John Lennard for YLC President

Mr. Ignatieff,

Once upon a time, being a liberal was a sign of courage. It symbolized strength of character, independence of spirit and respect for democracy.

Unfortunately, it seems things have changed over time. In 2009, being a member of the federal Liberal Party in Québec means knowing one's place, never asking questions and – most of all – never challenging the status quo.

As members of the Liberal Party of Canada, and especially as ardent defenders of liberal thought, we feel the need to speak out publicly on recent troubling events. By addressing ourselves to the media, our goal is not to embarrass the party, but rather to strengthen it. Indeed, up to now, the party apparatus does not seem to have taken our message seriously. Preferring a “don't rock the boat” strategy instead of real debate and discussion, many would demand that we remain silent. But for the sake of our Party and its underlying democratic principles, we cannot remain silent. Here are our concerns.

We find it very disturbing that certain individuals would attempt, undemocratically, to expand their authority within the party. At a time when Canadians demand openness and transparency from their elected officials, the Liberal Party of Canada should be leading the way. Lines of accountability must be clear and decisions must taken fairly, openly and honestly. 

As other leaders have done, you have chosen to appoint a “Québec lieutenant” to assist you on organizational matters. We unequivocally recognize your right to do so. But we must ask ourselves, with due respect, who is ultimately in charge in Québec. While we do not by any means question the quality of your leadership, we are troubled that others would act as though they, alone, sheer this great Liberal ship. They do not have a mandate from the membership to lead. You do.

After being told in the spring of 2009 that all ridings in Québec – including those with incumbent Liberal MPs – would be subject to nomination races, some have chosen to play petty games in an apparent attempt to nurture their own ambitions. By imposing candidates in ridings across the province, they have encroached on the sacred, democratic right of local party members to nominate their own representatives. 

We submit that it is not very liberal to bypass the nomination process on a systematic basis. It is not very liberal to reject qualified nomination contestants without justification. And it is not very liberal to put one's own personal interests ahead of the right of party members to have their say. Let us never forget that the Party is always bigger than the person.

We realize that by writing this public letter, we risk alienating ourselves from powerful members of the party machine. But it is a risk we are willing to take, because we love our party too much to keep quiet. Regretfully, others fear reprisal and have chosen not to speak up, even though they agree with our opinion. This speaks volumes about the state of democracy in the “Liberal” Party.

We have confidence, Mr. Ignatieff, in your judgement, and trust that you will take our concerns seriously and make appropriate changes to the way things work in the party. After all, “we can do better” must be more than a campaign slogan – change must begin at home.

Yours in Liberalism,


John Lennard and Jonathan Pedneault

On May 2, 2009, in a remarkable show of party unity, Liberals from across Canada gathered in Vancouver to select Michael Ignatieff as our new leader.  The convention thrived on the sense that renewal was here, that change was coming, and that Liberals were finally ready to set aside decades of internal divisions and take this country back.

 

Five months later, we still see the remnants of our party's less-than-democratic past.  In the Québec riding of Outremont - once a Liberal bastion, now trending NDP under Thomas Mulcair - the “party brass" has decided to forego a democratic nomination process in favour of appointing a "star" candidate.  They seek to disenfranchise local Liberals by muscling out three fantastic candidates:

 

● Dr. Comlan Amouzou, a community organizer and Chair of the party's multiculturalism committee in Québec;

● Sébastien Dhavernas, a highly-regarded leader in Québec's artistic community and 2008 Liberal candidate in Outremont; and

● The Hon. Martin Cauchon, Canada's former Justice Minister, who led the Chrétien government's efforts to legalize same-sex marriage;

Any one of these individuals would make a fine Liberal candidate.  And quite frankly, the voices of local Liberals deserve to be heard in determining who that nominee will be!

 

So what are we waiting for?  Liberals (and especially Young Liberals) have an obligation to push for democracy within our Party.  We have to be clear and unambiguous in saying to the party bigwigs: Enough is enough!  Let the riding choose!  Let the democratic process play itself out!  And when all is said and done, let's get behind a legitimate candidate who has the confidence and support of the community they wish to serve.

