Even the CBC Wants Manley!

John Manley (CP file photo)

John Manley: Former deputy prime minister under Jean Chrétien, who held finance, foreign affairs and industry portfolios throughout his political career and made a failed bid for the Liberal leadership in 2003. He turned 55 on Jan. 5.

Advantages: Manley was born and raised in Ottawa. He served as law clerk to Bora Laskin, the former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, shortly after finishing his legal studies at the bilingual University of Ottawa. He was named Time Canada's Newsmaker of the Year for 2001 because of his performance as foreign affairs minister in the wake of the 9/11 attacks against the United States. Manley stepped into Paul Martin's shoes as finance minister after Martin and Chrétien fell out in June 2002. In late 2003, he turned down Martin's offer to become Canada's ambassador to the United States, made shortly after Manley said he did not intend to run again for the Liberals in Ottawa South. He later accepted a position chairing a royal commission on Ontario's energy system, and sits on the boards of Nortel and CIBC. The ongoing coolness between him and members of Martin's entourage would allow him to distance himself from its failure to retain majority governments for the party. And as a devoted marathoner, he's used to pacing himself to get the job done in the long run.

Handicaps: He was roundly drubbed for questioning the value of the monarchy to Canada while Elizabeth II was in the country on a royal visit in 2002, and for fumbling the question of whether NHL teams in Canada needed a federal bailout. As well, Manley was closely associated with Chrétien, whose star has dimmed in the wake of the November 2005 report into the sponsorship scandal, and the other federal parties would no doubt not let Canadians forget that. He is also a booster of stronger Canada-U.S. relations at a time when such sentiments can prove a political minefield.

Buzz: He is said to be "listening to supporters but not committing to another bid" for the party's leadership. Manley reportedly asked an old friend in Brampton, Ont., to pull together a barbecue for 300 guests in September, at which he hinted strongly about seeking the Liberal leadership. He was scheduled to be the guest speaker at a $200-a-ticket fundraiser for the Ottawa West-Nepean Liberal candidate in mid-January.

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By Carolyn Ryan