After Toronto Centre, Rae takes over party

[attach]4346[/attach]Less than a month after the Liberals were pounded at the polls, the party has found a new leader in Toronto Centre MP Bob Rae.

The former Ontario Premier will head the recently devastated party until a permanent leader is selected. Rae was chosen over Marc Garneau, Canada’s first astronaut and the only other serious candidate for the interim post.

Rae takes over after the resignation of Michael Ignatieff under whose leadership the Liberals secured the lowest number of seats in the party’s entire history.

The Liberals will now try to recover with Rae at the helm. His provincial counterpart in Toronto Centre, Liberal MPP Glen Murray, said he thinks Rae is an excellent fit for the job.

“Bob Rae brings an extraordinary life of public service, leadership and passion for a just society to the leadership of one of Canada’s great political parties,” Murray said in a prepared statement. “I know Bob’s sense of humour, kindness and love of Canada will endear him to Canadians.”

Moore Park Residents Association president Tim Costigan said he believes that is exactly what the Liberals need.

“The party clearly needs to do a bunch of work on figuring out how to reconnect with the Canadian population,” Costigan said. “In my experience, he has been a person that is open to complex dialogue on complex issues and his experience is well-suited towards leading that endeavour.”

While Costigan said he doesn’t think the fact that the local MP is a party leader will have any immediate impact on the area, he did admit that their rep’s time may be preoccupied with trying to revitalize a struggling party.

“He’s always been a good representative for the neighbourhood and he’s always paid attention to constituents’ issues,” Costigan said. “But I recognize the fact that he may find his time is more constrained as he attempts to focus on the rebuilding of the party.”