Why the interim leader shouldn’t run for permanent leader
There has been much debate in Liberal circles about the insistence by the national executive that the interim leader of the party agree to not run for the permanent leadership,…
Liberal Party
The Interim Leadership and Bob Rae
This is incredible: some unnamed MPs or Senators seem to think that one candidate for the Interim Leadership should renounce any right to run for permanent leader EVEN IF THE…
Voters pruned Liberal MPs so as to prune Liberal sense of entitlement
The results of the 2011 election were in many ways a continuation of a trend: a steady rapping of the Liberal knuckles by dissatisfied voters over the course of 3…
The Journey: From the Railway Committee Room to the Reading Room
Parliament is a place of symbolism. Today, the Liberal Party caucus said goodbye to Michael Ignatieff in the Railway Committee Room, its last meeting there. Jack Layton's NDP will be…
A suggestion: Consult, but with Options
A short, sharp battle has been waging over the past few days over the decision by the National Board of Directors of the Liberal Party, lead by President Alf Apps,…
After Alf Apps …
Bob Rae Having made a decision which is most likely contrary to section 10(2)(e) of the Liberal Party constitution (which gives every member the right to seek any office in…
Harper’s Right to Appoint Senators
Lot's of faux indignation amongst media and bloggers and politicians over Harper's decistion to appoint three senators, including two who ran for election to the House of Commons, and lost.…
On Alf, consultations and constitutional straitjackets
Tuesday evening I attended a pretty successful social event and informal renewal brainstorming session in Toronto with over 100 Liberal Party members ... and guess who came to dinner?The Edward…
I’m done with witch-hunts and fighting old battles
As an ardent and early supporter of Stephane Dion (still first in my heart) you could argue I should be sympathetic to this line of argument from journalist turned Liberal…
Calling all lawyers: Help our Liberal Caucus understand Section 10(2)(e)
Our MPs and Senators in our Caucus will meet to decide which candidate to elect as the Interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. Unfortunately, the Board of Directors…
Ok, so what are we voting for exactly?
Liberal Party of Canada members received an e-mail from the national executive yesterday about the leadership timing/constitutional amendment drama that has absorbed the party and the membership since the election.…
Our Conservative Supreme Court, courtesy of Michael Ignatieff
If Michael Ignatieff had not allowed himself to be spooked by Harper's fearmongering in early 2008, we would have had a chance to implement the Coalition Agreement between the NDP…
Building liberalism beyond the Liberal Party
We’ve been necessarily focused on how to reform, restructure and renew the Liberal Party of Canada, as we should be, but to be successful at refreshing liberalism in Canada and…
The Best and Worst Thing About Each Canadian Political Party
What is your favourite and least favourite thing about Canada’s federal parties? As a Canadian who has intently followed US politics and is now endeavoring to take an active interest…
Reforming the Liberal Party: Who are we, and why are we here?
In my Liberal reform posts so far I've focused on questions of leadership and questions of structure. These are important to building the party into an accountable and efficient vehicle,…
Our 34 MPs have to answer this question on Wednesday BEFORE they decide
And the question goes to the heart of the issue of whether the National Board of Directors has the legal right under the Constitution of the Liberal Party to require…
Goodale gets the chop & Senators tossed a crumb
The latest "machination' of the National Board of Directors (the self-appointed Marie Antoinettes of the Liberal Party of Canada) has nixed any hopes Liberal members might have had of Ralph…
Members shouldn’t read about constitutional proposals in press leaks
While the decisions made by the Liberal national executive are often questionable, so often it's more the process than the decision that bothers me the most. That was quite evident…
Reforming the Liberal Party: At the top, part two
On Saturday, I described how a top-down mentality drives the Liberal Party, and why the party needs to be re-oriented to a structure devoted to putting riding associations first and…
Working against a permanent Conservative majority
This originated as a comment over at Thwap's place, but perhaps I should expand on it a bit.Call me a hair-splitter if you must, but while certain individual Liberal activists…