poor Dion, can't find a plane

Dion team scrambling to find a campaign plane, insider reveals
April 5, 2007 – Globe&Mail

... Liberal representative recently approached Air Canada about leasing a plane but was turned down. The source said the airline was already committed to the two other campaigns ...

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion told a gathering of supporters last night in Toronto that if the Prime Minister wants to force an election, the Liberals are ready.

He did not, however, mention the small problem of a campaign plane. The Liberals don't have one and, according to a source, are scrambling to find one after being turned down by Air Canada. Insiders say there is growing concern among Liberals that they will not be able to get one before an election is called.

Both Mr. Dion and Prime Minister Stephen Harper have said they do not want a spring election. But both the Liberals and the Conservatives are getting ready in case there is one.

The Liberals have told three provinces -- Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan -- they need to nominate candidates as quickly as possible in case there is a snap election.

Another high-profile Liberal MP, Lucienne Robillard, announced yesterday that she will not seek re-election in her Montreal riding. This brings to nearly a dozen the number of Liberal MPs who plan to retire and make room for new faces on the Dion team.

The Harper Conservatives have a guarantee from Air Canada to supply a campaign plane when the writ is dropped, an arrangement that dates back to the last two elections. The NDP has a similar arrangement. Both parties have been keeping in regular touch with Air Canada because of the instability of the minority government and worries that an election could come at any time.

The Liberals have always flown with other airlines; in the 1990s, it was Canadian Airlines, when it was still in business.

In the last two elections, former prime minister Paul Martin and his team leased a plane owned by Cargojet president Ajay Virmani. That plane -- a Boeing 727, which is one of the least fuel-efficient planes around -- was criticized by the Conservatives in the last election for being a fuel guzzler.

A source said a Liberal representative recently approached Air Canada about leasing a plane but was turned down. The source said the airline was already committed to the two other campaigns and did not have a plane or crew that could hopscotch the country several times a week during a hectic election campaign.

However, a Liberal strategist said last night that Air Canada is not the only option. "We are talking to a number of suppliers and there is a great deal of interest from non-traditional suppliers in serving the campaign."

"Although we don't want an election, we have to be ready if Stephen Harper forces one," said Liberal Party spokeswoman Renée Filiatrault. "To that end, we have everything we need ready and will be able to go whenever we have to."

Ms. Filiatrault did not respond to a question about whether the party was turned down by Air Canada. Instead, she said, "Not going to go into specifics, but if Stephen Harper forces an election, we will have what we need Day 1."

That sentiment was repeated last night in Toronto by Mr. Dion, who delivered a partisan speech to his supporters. "Canadians don't want an election, and the Liberals don't want an election," he said. "But the Prime Minister seems determined to force an election on Canadians. . . . If the Prime Minister wants to force an election on Canadians, so be it. The Liberal Party is ready."