawkish about forcing an election. He fears his reputation as a champion of the environment and progress he's made wooing Green and other left-wing voters will be seriously hurt if Liberals don't vote against Harper's anti-Kyoto message.
Given the disarray in the party, one senior Grit said Dion's preference for an election is "suicidal" while others questioned whether he'd be able to persuade his MPs to follow his lead. Dion will not make a final decision about how Liberals will vote until he's met again with his caucus on Wednesday.
Insiders say internal party polls paint a much more dismal picture for the Liberals than public opinion polls, including the prospect of being reduced to as little as two seats in Quebec. Also, the latest quarterly fundraising figures are expected to be released shortly, showing the Liberals falling even further behind the Tories in building their campaign war chests.
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Adding to the perception of disarray, the party's director general in Quebec, Serge Marcil, tendered his resignation Tuesday. Robert Fragasso, president of the Quebec wing, said Marcil will stay on the job until the end of the week but has lined up a new job in the private sector.
The Liberal party has been without a national director since last week when Jamie Carroll resigned amid controversy over his allegedly dismissive response to demands to include more Quebecers in Dion's inner circle.
The disarray comes in the wake of the Liberals' humiliating defeat in three Quebec byelections last month, including the loss of the Liberals' longtime Montreal fortress of Outremont.
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http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/071016/n1016129A.html [Proofreader’s note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on October 18, 2007]
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