Michael Ignatieff
On December 9, 2008, his only remaining opponent for the Liberal Party leadership, Bob Rae, withdrew from the race, leaving Ignatieff as the only remaining candidate to replace Dion.
Some Ukrainian-Canadian members of the riding association objected to the nomination, citing a perceived anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Blood and Belonging, where Ignatieff discusses Russian stereotypes of Ukrainians.
Count (Comte) Pavel Nikolayevich Ignatiev was the Minister of Education and senior advisor to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia from 1915-1917.
Pavel's father Count Nikolay Pavlovich Ignatyev,was Russian Minister of the Interior under Tsar Alexander III of Russia.
Captain Pavel Ignatiev, had been taken into favour by Tsar Nicholas I, owing to his fidelity on the occasion of the Decembrist revolt in 1825, and Grand Duke Alexander (later Tsar Alexander II) stood sponsor at the boy's baptism.