Rocco Rossi

Wild kingdom

Interesting to hear former Liberal Rocco Rossi, on announcing that he’s switching teams to run for the Ontario Conservatives, describing the province’s Liberal government as pursuing a “don’t worry, be happy” strategy. That’s supposed to be bad, right? But I looked it up and “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” was a Number 1 single in 1988, and garnered best song, record and male pop vocal Grammys for Bobby McFerrin (who’s gone on to be welcomed as serious fun in interesting places). Not bad. Meanwhile, the provincial Conservatives have seen their polling lead shrink from wide to thin.

My story for print Maclean’s on Conservative fortunes in provincial politics is now on the web. As is often the case, I had help with the story from lots of people who didn’t make it into the finished version, and gathered information and had thoughts that didn’t quite fit.

Mercer and Stronach play with water guns (PHOTOS)

The politicos came out for the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC) annual ACTION party in Toronto.  (Left to right) Bernie Farber, Nathan Jacobson and Transport Minister John Baird. Behind Farber is Jamie Ellerton, aide to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

Labour Minister Lisa Raitt and her partner Bruce Wood pet a small Siberian tiger at this year’s Dragon Ball in Toronto. The mega gala, which celebrated the Year of the Tiger, raised money for the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care.

(Left to right) MPs Navdeep Bains, Mark Holland, Martha Hall Findlay, Mario Silva, Gerard Kennedy and former MP Omar Alghabra.

Six months in, Michael Ignatieff remains a subject of some confusion

Will the negative campaign help galvanize fundraising?

Rocco Rossi is one of the key figures in the new Michael Ignatieff coterie that’s now running the Liberal Party of Canada, a crew many rank-and-file Liberals are getting to know for the first time at this week’s party convention in Vancouver. (We profiled him Maclean’s early this year, soon after Ignatieff recruited him to be the party’s new national director.)

As delegates assemble here at the new Vancouver Convention Centre for the Liberal biennial convention, chatter in the hallways suggests to me that five points (itemized after the break) are worth watching over the next three days.

Can Rocco Rossi’s unabashed style help fill Liberal coffers?