The battered federal Liberal party, fresh off its worst electoral defeat in Canadian history, has decided to postpone the choosing of its next permanent leader for two years.
Party members decided at a June 18 online convention to postpone the next leadership convention until the second quarter of 2013.
The party constitution required a new leader be chosen by November 2011 after Michael Ignatieff resigned as leader May 3. He had lost his Toronto seat and led the party to less than 19 percent of the popular vote and just 34 seats in Parliament.
Instead, party members decided to concentrate on rebuilding and fundraising before turning their attention to choosing the next permanent leader.
In the meantime, Toronto MP and former Ontario NDP premier Bob Rae will act as the interim Liberal leader after vowing not to run for permanent leader. Regina’s Ralph Goodale is deputy leader.
Party members also agreed to reschedule a post-election convention that was supposed to be held in June until Jan. 13-15, 2012, in Ottawa.
The weekend online consultation with party members was chaired by former House of Commons speaker Peter Milliken in his first overtly partisan act since he was elected speaker a decade ago.
The MP from Kingston, Ont., became the longest-serving Canadian speaker before deciding not to contest the 2011 election.
In the 41st Parliament, which is headed by a majority Conservative government, the Liberals for the first time have been reduced to third party status with limited prominence in question period and just one member on every 12-member House of Commons committee.
With the New Democratic Party the new official opposition, holding more than three times as many seats and aiming to move more to the middle of the political spectrum, the Liberals face the daunting task of figuring out where they fit into the mix.
On May 2, their percentage of the popular vote fell almost eight percent with just two seats on the Prairies.
