Source : National Post

Years ago, when the federal Liberals still looked like they might have something resembling a leadership race, supporters of Paul Martin's rivals would quietly grouse that the former finance minister would split the party if he ever took over. Its left flank, they claimed, would be so alienated that its members would either pack it in or take their business elsewhere.

At the time, it seemed like an early serving of sour grapes. Mr. Martin had plenty of left-leaning Liberals in his camp, and those supporting Allan Rock or Sheila Copps or some other no-hope would surely come around once the dust settled. Liberals were Liberals, and family ties would be too strong for them to leave home.

But that analysis rested on one key assumption -- that Mr. Martin wanted to keep them. And little more than a month into his prime ministership, he's already giving us reason to wonder.

Like most Liberal leaders before him, Mr. Martin is keenly aware that he must make enough left-wing noises -- even if governing relatively conservatively -- to maintain the broad base of support that delivers majority government after majority government. It was only two months ago, recall, that he stood and applauded Bono for lecturing Liberal delegates on Third World debt.

Messaging, however, is one thing, and maintaining the coalition of interests that makes up the Liberal party is quite another. For Liberal leaders, an advanced brand of brokerage politics is required to ensure that everyone who holds a membership card feels comfortable in the same tent. And that, for Mr. Martin, is proving the biggest challenge.

The former finance minister is known to have a vigorous and pragmatic mind for policy. But when it comes to dealing with people, he also has a nasty chip on his shoulder and a healthy mean streak. And in recent weeks, it's been on full display in his -- or at least his supporters' -- dealings with a couple of standard-bearers of the Liberals' left.

By far the most publicized has been the ongoing brouhaha in the new riding of Hamilton East-Stoney Creek. Having turned down patronage offers, Sheila Copps -- the left-of-centre former deputy PM who was Mr. Martin's only opponent at the recent leadership convention -- appears to be on the verge of losing her party's nomination to staunch Martinite and current Transport Minister Tony Valeri.

Mr. Martin claims he's staying out of the dispute, but it's improbable that a new member of his Cabinet would do anything without his blessing. Meanwhile, there are already whispers that many of his senior Ontario organizers are flooding the riding to help Mr. Valeri.

Those organizers may be slightly less active in the Toronto riding of Davenport, but the situation is equally ugly. There, Charles Caccia -- the only Liberal MP to back Ms. Copps' leadership bid -- is expected to lose his nomination to former municipal councillor Mario Silva. Apparently with Mr. Martin's blessing, Mr. Silva has already taken over Mr. Caccia's riding association.

To Mr. Martin and his supporters, Mr. Caccia is yesterday's news. But to many left-leaning Liberals, the 35-year parliamentary veteran is the conscience of their party. A former minister under Pierre Trudeau, he's considered to have the strongest environmental record of any sitting MP.

Mr. Martin's problems with Ms. Copps and Mr. Caccia have less to do with their policy views than their opposition to his all-encompassing leadership campaign. But that isn't stopping their ideological brethren from taking offence. Lloyd Axworthy, the popular foreign affairs minister under Jean Chretien, recently criticized Mr. Martin for targeting "Liberal-minded" MPs.

All the while, Jack Layton is watching with an eager eye. The NDP leader has already approached Ms. Copps about running for his party in the coming election, and she responded by leaving the door open. If he can lure her and a few other high-profile Liberals into his tent, he believes he can begin a full-scale realignment of Canada's centre-left.

Mr. Layton may be on to something. If Ms. Copps, Mr. Axworthy or other leading Liberals defect to the NDP, others will follow. By the next election after the coming one, it's possible to see a more mainstream version of the NDP draining the Liberals of its left-of-centre votes.

The irony is that Mr. Martin can't stand Mr. Layton. The NDP leader has so gotten under his skin that the Prime Minister goes out of his way to attack him while virtually ignoring his various potential challengers on the right. Last month, Mr. Martin's supporters set up a Web site, linked to the main Liberal party Web site, that exists for the sole purpose of labelling Mr. Layton "Say Anything Jack."

Given all that animosity, you'd think the last thing Mr. Martin would want to do is help Mr. Layton find new supporters. But by driving out his party's left, he may be doing just that.

© National Post