‘Musings’ from two former Liberal leaders about an NDP-Liberal union have helped spur growing calls to ‘unite the left’ with the intent of balancing Canada’s political landscape. The idea has attracted the backing of former Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien, who, according to a Quebec columnist, boasted on a return flight from Mr. Layton’s funeral that his plans for a Liberal-NDP merger would have stopped the Conservatives from taking power this year. Meanwhile, former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said on his Facebook page that Liberals and New Democrats all care about generosity, justice and hope, adding it was a pleasure to “imagine what the future of our country might look like if we put those values first.” However current Liberal leader Bob Rae and a majority of Liberal MPs shot down talk of a merger or a coalition as a waste of time, even as they acknowledged that they face a tough road back to government. “People are free to talk about whatever they want to talk about, but it’s not on my agenda at the moment. I think we really have to focus on the Liberal Party,” Mr. Rae said. Rae however was once the leader of the provincial NDP party as premier of Ontario.
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