Stéphane Dion steps out of the Liberal shadows

[CHIMO]

He’s back. After two years of deliberately staying out of the limelight, working quietly in his riding and expressing his views privately to leader Michael Ignatieff, Stéphane Dion has a new bounce in his step.

The former Liberal leader – who was basically ousted by the Ignatieff team in late 2008 after losing that election (but not nearly as badly as his successor lost on May 2) – is asking questions in the House of Commons and participating in debates. He even attended the NDP convention in Vancouver as an observer.

In addition, he intervened at the beginning of the party’s so-called extraordinary convention Saturday to call for the selection of a permanent leader to be delayed for two years to give the party time to rebuild. His view won the day as Liberals decided to postpone the decision until no later than June, 2013.

Mr. Dion told The Globe and Mail on Monday that when Mr. Ignatieff was leader, the media was only interested in speaking to him to find “a contradiction with Mr. Ignatieff.” When he realized that, he felt it was better “to express my views privately.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/stphane-dion-steps-out-of-the-liberal-shadows/article2067791/