 

We've heard a lot of talk recently about One Member, One Vote. It seems my recent blog post really struck a chord!

Quite a few Young Liberals believe the formula proposed by the Party National Executive inadequately protects the voice of youth. As you may be aware, youth are guaranteed a certain percentage of delegates to national conventions - currently in the 27-30% range. If we do away with the convention system, some fear our collective influence will diminish considerably. They argue that the Party will become less progressive, youth will become marginalized, nobody will listen to our issues, and the YLC will just fade, fade, fade away.

And so, they say, we need to amend the proposed OMOV to include a 25% youth quota, thus guaranteeing our influence. Failing that, it seems, they will vote against OMOV.

Let me be clear: Amendment or no amendment, I will be voting in favour of One Member, One Vote at convention. And I encourage everyone else to do so, as well. For me, it's about making sure the Liberal Party is a Party built for everyone. Every single Liberal must have a say, a voice and a vote. This fundamental democratic principle is too important to let slip away.

I take the issue of youth representation very seriously. I stood up in Edmonton, Halifax, Laval and Toronto and urged the Party to respect the contribution Young Liberals make. I showed up to the National Executive meeting last weekend in Montreal to listen, learn and make my case for youth participation. For months, I have contributed ideas on EnFamille on party reform and the role of young people. I'll continue to do all of these things, both as YLC President and as a Young Liberal volunteer.

Having travelled the country and met with countless party members, I am convinced, now more than ever, that the best way to guarantee youth influence within the Party is to grow our active membership. On leadership selection, we could settle for an artificial quota, be it 25% (as suggested), or 30% (as we have now), or 33% (as we had when I first joined the Party ten years ago). But nothing beats a robust organization with an engaged and growing membership to back us up. Membership can have a real influence on the party at all levels, and as Young Liberals, we need to seriously punch above our weight.

And so the question I have for Young Liberals is this: What would it take for the YLC to double its membership?

What will it take in terms of policy development? As a young gay man, I proudly stood up for same-sex marriage at the 2005 biennial convention in Ottawa. Four years later, it's time for us to think about new progressive policies by actually listening to what young people have to say. Our next VP Policy needs to be far more active in designing a broad, national policy process that breaks down barriers and encourages everyone - current party members and soon-to-be party members - to have a voice. Relevant policies will help us grow our base.

What will it take in terms of outreach? I'm proud to have met with numerous cultural, community and issues groups during my campaign. The YLC can't survive if we remain an inwardly-focused organization. We need to be far more active in building the Young Liberal network - and encouraging Young Liberals to build their own personal networks, too. Peer-to-peer outreach will help us grow our base.

What will it take in terms of organization in rural areas? What will it take in terms of communication, both horizontal and vertical, online and offline? What will it take in terms of fundraising? The answers to all these questions - backed by a strategic action plan to mark our progress and get results - will help make the Liberal Party more relevant to youth, the YLC more relevant to the Party, and Young Liberals and even more influential in the entire process. 

(By the way, if we doubled our membership, imagine how many Young Liberal riding presidents we could have? Imagine how many Young Liberal candidates we could nominate? And if we REALLY took our role as leaders of a national youth movement seriously, imagine how many Young Liberal MPs we could elect?)

The problems the Liberal Party is facing - in reaching out to Canadians, in listening to Party members, in building a strong organization - are real. They're urgent, and they're not going away any time soon unless we start changing the way we do politics. Young Liberals need to lead the way. We need to lead the way in supporting OMOV, and we need to lead the way in growing our membership. The Liberal Party will always be progressive if we, as a youth wing, constantly focus on growing our active base. Youth will never be marginalized if we punch above our weight with real numbers. No one will be able to ignore our ideas if our members have real influence, not just every couple of years, but all the time, and throughout the Party. And so at the very least, we need to double our membership. I'd personally like to see it triple, or quadruple, or even reach 100,000. But we have to start somewhere. So let's get on with it! 

