Tomorrow, Keyes will walk into the most
important Liberal caucus meeting he's attended in his 13 years
on Parliament Hill. He will sit between the prime minister
and Deputy Prime Minister John Manley -- who has replaced
Paul Martin as finance minister -- and act as mediator
between some angry caucus members and their leader.
Those loyal to Martin are livid and want to know
why their man was ousted from cabinet so unceremoniously Sunday.
Those loyal to Prime Minister Jean Chretien think the party
is better off without the underground leadership campaign Martin was
waging and are urging their colleagues to support their leader.
As caucus chair, the pressure to unite two warring factions
within the governing party weighs heavy on Keyes's shoulders.
Adding to that weight is the knowledge that more is
riding on this caucus meeting than the happiness of its
members. For someone with political ambitions beyond the caucus chair,
Keyes's handling of this situation could determine his fortunes within
the Liberal ranks.
A vocal Martin loyalist, Keyes is expected to put his
personal feelings aside and help unite the caucus to prevent
further damage to the party. He says he's up to
the challenge.
"I can separate my politics from my job as national
caucus chair," he said. "There are many hats a caucus
chair wears. The role is part co-ordinator, part organizer, part
team builder, part healer."
Source.
