Dalton Mcguinty: Ndp Leader

Ontario Liberals Dept: Things are also grim in Newfoundland and Labrador. The most recent poll has the NDP ahead of the Liberals in a race for second place, with Conservative incumbent Kathy Dunderdale streets ahead of both NDP Leader Lorraine Michael and Liberal Leader Kevin Aylward, who only took over in August. The NDP made gains federally on the Rock last May, picking up two of the province s seven seats. If that wave translates provincially, the Dippers could become the official opposition in Newfoundland and Labrador for the first time. Not good for the Liberals. Not good at all, according to Globe and Mail. But PEI is perhaps not the strongest base from which to launch the renaissance of a political party. As my colleague Jeffrey Simpson has observed, the prerequisite for a Liberal comeback federally must be a victory for Dalton McGuinty in Ontario, when that province votes Oct. 6. The provincial and federal parties have close ties in that province unlike in British Columbia and Quebec and a third term for the Ontario Liberals would give fresh impetus to the federal party s hopes for rebuilding and the situation is most dire in Manitoba, which votes Tuesday. The NDP and Conservatives are in a tight race, there, but two recent polls put the Liberal support at 10 per cent or less, well down from its traditional mid-teens standing. If those numbers hold up or down , Leader Jon Gerrard could lose his seat, the only one the party holds in the legislature. Worse, a party that fails to garner 10 per cent of the vote does not qualify for the 50-per-cent public reimbursement for election expenses. If that happens, the Liberals could face bankruptcy. In poll-free Prince Edward Island, political observers expect Liberal Leader Robert Ghiz to easily win a second term, Monday, despite media reports of alleged irregularities with an immigration program. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.