Goodale Speaks Out For Canadian Pensioners

A point that Ralph and other Liberals have been pointing out to Canadians for quite some time now: our growing pension crisis... If anyone thinks lower taxes are more important to Canadians seniors than decent pensions, they are really drinking the wrong kool-aid.

Here's Ralph's take:

PENSION ISSUES WILL NOT GO AWAY

In the early days of this new Parliament, some of the most contentious public issues have resulted from collective bargaining disputes between management and labour.

The disruptions at Air Canada and Canada Post are probably the most prominent so far, but there are more brewing.

In each case, the Harper government has been quick – some say hasty – in introducing “back-to-work” legislation. Such an approach provides a short-term political “fix”, but it’s crucial to search behind these disputes to find the real causes.

Pension inadequacy and insecurity lie at the root of much of labour’s anxiety.

Many employers have large unfunded pension liabilities which they have not properly financed over the years. Some, like Nortel, have gone bankrupt, leaving thousands of former employees with only a fraction of what they were promised – or nothing at all.

While preserving elaborate retirement plans for senior executives, there is a trend in some companies to try to lower the boom on employees – like shifting from “defined benefit” pensions to “defined contribution” plans with lower payouts and no certainty.

Worse still, some two-thirds of all employees in the private sector have no company pension plan at all.

These folks will have to rely on government-administered plans – like Old Age Security (OAS), the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). And that simply won’t be enough for retirement security.

Yes, they can set aside their own individual savings through tax-assisted instruments like RRSPs and TFSAs. But only a small fraction of Canadians do so.

With the retirement of post-war baby boomers now occurring at an accelerating pace, Canada’s pension predicament is only going to get worse. We’re about to have the biggest generation of senior citizens in history.

Time, demographics and costs are all working against us. It’s time to put pensions at the top of the national agenda

VICTORY FUND

Extraordinary... Nothing "Ordinary" About It

Here's my take (and dilemma) on the resolutions/proposals, simplified:

If we choose a leader too early - before we have a chance to build/re-build a new way of doing things - we fail. We will open ourselves up to attack from other parties, while we still work at building our party infrastructure (which needs some serious re-thinking, including bringing in requirements for monthly EDA meetings, regular "come-and-go socials", lower cost of entry for events, etc.) and base to combat such attacks effectively. Of course electing a leader within a year or 1.5yrs will allow the leader to get themselves "known" among the public. It also exposes a newly elected leader to attack ads a'la Dion and Iggy. Will we be ready organizationally to fend of such attacks? Will the funds be in place to sustain an immediate and long-term pro-Liberal/pro-Leader PR campaign? Will the front-line be organized with riding websites, discussion groups, regular meetings, doing pre-writ door-knocking, etc.?

If we wait too long we risk becoming irrelevant as a party. Already the NDP is coming to the forefront... the media has interest in the results of the "orange crush", the young MPs, and the new dynamics of Parliament. Even with Bob around, it's become a case of "what about Bob?" as we won't get much airplay perceived as "lame duck" (as a party, and referring to the interim role). A leadership convention creates much valued media coverage, a new level of energy as thousands across the land are engaged by candidates and their teams, and a general bringing-to-the-forefront of the party.

If we set the date "too early", will we really be swamped with "leadership politics"? Does the public even care right now? Will ANY leadership hopeful actually successfully sell many new memberships at a time when we are the 3rd party, and when the NDP and Conservatives are seen as the "best chances" for many who are seeking political involvement?

A lot of what I've mentioned above will change depending on the new leader. A bold, effective leader who is a strong public speaker, will attract more than party stalwarts and long-time members. An effective "retail" politician will play the populist card well. We are no longer in a position to mold our leader strictly by ourselves. Other parties WILL attack past positions on issues. They will attack her/him on their "style" - aided by a vocal private media.

So, what do we do?

