Stéphane Dion

Hon. Stéphane Dion

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Rank:	37th Leader of the Opposition
Terms of Office:	December 4, 2006–
Predecessor:	Bill Graham
Successor:	incumbent
Birth:	September 28, 1955
Place of Birth:	Quebec City, Quebec
Profession:	Author, professor of political science
Spouse:	Janine Krieber
Political Party:	Liberal

Stéphane Dion, PC, MP, Ph.D. (born September 28, 1955 in Quebec City, Quebec) is the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons. Since 1996, he has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent–Cartierville in Montreal.

Dion is a former academic who served as a cabinet minister under Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. Like all former Cabinet ministers, he is a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, and has the right to the style The Honourable and the postnomial "PC" for life.

Early life

Dion is the second of five children born to Quebec academic Léon Dion, a noted federalist, and to Denyse Dion, a real-estate agent born in Paris, France. Dion was raised in a modest home on Liegeois Boulevard in the Sillery district of Quebec City. While growing up, he remembers being taunted for his family's secularism in a society which was then predominantly Catholic. As a teenager attending a Jesuit college in Quebec City, he was briefly involved with the sovereignty movement, campaigning for the Parti Québécois. Mr. Dion described the experience as follows:

"Because the party was there... I wanted to challenge my dad... the way to become an adult sometimes is to say the contrary to your father. Each evening, I would try out a new argument I had heard on the separatist network and my father was demolishing it... My father very quietly and very respectfully was refuting me, without insulting me."

Dion has said that his involvement as "an activist for the separatist cause" ended during a five-hour, rum-and-coke fueled discussion with a federalist household while he was going door-to-door for the PQ, but he did not openly commit to federalism until much later. At the time of the 1980 referendum, his sentiments were neutral. In his own words, the 'no' victory left him "neither moved nor outraged. To tell the truth, I sensed no particular feeling." ("Moi, je ne me sentais ni ému ni révolté. À vrai dire, je n'éprouvais aucun sentiment particulier.")

Dion studied political science at Laval University in the department co-founded by his father. He obtained BA and MA degrees in 1977 and 1979 respectively (his master's thesis presented an analysis of the evolution of Parti Québécois electoral strategies). After receiving a doctorate in sociology from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (commonly known as Sciences Po), Dr. Dion taught political science at the Université de Moncton in 1984 and the University of Montreal from 1984 to January 1996. He specialized in the study of public administration and organizational analysis and theory.

During the same period, he was also a visiting professor at the Laboratoire d'économie publique in Paris, senior research fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Political Science and research fellow with the Canadian Centre for Management Development. Between 1987 and 1995, he published a number of books and articles on political science, public administration and management.

The key focal point in Dion's transition to public defender of federalism was the failure of the Meech Lake Accord in 1990. In this period, the sovereignty movement began to argue that federalism was inefficient for Québec due to the duplication and overlap between the two levels of government. An expert in public administration, Dion emerged as a key figure in publicly criticizing this line of argument. His appearances on Le Point, a Télévision de Radio-Canada current affairs program in Quebec, brought him to the attention of Aline Chrétien, who in the days following the close referendum defeat urged her husband, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, to recruit him.

Dion is married to Janine Krieber, a political science and sociology professor who teaches at Royal Military College's ASU Saint-Jean campus in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

In federal government

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Stéphane Dion as the Minister of the Environment, hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2005 (COP11/MOP1)

On January 2, 1996, Shirley Maheu, MP for Saint-Laurent–Cartierville, was appointed to the Canadian Senate. In anticipation of a by-election triggered by Maheu's departure, Jean Chrétien appointed two new "star candidates" from Quebec – Stephane Dion and Pierre Pettigrew – to cabinet positions in his government. On January 25, 1996, Dion was named Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Pettigrew was named Minister for International Cooperation, and both were sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. Dion was slated to run in Saint-Laurent–Cartierville, the second-safest Liberal riding in Quebec, and victory was a foregone conclusion. In the March 25, 1996 by-election, he was easily elected. He won a full term in the general election of 1997, and was reelected again in 2000, 2004, and 2006.

