Author: Peter Wrightwater

BC New Democrat Leader Adrian Dix on Nycole Turmel one week ago:I want to express my full support for Nycole Turmel as she takes over as interim leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. While Nycole is leading our national party under unfortunate …

On May 4, 2006, Nycole Turmel as President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada endorsed anti-scab legislation introduced as a Private Members Bill by Bloc Quebecois MP Richard Nadeau.Turmel backed Nadeau’s legislation despite the fact that New Dem…

Don MacPherson makes an interesting point in today’s Montreal Gazette:Another [basic rule of politics] is that not even the subtleties of politics in Quebec allow you to be a member of two competing federal parties […] at the same time.In fact, despite being on the New Democratic Party’s federal council in the 1990’s, Turmel was apparently unaware that "holding more than one membership in a

Let’s cut to the chase.I’d like Nycole Turmel to answer the following question: Is the current Constitution of Canada sufficient for you to remain a committed federalist?Or is she Lucien Bouchard redux: a conditional federalist whose allegiance is base…

How I Accidentally Deliberated The Problem Of Ellipses.On Friday, the Jurist over at Accidental Deliberations had an interesting post. Titled "Juxtaposition", it simply presented two quotes and a brief comment. Here it is in its entirety:Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman:Some of us have long complained about the cult of “balance,” the insistence on portraying both parties as equally wrong and equally

In 2009, the Liberal Party created en famille, an online discussion forum exclusively for Party members.At the time, en famille was touted by former Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff as a site "intended to [be] your place, reflect your needs and provide you with the means and the scope to contribute to the broader Liberal community in whatever way works best for you."Former Party President Doug

Despite a bit of a setback, a group of Liberal Party grassroots activists is moving forward with their project to develop an online Liberal Learning Centre.Here’s how LLC Group’s site is shaping up so far:Sections would include:- Learning Center (learn…

From one old folkie to another …

A report by former members of the Liberal Party’s Change Commission reveals a pattern of deception at the highest ranks of the Party.The Gap Analysis takes a critical look at the National Executive’s Final Report on the status of 47 Change Commission recommendations, and finds it fundamentally inaccurate on multiple counts.The Gap Analysis concludes that of the 37 recommendations deemed "

A Parliament of Canada web page intended to provide information on the Harper Government’s Senate reform legislation has mysteriously omitted Stephane Dion’s opinion piece for the Edmonton Journal, "Senate Plan Needs Sober, Second Thought".The LEGISinfo web page has over 100 links to articles, columns and editorials on Senate reform, published between June 21 and July 22 of 2011. Dion’s Op-ed,

Carolyn Bennett has started a discussion over at the Liberal Party’s new blog:"Some have been asking me if there are things in the Change Commission Report that could/should be enshrined in the Constitution/By-Laws of the Party …. any thoughts ???"Join the discussion here.

Still more signs PDO lives in the past …Thanks to an old pal.

As Bob Rae meets with Liberals this Summer, he’s been hearing complaints about the lack of transparency and poor communication within the party.The July 9 meeting of the National Board (see the agenda below) is a clear example of why the grassroots are…

Last week, there were calls for a new national energy strategy, with greater engagement from the federal government. And now this week, Premier Brad Wall says he wants the federal government to toughen-up the Investment Canada Act.Saskatchewan will als…

It seems a group of Liberal Party activists working online to establish a Liberal Learning Centre (LLC), were given a harsh rebuke by a party official.What follows is a series emails posted on the Liberal Party’s new blog. But first, the original post …

According to a report by Sarah Douziech for Postmedia, the Liberal Party will be setting the date for the Leadership Vote at the upcoming Biennial Convention in January.In addition to the re-engagement process, the party also has to come up with funding."We have a gap of about $6 million per year that we have to fill," Rae said.But the support is out there, he said, and the party just needs to do

Yesterday, Bob Rae met with the party faithful in Calgary for an airing of grievances, a mid-Summer Rocky Mountain Festivus, if you will.Talking with reporters about the meeting Rae said,“I’m partly a political leader and partly a psychotherapist.

Back in June, Tim Powers wrote a piece for the Globe and Mail about the power of political symbolism. He began by saying:A winning symbol can champion the day; a losing one can inhibit an organization for generations. Just ask federal Grits how Pierre …

Earlier this week, the Harper Government announced that after years of pressure from a variety of stakeholder, it was ready to move forward on developing an national energy strategy.Coming, as it did, on the heals of Harper’s barbecue eulogy for the Li…

As far as substance goes, Stephane Dion’s op-ed on the Government’s Senate reform package is unassailable. As a political document, however, it leaves a lot to be desired.The Liberal’s Intergovernmental and Democratic Reform critic makes short work of …