Any hope to end years of Liberal infighting appeared to be fading Sunday as the party's three leadership candidates exchanged bitter barbs about their first debate before next spring's convention.
Leadership hopeful Bob Rae accused rival Michael Ignatieff of trying to block the media from attending Sunday's forum, and then boycotted the debate.
Rae made an appearance at the Toronto-area hotel where the forum was taking place but left shortly after talking to the media, who were barred from the event.
"We shouldn't be having private club discussions at a time when we are debating the future of the Liberal Party of Canada and we're debating issues that are obviously critical to the choice that the delegates are going to have to make in May," Rae told Â鶹´«Ã½net later Sunday.
"I think the party is in deep need of renewal and change. We have to become more open and transparent," Rae added.
"This is not a club. Mr. Harper had a private discussion about policy at his convention for three days this week and I just think wrong for the Liberal party to be doing the same thing."
For his part, Ignatieff vehemently denied closing the doors of the debate, saying he was just following rules agreed to by all three candidates -- rules that were established by party officials.
"There's a time for a family gathering and then there's time for public gatherings. Today is family. It was agreed a couple of weeks ago," he said.
Ignatieff told reporters on Sunday, the decision to have closed door talks wasn't his idea.
"I don't make the rules. The party makes the rules. I show up and do what the party tells me to do," he said.
"The party wants to have a family discussion and that's what we're going to do this afternoon."
The party was hosting a debate in Toronto between the candidates who have so far thrown their hats into the ring to succeed outgoing leader Stephane Dion: Toronto MPs Rae and Ignatieff and New Brunswick MP Dominic LeBlanc.
"The game hasn't even started and they're at each other's throats," LeBlanc told reporters outside the forum, referring to Ignatieff and Rae.
LeBlanc said he wanted an open debate, but he disagreed with Rae's decision not to attend.
"Some people drove for 10 hours to get to the forum ... I want to participate and continue to participate openly in all activities," he said, adding that Liberals are "frankly sick of the battle of the titans."
LeBlanc criticized the actions of both of his opponents.
"Frankly, the so-called candidates of experience should show more maturity," LeBlanc said.
Rae also called for a number of public, televised debates between the Liberal contenders, similar to the ones between president-elect Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries.
War of words
Earlier, Ignatieff had issued a statement saying that all three candidates had agreed to a frank exchange in front of Liberals that would be closed. The statement suggested all candidates agreed to the format, a contention Rae dismissed.
"What we agreed to is that we would come. The idea that it would be closed is news to me," Rae said.
LeBlanc said party officials promised to open up the debate to the public if all three candidates agreed.
Critics have suggested that public rivalries have hurt the party for more than a decade. But Rae said the party needs to have a vigorous and "feisty" public debate, if it wants to win over new voters.
Ontario MP and former Liberal cabinet minister John McCallum, an Ignatieff supporter, told Â鶹´«Ã½net that the party will have "plenty of opportunities" for open debate. He said the party had agreed that today's forum would be a closed Liberal "family event."
"I believe that for the sake of the Liberal Party this leadership process should proceed in a civil way where the opponent is Stephen Harper, and the opponents aren't other Liberals," he said.
With files from The Canadian Press
