If Rae runs for leadership, party brass must assure ‘level playing field’ to rank and file Grits: Apps
PARLIAMENT HILL—If Interim Leader Bob Rae wants to seek the party’s permanent leadership, despite a “solemn undertaking” he took that he would not when he became interim leader last May, party president Alf Apps says party brass must do all it can to assure the rank and file there is a “level playing field.” […]
Grits don’t want ‘to get smoked’ again, plan $2-million counter-attack ad campaign against Tories
PARLIAMENT HILL—Liberals will vote on an unprecedented motion at their national convention in Ottawa this week endorsing a dedicated war chest—possibly up to $2-million—to “promote and defend” their new permanent leader against a barrage of Conservative attack ads even Conservatives admit will be inevitable once the new Liberal chief is elected next year. The […]
Liberals’ best calling card for leader is Rae, say Grits
PARLIAMENT HILL—With Liberals poised to decide whether interim party leader Bob Rae will be allowed to run for the job of permanent leader, likely in a leadership contest next year, a leading pollster and prominent NDP MP say the delay in selecting a successor to Michael Ignatieff has already been too long. And a […]
More than 500 people expected at closed-door dinner celebrating long-time Liberal MacEachen
PARLIAMENT HILL—Tickets for the biggest social event associated with the Liberal convention, a tribute dinner for one of the greatest figures from the Pierre Trudeau era, have been sold out to a constellation of Liberal luminaries, lobbying firms, law firms and well-connected Liberal insiders. But the $125-a-plate dinner, to take place in the Ottawa Convention […]
Reflections on John Napier Turner
The following is a review of Paul Litt’s book, Elusive Destiny: The Political Vocation of John Napier Turner, by former Liberal MP David Kilgour who delivered this review in a speech at the Rotary Club of Ottawa West on Jan. 3. by David Kilgour OTTAWA—John Turner is an Ottawa son, who, with his mother […]
Who supports whom for Liberal Party President
There are five candidates in the running to replace current president Alfred Apps, including Sheila Copps, a former Cabinet minister and deputy prime minister; Mike Crawley, a former president of the Ontario wing of the party and businessman; Alexandra Mendes, a former Liberal MP who lost her seat in the last election campaign; Ron Hartling, […]
Liberals’ choice of president of an historic party at crossroads crucial
TORONTO—Mike Crawley can slip into a crowded coffee shop without meriting a second glance. Even the most ardent political geeks in this country would have trouble picking this 42-year-old father of two out of a lineup. Yet, he could hold the key to the future of the badly damaged Liberal brand. In the short […]
Candidates for positions in the Liberal Party
Candidates for National Executive and Commissions are listed alphabetically within each category. Liberal Party of Canada Officers National President Sheila Copps Mike Crawley Ron Hartling Alexandra Mendès Charles Ward Vice-President (English) Philip Chisholm Chris MacInnes James Morton Vice-President (Francophone) Imran Ahmad Brigitte Garceau Pierre Lajeunesse National Policy Chair Braeden Caley Maryanne […]
Crawley could ‘fundamentally modernize’ Liberal Party, Copps seen as ‘storm trooper’
They’ve been taken to the woodshed, but federal Liberals say their party is not dead and the upcoming biennial convention in Ottawa is an opportunity to rebuild Canada’s once so-called “natural governing party,” however, some are also “skeptical” about the meeting’s significance in turning the battered Grits’ fortunes around and say it could reopen […]
Battered Liberals look to modernize fundraising, voters’ lists, outreach at biennial convention
The battered federal Liberals, who face a number of obstacles in their efforts to rebuild the party, want to set up a National Liberal Fund and a $2.5-million call centre in efforts to boost fundraising and party membership, say Grits. “We’ve got a long way to go to modernize and rejuvenate and expand our […]