Dion continued to serve as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs until the end of Jean Chrétien's ministry on December 12, 2003.

Following Paul Martin's assumption of the office of Prime Minister, Dion was dropped from Cabinet, in large part because of his association with the outgoing Chrétien. Indeed, Dion had been unpopular in some circles within the Quebec Liberal Party, and it had been whispered that Martin would refuse to sign his nomination papers for the 2004 election. However, this was not the case, and, in the aftermath of the sponsorship scandal and Jean Lapierre's poor performance as Quebec lieutenant, Martin brought Dion in from the cold to assist in the party's Quebec campaign. Although the Liberals lost strength in the province overall, Dion was credited with winning several close ridings against the Bloc Québécois. Consequently, he returned to the front benches on July 20, 2004, with his appointment as Minister of the Environment.

Dion had a prominent role within the Chrétien administration at the time of the sponsorship scandal. He stated before the Gomery Commission that he knew nothing about the program, and was completely vindicated by the Gomery Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities.

The open letters and the Clarity Act

Stéphane Dion

Stéphane Dion

Stéphane Dion had a significant role in events leading up to the Supreme Court ruling on the unilateral secession of Quebec, handed down on August 20, 1998 which adjudged that there is no right, under international law or under the Constitution of Canada, for the National Assembly to effect the secession of Quebec from Canada unilaterally. He also played an important role in the creation of the Clarity Act of March 15, 2000.

In his responsibilities as Intergovernmental Affairs minister in the Jean Chrétien government, Dion was tasked with challenging the arguments of the Quebec sovereignty movement much more vigorously than in the pre-referendum period. Following Lucien Bouchard's open letter to the premier of New Brunswick Frank McKenna in 1997 defending the legality of a unilateral secession, Dion wrote the first of three open letters to leaders in the sovereignty movement.

In the first open letter, Dion challenged three assertions that Bouchard had made: that a unilateral declaration of independence is supported by international law, that a majority of "50% plus one" was a sufficient threshold for secession, and that international law would protect the territorial integrity of Quebec following a secession. Against the first assertion, Dion argued that the vast majority of international law experts "believe that the right to declare secession unilaterally does not belong to constituent entities of a democratic country such as Canada." In regard to the simple majority argument, Dion argues that due to the momentous changes to Quebecers' lives that would result from secession, a simple majority that could disappear in the face of difficulties would be insufficient to ensure the political legitimacy of the sovereignist project. In regard to the territorial integrity of Quebec, Dion retorts that "there is neither a paragraph nor a line in international law that protects Quebec's territory but not Canada's. International experience demonstrates that the borders of the entity seeking independence can be called into question, sometimes for reasons based on democracy."

In Dion's second open letter to Jacques Brassard, Quebec's intergovernmental affairs minister, Dion expands upon his earlier arguments against the territorial integrity of Quebec following secession by highlighting the inconsistency in the argument that Canada is divisible but Quebec is not. Secondly, Dion underscores that without recognition by the Government of Canada and when opposed by a strong minority of citizens, a unilateral declaration of independence faces much difficulty in gaining international recognition.

In Dion's third open letter to Lucien Bouchard, he criticizes the Quebec premier for accepting some aspects of the Supreme Court ruling on Secession (such as the political obligation for the Government of Canada to negotiate secession following a clear expression of will from the people of Quebec) and not other sections of the ruling (such as the need for a clear majority on a clear question and the unconstitutionality of a unilateral declaration of independence). In regard to the ruling, Dion makes three claims: that the federal government has a role in the selection of the question and the level of support required for it to pass, that secession can only be achieved through negotiation rather than a "unilateral declaration of independence", and that the terms of negotiation could not be decided solely by the Government of Quebec.