Over the past months, I've had the opportunity to travel and meet with Young Liberals from across Canada.  It's been a wonderful experience.  Young Liberals everywhere, from Victoria to St. John's, are so diverse, hardworking and progressive.  They have passion, spark and vision.  They want to leave their mark and have their say, and believe that the Liberal Party of Canada is the best way to do it.

One of the biggest ways Party members can have their say is during a leadership campaign. As someone who's been through three leadership campaigns in my day, I can say, without a doubt, that there is nothing more thrilling and empowering than standing among Liberal friends on the floor of a convention and choosing the next leader.  

Thrilling, yes.  Empowering, definitely.  But fair?  I'm not so sure.  

Leadership conventions are great spectacles, but they are, above all else, exclusive affairs.  Not all party members get to participate.  Only members elected as delegates get to have a say - and even then, only delegates who can afford to actually make it out to convention.  All told, a small percentage of the membership of our party - 5%, maybe 10% if we're lucky - gets a direct vote on who becomes the next leader.  

Throughout the course of this campaign, I've met far too many Liberals - and especially Young Liberals - who would love to be a part of the Vancouver convention, but can't afford the expense.  This is an unfortunate fact that needs to change.  Money should never, ever be a barrier to participation in the Liberal Party.  Full stop.

That's why I'm in favour of a One Member, One Vote (OMOV) system of selecting our Leader.  But for OMOV to work in the Liberal Party, it has to treat all ridings equally and leave no region of the country behind.  One of the biggest concerns with OMOV is that it will give a greater say to areas in which we are already strong, and ignore the legitimate concerns of regions where we have some work to do.  As a Northern Ontarian, I recognize the importance of giving a voice to areas of our country beyond the big cities.  After all, it is precisely in rural and non-urban ridings where we are having the most trouble electing MPs and engaging party members.  Liberals here deserve to be heard, too.

The proposal put forward by the National Executive of the Liberal Party of Canada is an very acceptable compromise, in my view.   Here's how it works:

● Every member of the party votes for his or her preferred leadership candidate.  

● Voting can be done over the internet, telephone or in-person at regional gatherings. 

● Each riding is then assigned an equal number of points (100 points) with those points being allocated proportionately to the votes received by each candidate.  

In other words, whether a riding has 100 members or 1,000 members, its voice, relative to every other riding in the country, is just as strong.  And the best part is, every single Liberal across the country gets a direct vote!   This proposal is inclusive, simple and equal, and it deserves to be adopted.

As President of the Young Liberals of Canada, I will always stand up for openness and inclusion.  And so my task starts now: I urge all delegates in Vancouver to join me in supporting a Party built for everyone.  Join me in supporting One Member, One Vote.  

 

 

I want to take a quick moment to say how grateful I am for the outpouring of support I received after I released my newest policy announcement on multiculturalism. I also want to recognize a few people who contacted me and asked to be added to the list of those endorsing the platform.To all those who are willing to support me because they believe in the policies I have put forth, I say a sincere "thank you." I am developing policy in close consultation with grassroots Young Liberals from across the country, so please feel free to email me your ideas; I would love to hear them. I can be reached at john@johnlennard.ca.

To see the policy again please visit my website.

To view my story about meeting with Gurbaj Singh Multani, visit my blog.

You can visit me on facebook or on twitter.

Thank you to the following supporters:

 

Aaron GlynWilliams

Asad Nematullah

Anika Khanna

Audrey Tremblay

Ben Keen

Bianca Bruni

Bobby Sidhu

Brandon Maze

Carley Wasechek

Carmen Cipolla

Damien O'Brien

Daniel Gatto

Darcy Diachinsky

Eddy Byers

Emine Duzgeren

Fawad Mehrzad

Jesse Coady

Jonathan Pinto

Josh McLarnen

Justin Edwards

Katie Gillespie

Kerit Sidhu

Mannat Kahlon

Micheal Foo

Naman Chopra

Namrita Kahlon

Natasha Joshi

Navneet Singh

Neelam Dhaliwal

Pallavi Brar

Paul Saddler

Peter Swaitly

Puneet Greway

Rajat Mohla

Robin Gill

Sandeep Gill

Satinder Kang

Shameeza Kassamali

Simarpreet Singh

Sonia Kainth

Steven Addison

Taras Koulik

Terry Chemij

 

