Bob Rae confirms Ivison's anti-Ignatieff stories just aren't true

Bob Rae did Canada AM this morning, and set the record straight on the false rumours planted in John Ivison's National Post column. Clearly these rumours were Conservative plants, designed to sow distension in Liberal ranks and distract us from the real issue: Stephen Harper's incompetence economic management.

But here's Bob, in his own words, from Canada AM this morning. Who are you going to believe on these rumours, John Ivison's unnamed sources or Bob Rae?

Seamus: Let's talk seriously about. -- You met with your leadership rivals and with Stephane Dion. Is that all true?

Bob: No, that's wrong. That's the first thing that's wrong in the story. Mr. Dion wasn't there. Mr. Dion was in Ottawa. We were in Toronto.

Seamus: That's why we have on you on the show.

Bob: Exactly.

Seamus: What did you talk about? What was discussed?

Bob: We talked simply about how serious the situation was, how none of us had anticipated that we'd number this situation. Earlier in the week. There you are. We were waiting for the outcome of the discussions with the other two opposition parties. As we were chatting those discussions were still ongoing. So we really just talked generally about how we needed to focus and how we needed to make sure that there continued to be unity in the party. And that while it was important for democracy that in the party that you know we all be able to talk through and work
through the leadership campaign and continue with that. The most important thing was to work in a disciplined and focused way and do whatever we can to support the party. At this time of great challenge.

Seamus: I have to ask you. The headline on the National Post is pointed. NDP Liberal plan would see Ignatieff as PM and Rae, Leblanc agree to step aside.

Bob: No, there was no discussion of that. I mean that was not at all decided. And that was never sort of asked for. Nobody -- nobody was being asked to do that. So like a lot of things you read in the newspapers, that happens to be untrue. If any reporter had asked me, I would have been able to tell them. I suspect this is an example of people spinning and overspinning. There will be a lot of that seamus. There will be a lot of people trying to put forward their point of view and not straightforward but through a bunch of surrogates and then talk into reporters ears. This is the way the world works and -- in this spin capital of ottawa. But the reality is that wasn't what was discussed. What was really discussed how do we create the unity that's necessary, how do we create the discipline that's necessary for us to -- for us to succeed. In what is a very difficult moment for the country. All of prime minister who simply could not govern with other parties and that is the test of a minority parliament. You know, i know he got 143 seats but he doesn't have a majority. He demonstrated so clearly last week the prime minister and his team demonstrated they're simply incapable of working with other parties. All they know how to do is poke a finger in the eye of the rest of parliament. That's not going to work. Canadian people deserve better. They deserve economic leadership and real principled leadership at a time of economic crisis. We have an obligation to do.

Seamus: As always with you, I don't have much time. You know, i hear what you're saying about -- about everybody getting together. There can only be one liberal leader on possibly only one prime minister. Who would that be?

Bob: Well, the liberal leaders -- leader is stephane dion. We're meeting as a caucus over this week as we carry on with this plan. I think it's very important for canadians to know that the notion that somehow any internal issues in the party would be allowed to interfere with a
successful transition to a new government, that notion is false. We are all going to be working together. We're all putting national interests first. We're all going to be making sure that it's the national interest that prevails and that interest is in having a stable government with
strong economic leadership with a program that makes sense to Canadians. That's what we're doing.

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