David Lipson
Senior Reporter

And then there was Iggy. Michael Ignatieff is set to become the interim Liberal party leader after Dominic LeBlanc and Bob Rae bowed out of the race this week.
The current deputy leader will likely replace Stephane Dion as leader of the Grits before Parliament resumes on Jan. 26 when the Conservative Party will deliver its speech and budget from the throne.
“Since there are no more rivals, he doesn’t have to worry about a divided party,” said Humber political science professor Gary Begg.
Ignatieff has the support of the majority of his party and the highest Liberal ratings among the public.
A Toronto Star/Angus Reid poll released Dec. 7 suggests 33 per cent of Canadians would vote for the Liberal party with Ignatieff at the helm, compared to 26 per cent with Rae as leader.
The Liberals will decide if they will continue a coalition with the NDP and Bloc Quebecois to defeat the Tories.
“If it’s Ignatieff I think he will not lead a coalition alternative to Harper,” said constitutional law expert Peter Russell in a Dec. 7 interview.   
“I think he will try and influence the budget and get concessions to his point of view that the Liberals want – enough concession for him to support Harper.”
Ignatieff is the MP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore riding where Humber’s Lakeshore Campus is located.
He has taught at the University of British Columbia, Cambridge, and Harvard.
“He’s an academic and he would understand better than others the need to invest in post-secondary education,” said Peter Milczyn, Toronto city councillor for Etobicoke-Lakeshore.
“So in the future we have a workforce that’s prepared for the 21st century and that we invest in research and the types of institutions that we need to generate the knowledge to sustain the country in the future.”