At a recent event in Vancouver, it fell to the President of Vancouver Kingsway, Alex Burton, to introduce me before I spoke. I was somewhat surprised when instead of the usual “I’m going to read everything from Brian’s LinkedIn page” introduction, he instead started with “knowing I was going to
Continue readingAuthor: bgrice
The CPC want us to quit the UN. Yes, really.
The other day an acquaintance of mine, someone I have worked with for a number of years but isn’t a close friend – but someone I respect – gave me a pretty blunt appraisal of myself and my interactions with some people in the party. It was hard to hear,
Continue readingThat ain’t strategic voting, Mr. Topp. That’s called campaigning.
So I just read this article by Brian Topp in the Globe and Mail. And I have to say, it is obvious to me that either Topp is being willfully ignorant about the definition of strategic voting, or he is an idiot. Reposted from my post on the Liberal.ca forums:
Continue readingCampaigning on Social Media and “Openness”
Recently, during the Vancouver municipal election, some candidates were trying to make a big deal out of the fact that their comments are being removed from their opponents’ social media pages. They claim that this is contrary to the ideals of openness and transparency in Government. Full Disclosure: I was
Continue readingMulcair ain’t much different from Harper
The NDP are proving that they are cut from the same cloth as the Conservatives this week… or at least that Mulcair is. Peter Julian’s actions in the house, while technically allowed, went against tradition, established procedure and decency. One of their excuses? REUTERS/Chris Wattie Well, the Liberals are no
Continue readingPMMLiberal.ca: Celebrating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
I recenlty wrote a blog entry for the Liberal Party of Canada in Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission. On a blustery Saturday morning in 1982, the Right Hon. Pierre Elliot Trudeau sat beside Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II on Parliament Hill while she proclaimed, by letters patent and statuary instrument, the Canada
Continue readingThe Fight to Protect Our Internet Privacy is Not Over!
I penned a blog entry for the Liberal Party of Canada in Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission about Bill C-30 and Bill C-11: When the Liberal Party of Canada in Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission sent out our media advisory about our Roundtable Discussion on Internet Privacy & Integrity in Democracy, I got a
Continue readingThe NDP Only Sign up 45,000 New Members for their Leadership Race.
The Federal NDP signed up 45,000 new members to bring their national membership to 128,000 members. NDP Leadership Candidates (Clement Allard/Canadian Press) That sounds like a lot. But to put it into context, the BC Liberals had a membership of 96,000 going into their leadership vote, with about 40,000 of
Continue readingWhy you should vote for Grant Gordon, and by extension the Liberal Party of Canada
Yesterday, the picture below started making its rounds on the internet, and as was intended (I’m sure), it generated quite a lot of debate and discussion. I posted it to my Facebook timeline, and ended up in the middle of a debate from both Conservatives and New Democrats. How very
Continue readingI Endorse Kyle Harrietha for National Membership Secretary
I’ve known Kyle Harrietha since shortly after I joined the party, when he was President in Fort McMurray and I was the new President in Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission. As the new President of an Kyle Harrietha effectively dead riding association, I took a lot of inspiration from the work Kyle
Continue readingBridget Marcelle is a Disgruntled Employee, not a Hero.
With three weeks to go in her job as a Senate Page, Bridget Marcelle decided to quit that job with a splash. She decided that her political allegiance to a particular political party (I’m told she is a Dipper) was more important than the commitment she made to her employer to remain non-partisan. This […]
Continue readingThe Council of President Call
When I hung up the phone after the 135 minute Council of President’s call last night, I was wondering how I was going to write my blog entry in such a way as to be honest about what happened on the call, but at the same time not foster further division within the party. Then […]
Continue readingOn Communication and National Board of Directors
On Monday night the Canucks scored twice in the first period, apparently. I say apparently because I wasn’t watching the hockey game, I was on a conference call with twenty BC riding presidents, most of the LPCBC executive, and two members of the LPC National Board of Directors. In BC. During a Canuck Playoff game. […]
Continue readingA Clarification: When I say Policy what I mean is…
It has been pointed out to me that the definition of “Policy” is fairly broad and not as specific as I might have thought. What I mean by saying that we should not focus on policy discussions is that we should get mired in the details of specific policy ideas while trying to rebuild the […]
Continue readingWant to Help Rebuild the #LPC? Stop Talking Policy.
Nothing clarifies the mind like getting your ass kicked. I am seeing more passion about the Liberal Party now than I have seen in years. Forums, websites, Facebook, email: All are alive with grassroots Liberals wanting to participate in the rebuilding of this great party. Right now, that energy is unfocused. I am seeing lots […]
Continue readingWell, That Sucked. Now What?
I’m not going to bother spending a lot of time examining what happened during this election, at least not publicly. Mr. Igantieff, a leader I respect and admire, did the right thing by taking responsibility for this loss and resigning. Hopefully in the next days and months other people in senior leadership positions in the […]
Continue readingThe Loss of Formality and Ceremony
I like to drive. I have a little sports sedan, and I really like to put it through its paces on roads that have never met a straight line. It isn’t about the speed for me, it is about pushing the machine to its limits – the brakes, the suspension, the tires – in a […]
Continue readingFirst Study of the Canadian Political Blogosphere
I just participated in the following study from the Université Laval. As part of their request for me to participate, they also asked that I post the following invitation on my blog, which I am happy to do: CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS The Political Communication Research Lab (GRCP) at Laval University would like to invite bloggers to participate […]
Continue readingParty Subsidies
Stephen Harper is once again attacking his opponents’ wallets instead of their policies. Mr. Harper thinks that the twenty-seven million dollars of taxpayers’ money that is given annually to the parties is a waste of taxpayer money. Says the man who spent a billion dollars of our money securing a 2 day conference in Toronto, […]
Continue readingPersonal Privacy (Assange, Fox News and the PM’s marriage)
Privacy has been on my mind a lot lately. I think this is the natural side effect of the Wikileaks story. But the more I have been thinking about privacy, the more I think we need to give some serious thought to how we are going to address this issue in the age of free […]
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