In the three open letters, Dion maintained the position that the Government of Canada could enter into negotiations that might lead to secession if a clear majority of Quebecers expressed their will to secede in a clear and unambiguous question. This position became the cornerstone of the Clarity Act and is credited along with the growing unpopularity of the Parti Québécois government and the growing fatigue with the sovereignty debate with weakening public support in Quebec for sovereignty until the Sponsorship Scandal broke in 2004.

Views on federalism and national unity

Dion disagrees with many of his contemporaries upon the need for constitutional change to satisfy the demands of Quebec nationalists. While a supporter of the Meech Lake Accord, Dion contests the political concentration on the division of powers between the federal and provincial governments. Instead, Dion argues that:

"... [I]dentity, rather than the division of powers, that is at the source of our unity problem. Francophone Quebecers want the assurance that their language and culture can flourish with the support of other Canadians. They want to feel that their language and culture are seen by other Canadians as an important asset, rather than a burden. They want the assurance that they can be both Quebecers and Canadians, and that they don't have to choose between Quebec and Canada."

Dion has often been described as a Trudeau centralist due to his strong defence of Canadian federalism, most particularly in his open letters (see above). However, his position on federalism is far more nuanced. It would be most accurate to describe him as a federal autonomist. While Dion supports cooperation, flexibility, and interdependence in the Canadian federation, he unequivocally argues against jurisdictional intrusion by stating that "the Constitution must be respected. We must do away with the all-too-convenient excuse that a given governmental initiative responds to a need that is too urgent to be stymied by issues of 'jurisdiction.' Infringement of jurisdiction creates confusion which damages the quality of public policy." Dion's position on provincial rights is not only the result of respect for the Constitution of Canada, but also to prevent the "joint decision trap" in which the capacity of a government's ability to act is restricted by the need for approval from the other constituent governments.

Dion's image suffered immensely in Quebec under the perception that he had sought to undermine fundamental democratic rights to self-determination. Serge Chapleau, the celebrated caricaturist for La Presse, began portraying Dion as a rat, while Bernard Landry called Dion "the most hated politician in Quebec" ("le politicien le plus détesté de l'histoire du Québec"), an epithet which has gained currency in media articles and blogs. More recently, Dion's popular image in Quebec has improved. In a December 4, 2006 interview aired on CBC Television's The National, Editor-in-Chief of La Presse newspaper André Pratte said that regarding the Clarity Act and Dion's federalist views, "When you look at the polls, a majority of Quebecers agree with him [Dion]."

Leadership bid

See also: Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention, 2006

See also: 2006 Liberal leadership bid by Stéphane Dion

Official logo for Dion's leadership campaign.

Dion at a December 1 rally during the leadership convention.

Dion, during his acceptance speech. Behind him is MP Scott Brison, Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, MP Joe Volpe, Martha Hall Findlay, and MP Ken Dryden.

On December 2, 2006, Dion won the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada.

With the defeat of the Liberals in the 2006 election, he was suggested as a potential leadership candidate for the Liberal Party.

He announced his candidacy on April 7 at the Montreal Convention Centre at 7:30 am, the day of the official beginning of the race and the candidacy announcement by Michael Ignatieff. Stéphane Dion's leadership campaign was referred to as the three-pillar approach. This approach focused on social justice, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability, and a claim that a combination of these pillars would bring Canada into the 21st century.He said that his campaign would focus on sustainable development of the economy and creating a "hyper-educated" Canadian workforce in order to compete with China. Dion was able to draw from three factions of the party. The Chrétien wing of the party was represented by Chrétien-era Cabinet member Don Boudria. The Martin wing of the party was represented by former Martin BC Campaign Chair Mark Marissen and two-time losing Liberal candidate in Burnaby—Douglas, Bill Cunningham. Former John Manley Campaign Chair Herb Metcalfe also signed on to Dion's campaign.

Dion was a lower-key figure in the leadership race, with much of the media and political attention being centered on the race's two most high-profile candidates, Michael Ignatieff and former Ontario New Democratic Party premier Bob Rae. At the same time, some analysts predicted Dion had an edge as the only French Canadian in the race. The Liberal Party has a famous tradition of rotating its leadership between francophones and anglophones, and it was arguably a francophone's "turn." Some analysts also felt Dion had an edge since, unlike Ignatieff and Rae, he had served in Martin's Cabinet. Since 1948, every Liberal leader has been a minister under his predecessor.

