'Proud Quebecer' Dion says he'll unify party
Last Updated: Sunday, December 3, 2006 | 4:15 PM ET
CBC News
In his first news conference since winning the federal Liberal leadership, Stéphane Dion described himself as a "proud Quebecer" who is more than just a single-issue politician.
Dion, a former environment minister, was chosen leader after storming from behind to defeat front-runner Michael Ignatieff in a drama-filled four-ballot convention that wrapped up in Montreal late Saturday.
Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion talks with the media at a news conference in Montreal on Sunday. Dion says he will win seats in Quebec and overcome any questions about his credibility.
(Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)
The news conference on Sunday kicked off with francophone reporters hammering Dion with four questions in a row about whether he would be able to gain votes in Quebec.
Many Quebecers aren't fond of Dion, in part because he is a staunch federalist who helped author the Clarity Act, which set strict terms for negotiating Quebec separation.
"Can you be sold in Quebec?" one reporter asked him.
"I'm very confident we'll have an excellent campaign in Quebec and we are going to convince a lot of Quebecers to elect a lot of Liberals," Dion responded.
He called himself a "proud Quebecer" and a unifying force for the party, and said he has credibility in Quebec.
"I'll build on it," he added.
Dion also said he plans to focus on more than just the environment. He reiterated campaign promises to fight for economic prosperity, social justice and environmental sustainability.
Doesn't want to revisit same-sex marriage issue
Dion entered the Liberal leadership convention with the fourth-largest number of delegates, which translated to fewer than one in five supporting him.
But on Saturday, he passed Gerard Kennedy to place third in the first two ballots. Kennedy threw his support to Dion after the second ballot, giving him the momentum to pass Bob Rae and Ignatieff in the third — and then Rae bowed out.
In the fourth and final ballot, Dion garnered 2,521 votes — about 54 per cent of the delegates — compared with 2,084 votes, or about 45 per cent, for Ignatieff.
Dion said he doesn't favour revisiting the same-sex marriage issue, an issue he plans to discuss with his caucus on Monday.
"To me it's a matter of rights. It's a bad idea for the prime minister to re-open this debate and there's no need to revisit the decision of the courts."