For those of you unfamiliar with the case, here is a short run down: In November 2001, Gurbaj - a 12 year old student in Montreal - was playing in the school yard when he accidentally dropped his kirpan, a ceremonial dagger worn at all times by some religious Sikhs. The incident prompted a school board tribunal to declare that kirpans be considered weapons, and that they be banned from schools. Viewing this ruling as an infringement of his freedom of religion, Gurbaj, his family and his community appealed the decision all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Court ultimately held that the prohibition violated Gurbaj's rights under s. 2(a) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Gurbaj was kind enough to show me around his Gurdwara, or temple, in west-end Montreal. What a stunning sight! I am always amazed at the extent to which Gurdwaras serve as community centres for the Sikh community. Open 24 hours per day, the entire community participates in the life of the Gurdwara. The main hall is used for prayer and reflection. A constant flow of people enter the hall to pay their respects to the Guru Granth Sahib (holy scripture) and to make an offering of money for the Gurdwara's upkeep. Once you exit the hall and go downstairs, you enter the Langar (free kitchen) where vegetarian food is always in plentiful supply. Women and men can be seen chopping vegetables, cooking meals and washing dishes. Everyone - Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike - sit on the ground as equals and enjoy their meals. Nearby, children take Punjabi lessons and karate classes. Books, CDs and videos are available for sale or borrowing at the library. Upstairs, there are prayer rooms for special occasions such as weddings and funerals, as well as small apartments for individuals and families with no homes of their own. You see, unlike many of us in Canada, the Sikh community actually takes care of its most vulnerable members. Everyone always has a home in the Gurdwara, and nobody is ever left behind.

 

 

 

 

I am convinced that we can all learn a great deal from the Sikh community. The values of fraternity, self-sufficiency, sharing, tolerance and interdependence are cornerstones of the Sikh philosophy, and ought to be the foundations of Canadian society as well. Liberals should proudly and actively promote these values.

 

Meeting with Gurbaj, listening to his story and visiting with his community reaffirmed my commitment to creating a commission, a Party and a country that is open, tolerant and accepting of everyone. As President of the Young Liberals of Canada, I will personally commit to meeting with as many cultural, ethnic and religious groups as I possibly can. Because building a stronger, more representative and more inclusive commission starts with each of us standing shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Canadians.

Chaque province possède une organisation libérale distincte marquée d'une identité, d'une approche et de traditions bien à elle.  Plusieurs pensent que l'organisation libérale québécoise se distingue exclusivement par sa langue d'opération. 

Toutefois, les jeunes libéraux du Québec ont un rôle bien plus étendu et profond qu'une simple illustration d'une croyance et d'un dévouement envers le bilinguisme.  Le caractère distinct et spécial des jeunes libéraux québécois s'explique de bien des manières: c'est une volonté infatiguable de débattre nos idées, c'est un sens de l'humour qui nous transporte à travers les moments les plus doux autant que les moments les plus durs: c'est surtout un engagement envers le libéralisme qui place le partage et la participation civique avant tout. 

Affiche-toi.  Ce n'est pas qu'un slogan; c'est l'appel de toute une génération. 

Comme président des JLC, je prêterai une attention toute spéciale au Québec.  Il s'agit d'un plan que j'ai developpé ici avec des membres des JLCQ, mais un plan qu'ils piloteront avec mon appui indéfectible. 

Grandes lignes :

- Le prochain gouvernement libéral compte sur des gains au Québec.  Il devra aussi compter sur une relation fort entre JLC et JLCQ.  Ainsi, je garantie de financer, à tout le moins, un employé à temps partiel chargé de recruter et d'aider à la coordination des Jeunes libéraux du Canada au Québec.   

- Il faut une stratégie qui englobe les 75 comtés québécois démontrant aux jeunes libéraux qu'il y a un futur autant sur qu'en dehors de l'île de Montréal.  Le nombre d'adhérents doit augmenter à nouveau, des équipes doivent s'implanter dans les différents comtés, et nous devons y tisser des liens intergénérationnelles entre les libéraux d'antan, d'aujourd'hui et de demain. 