As of October 1, 2006, Dion had captured approximately 17% of the delegate spots available for the December leadership convention in Montreal. This resulted in his entering the convention in fourth place behind Ignatieff, Rae and former Ontario Education Minister Gerard Kennedy.

On December 2, 2006 at the Liberal Party leadership convention, he nevertheless managed to leapfrog Kennedy to finish third after the first ballot by two votes, garnering 17.8% compared to 17.7% for Kennedy. On the second ballot he took a 90-vote lead over Kennedy, after which Kennedy withdrew, throwing his support behind Dion.

On the third ballot he was in first place with 37%, followed by Michael Ignatieff with 34.5%. Rae, with 28.5%—thus eliminated—freed his delegates to vote as they wished. Many threw their support behind Dion, as did former leadership candidates Ken Dryden and Joe Volpe.

On the fourth ballot, Dion captured 54.7% of votes cast and was declared the 11th leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

As Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition

After Stéphane Dion was elected as the leader, the Liberal Party experienced a sudden surge in their poll numbers as they moved up to 37%, 6 points ahead of the Tories, something that had not happened since the 2006 federal election. The numbers were especially prominent in Ontario where the Liberals jumped up by 12 points from 36% to 48%, establishing a 16-point gap between Liberals and Conservatives. Also, the Liberal numbers in British Columbia shot up to 47.5%, up 20% from their election day numbers and the strongest numbers Liberals have registered in the province in a long time. Some pundits have related this jump in numbers in British Columbia to Dion's strong conviction to environment, which is an important issue in the province. It is, however, too early to tell whether these numbers represent a temporary "bump" in the polls or are part of a longer-term trend.

The dual citizenship question

Stéphane Dion and his three brothers and one sister all have dual Canadian-French citizenship, obtained via his mother Denyse who was born in Paris. However, Dion does not have a French passport and has never voted in a French election.

Soon after Dion's selection as Liberal Party leader, the Conservatives and the NDP (but not the Bloc) began to criticize his dual citizenship as posing a possible conflict of interest. However, critics were quick to point out that Conservative Minister Tony Clement and Conservative MP Myron Thompson and NDP caucus members Libby Davies and Olivia Chow also hold dual citizenships. Dion responded to this issue by stating that "Multiple identities should be seen as an asset, not a threat. There is nothing wrong with multiple identities. The hearts of people are big enough to accept different identities." . He maintained, nevertheless, that his loyalty is "100 per cent to Canada first."

In a December 7, 2006 interview on CBC's The National, Dion pointed out that Prime Minister John Turner had dual citizenship and questioned why it would be an issue now if it was not an issue in the 1980s. However he promised that "[i]f it's a problem for a significant number of Canadians and if it's a liability that may keep Mr. Harper in power and prevent us [from bringing] together more than any other country in the world: economic prosperity, social justice, environmental sustainability, then I will do this sad thing then, to renounce my French citizenship that I received from my mother."

Miscellanea

• Dion has a husky named "Kyoto" which he and his family purchased "to cheer themselves up after the Liberals lost the last [2006] election."
• In May 1999, Dion was the object of a pie-in-the-face gag orchestrated by the Montreal group, les Entartistes (see photo). The group's stated focus is to "deflate" influential political figures, and they have successfully pied several Canadian federal and provincial politicians, with past targets including Jean Chrétien and Ralph Klein. Dion was not amused and pressed charges, resulting in convictions of assault against two members of the pie-throwing group. They were given suspended sentences.

External links

• Stephane Dion's Campaign Site
• Stephane Dion's Alberta Specific Campaign Site
• The Demos: Communicate with Stéphane Dion and other Canadian MPs
• How'd They Vote?: Stéphane Dion's voting history and quotes
• Political Biography from the Library of Parliament

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