Sheila Copps took her Party from the brink to government back to the brink.
Herb Dhaliwal, MP for Vancouver South-Burnaby — a left-leaning candidate, Dhaliwal is a native of Punjab and was the first Indian-Canadian appointed cabinet minister. Dhaliwal earned praise during the scandals of Sergio March and Paul Martin during Copps I for his outspoken criticism of the two ministers. Notably, he is in favor of legalized marijuana. A westerner and a minority, he is seen as someone who can get both groups back into the Liberal column.
Stéphane Dion, MP for Saint-Laurent–Cartierville — Dion is a rising star in the party. An environmentalist, he shot through the ranks of the party, eventually being made Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs in Copps I and retaining those roles in Copps II. A skilled diplomat, he is seen as the easy favorite for the leadership. He falls closer to the left side of the party. A Quebecer, he's seen as the best choice to win back the province from the NDP. He has been described by Prime Minister Layton as “a man of principle and conviction and therefore certainly not to be elected leader of the Liberal Party.”
Ken Dryden, MP for York Centre — Seen as a consensus candidate that can unite all wings of the party, Dryden is famous for his tenure as a goalie with the Montreal Canadiens hockey team. The environment minister in Copps II, he won praise for his policies. Generally seen as competent if unspectacular politician, his inoffensive nature and tenure combined with his past career in hockey make him a strong candidate in terms of name recognition and public popularity.
Gerard Kennedy, MP for Parkdale-High Park — While the most overtly centrist candidate, Kennedy was praised during his tenure as minister of education in the Ontario parliament for rebuilding faith in public schools in the province. He was noticed by Copps and was encouraged to run for federal parliament, and immediately given the minister of education role in Copps II. Young and green in federal politics, he's nonetheless famous throughout the country for his work in Ontario.
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