Stephen Harper and St Phane Dion

Liberal leadership: Past history suggests that the more crowded the field, the greater the odds that a dark horse will emerge as the unlikely winner, according to The Chronicle Herald. There were eight candidates on the ballot when Stéphane Dion won the Liberal leadership in 2006. Should they all enter the race to succeed Stephen Harper, this could make next year Conservative leadership vote the most unpredictable federal contest in a decade. Another four had withdrawn prior to the vote. Neither contest featured a consensual front-runner. Over on the Conservative side, Joe Clark beat 10 rivals for the Tory leadership in 1976. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.