The new face of the Liberal Party of Canada.

The Liberal Biennial Convention was held in Ottawa this past weekend offering delegates from local riding associations the chance to participate in debate and vote on policy, constitutional changes and a new governing body. There was over 3200 members who came from all across Canada including 7 delegates from the Parry Sound and Muskoka Liberal Riding Association. Many delegates and the media wrongly assumed prior to the event that this was just another exercise in division as the old boys club of the Liberal past fought against each other while holding onto forgotten values. But nothing could have been further from the truth. Instead a complete reversal took place from the ground up.

The first surprise was the positive energy that resonated from the newly built Ottawa Convention Centre fuelled by the fact that 1 in 3 of the 3200 members attending were under 30. Another interesting fact was that over 60% of the party faithful in attendance had never participated in a convention of this nature before. The result of 3 days of robust discussion and debate resonated the same message… Out with the old and in with the new.

Among the constitutional amendments voted for was an introduction on how a party engages citizens by allowing non members to help select the leader of the party. Now, those who support the Liberal Party of Canada no longer need to become a member to have their say in who should lead the party.

There were many evidence based policy changes put forth and debated that challenged the delegates to look at the facts and not be persuaded by beliefs or ideology. The most notable was the Regulation and Legalization of Marijuana. Over 77% of the voting delegates understood the evidence that prohibition fails and has failed in its ability to reduce use and creates systemic and costly problems for our Justice system.

All the constitutional and policy amendment voting results showed a overwhelming yes or no result. A clear sign that the Liberals for once are on the same page and that the days of a divided party have officially come to an end.

The most notable change away from the old guard was the defeat of Sheila Copps and the success of a relatively unknown 42 year old Mike Crawley as Party President. Mike spoke to the young and the young at heart about a new vision that strips away the notion that Riding Associations are private clubs and difficult to join. His message was simple…We need to open our doors wide open and leave them open for all to see and hear, for all those who wish to participate.

Surpisingly the discussion about who the next leader will be took a back seat to the evidence based policy rountables and open mike discussions. This hugely disappointed the media who failed at their repeated attempts to make the leadership question the headline. Instead they were forced to pay attention to what was really happening.

The Liberal Biennial Convention in Ottawa was clearly an overwhelming success for the party. They took the bold and broad steps in rethinking and rebuildi

ing that was so obviously needed for their revival. They made brave decisions based on evidence and not ideology. They put an end to the infighting and internal division that led them to their fall. Most importantly, they flung the doors wide open for anyone to see, criticize, and support, so that all Canadians may have a valid choice at the next election.

Information on the Liberal Party of Canada and the changes that came from the convention can be found on the party website at

www.liberal.ca. For information regarding the local Parry Sound Muskoka EDA contact 705-746-8390.

- by Darrin O’Brien