- Une Conférence jeunesse annuelle pour les JLCQ, financée en partie par l'organisation nationale, sera la case de départ par excellent afin d'initier un nouvel ère entre JLCQ, la jeunesse du Parti libéral du Québec (PLQ) et les JLC.  Ensemble, nous sommes plus que l'agrégat de notre parti; ensemble, nous somme une armée de militants.  Nous sommes une force politique considérable.  Apprendre ensemble, tissé des liens et développer des relations diversifiés et solides représentent les meilleures opportunités une fois les élections venues. 

- Un respect amélioré du Québec à travers la fédération est mon objectif ultime pour le Québec.  Les enjeux, les inquiétudes et les politiques du Québec occuperont une place centrale au sein de mon conseil exécutif.  Le président des JLCQ et les jeunes militants du Québec sauront y jouer un rôle essentiel.  La fougue et la détermination des jeunes libéraux du Québec peuvent et doivent stimuler les jeunes libéraux du reste du Canada.  

Il ne s'agit toutefois que d'un commencement.  Nous possédons un potentiel qui ne se réalisera qu'à travers un travail commun et concerté.  Le long des rues, sur les campus, dans tous les bars, partout nous devrons travailler ensemble.  

Affiche-toi.  Ce n'est pas qu'un slogan; c'est l'appel de toute une génération.

 

Over the past few days, I've given a lot of thought to this whole notion of "party renewal."  It's hard NOT to think about it, given the results of Tuesday's election.  That, and every reporter, columnist and talking head in the country is discussing it.  As the cacophony of advice and insight grows louder and louder, I thought I'd do the honourable thing... and add to the chatter.

 So what does party renewal look like?  How about this:

 

• Young people doing the hard work nobody else wants to do. That was the story in Outremont, where Thomas Mulcair, the super-duper-Starship-Trooper candidate for the NDP in Quebec, was supposed to win in a cakewalk against his little-known Liberal opponent appointed two days AFTER the writ was dropped. My friend Martin - new to politics, but eager to help out in his home riding - talked me into volunteering. I'm glad I agreed.  People called the campaign "hopeless."  A mid-campaign newspaper poll had us behind by double digits.  Nonetheless, my friend and I worked hard.  In fact, we were the only two canvassers most nights.  Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to get a call from Martin on election night (I was back home in Sudbury for the final week).   His voice filled with excitement, he told me that our candidate was ahead in the early returns.  In the end, we came up just a bit short, but the experience left me with an emphatic belief that hard work, persistence, focus and a positive attitude are the values that win elections. To my friends and colleagues in the "hopeless" areas of Canada: Don't listen to the polls, pundits or papers. Just get 'er done!
• Young people being innovative.  For years, national campaigns have used Youtube and other online tools to get their messages across.  Local campaigns, however, seem ambivalent towards these tactics.  That all changed with Tyler Banham's "3pm" ad in Hamilton Mountain.  Inspired by Hillary Clinton's wonderfully infamous (or infamously wonderful?) "3am" ad, Banham's version is a cutting indictment of the NDP incumbent's poor work ethic.  It was widely successful among the college crowd, and also made it onto the local news (free publicity is always a plus!).   Watch it for yourself.  I bet we'll be seeing a lot more of this stuff in future campaigns.
• Young people taking on (very) senior roles on local campaigns.  I saw it first hand in Parkdale-High Park, Trinity-Spadina, Guelph, Hamilton Mountain, Westmount-Ville Marie, Laurier-Sainte-Marie, and (yes!) Nickel Belt.  It happened in other ridings as well, I'm sure. We may not have won all of them, but our impact was as positive as the new energy we brought to the table.  We made decisions - sometimes unorthodox ones - on strategy, organization, tactics, spending, communications and policy.  Better still, we learned, discovered, observed, figured out, tried, tested, succeeded, failed and grew from our experiences.  We'll take these lessons seriously, ponder them deeply and apply them favourably to the next campaigns we run.