Yet Another Blow to Federal Liberals!

Still reeling from the news that Bud Polhill would not forsake London Board of Control to run provincially or federally as a Liberal candidate, Grits were today shaken to find out that Joe Fontana has decided not to run for the leadership of the party. When contacted by the Sonny Drysdale Media Empire, Liberal party president Michael Eisner was still so stunned at the news that he asked, "What, was Joe running?" ... When contacted by the same reporter, leadership hopeful and newly-electedToronto MP Michael Ignatieff said that altho he had not been back in Canada long enough to have personally met Fontana, he was sure that Joe was a fine person and the loss of such a candidate is always hard and that the party needs more new fresh voices from youngsters like Joe. ... Fellow leadership hopeful Maurizio Bevilacqua, a new Toronto-area MP, sighed with relief at learning of Fontana's decision. "As someone else who no one has ever heard of," he said, "I would like to thank Joe for giving me a shot." .... When asked the reason for his decision, Fontana, a married family man and new grandfather said that he made the decision for "family reasons." After 28 years in politics, he explained, it was time to start paying attention to his family. Apparently one of them had the sense to point out to him that he didn't have a chance in hell of winning the leadership race, let alone of ever becoming Prime Minister.