Right now I'm leaning towards delaying the leadership. I strongly feel our party organization and structure need an overhaul. I strongly feel our EDAs are too often ineffective - and lack clear direction on simple effective communication strategies. Too many members are left "out of the loop". Many party "insiders" are blind to this fact. In elected positions, or working for the party many have become comfortable with the status quo. The "fix" is not a 6 month, or even one year process. Leadership politics can throw a wrench into the works, as leadership teams work to "control" EDAs (while online memberships have resolved this problem somewhat, the old "urges" are still there - and will just galvanize sides).

The other point to consider is this: We put a very dynamic, very intelligent interim leader in place - who is keen on re-building. We have a dedication to work towards this goal. Holding a leadership in 2012 won't even let that process get much past the starting point. After some "formal" organization processes we will need to "train" riding associations on effective marketing, online resources and tools, organization building, and campaigning. This will take time.

This is a very special "extraordinary" process. So... tell me... How should I vote? Please feel free to debate in the space below...

VICTORY FUND

Vancouver Riots: The Power of Overheated Sports Culture & Consumerism Run Amok

I lament our "civilization's" approach to sports.

Used to be, it was just a game. No more. Sports, and athletes in general, have been elevated to the level of demi-gods in our North American culture. Role models have been created of a number skating around on the ice, or running up and down a field. They've probably never saved a life, or taught a kid, or even done much in the way of public service. Yet they are our "heroes".

Fans of this sports culture in overdrive are more than willing to get into fights and resort to other violence in "support" of their team. We see it everywhere: outside of MMA fights, at hockey games and football games... Heck, even at KID'S hockey games.

A lot of media people are saying the Vancouver rioters weren't hockey fans. Not true. These were "normal" teen aged kids. We saw them out there. We watched them walk past our Vancouver condo.

These were greedy little punks caught up in consumerism who decided they'd just grab that iPod or that Coach bag. Real anarchists would have just set fire to the buildings... This was NOT political protest. This was not the G8 crowd. They may certainly have been inspired by the media coverage of that event, but they were NOT that crowd.

Our society has some growing-up to do. Athletes are NOT heroes, and over-paid twenty-somethings are NOT role models. Sports - while being an important part of life - has become too much a part of culture that thrives on feeding the masses with an attitude of machismo, arrogance, rampant consumerism, aggression, skewed hyper-patriotism, and a me-first mentality.

Look at the pictures. We all know who the rioters were. Not "scary anarchists", but someone's middle class suburban kid. Pimple-faced teens with a need for "bling" were the ones smashing the windows and grabbing $5000 purses at the Coach store. They were the ones grabbing iPods from the electronics stores.

Some parents have a LOT of owning up to do. This is what we call "mob mentality", and so-called "perfectly normal" people were involved. Of course they weren't "normal" because they were soaked in booze, living in an age of "me first/might is right", and all about the "bling". I just hope the police presses serious charges after reading the Riot Act. No holding back because these were "normal middle class kids caught up in the moment".

Our "modern" culture took a back seat to something more primal last night.

VICTORY FUND

Conservatives Discriminating Against 10 Million Lower Income Families

The Latest Ralph Goodale Weekly Report:

TAX CREDITS EXCLUDE THE MOST IN NEED

The recent federal budget discriminates against lower-income families.

The problem flows from the Harper government’s use of “tax credits” as their way of favouring certain categories of Canadians – i.e., if you do certain things, you can claim a credit against the federal taxes you would otherwise have to pay.

The budget offered three such tax credits – one for those providing homecare services to dependents, another for volunteer firefighters, and a third for parents who put their kids into arts programs. It all sounds quite attractive.

But there’s a catch.

To benefit, you must have an income high enough to result in taxes owing to the federal government. The credit is applied against those taxes owing. If your income is so low that you have no taxes owing, you get no benefit.

Ask yourself – which caregivers, or kids, or volunteer firefighters are in the greatest need of a little help from the Government of Canada?

Surely it’s those with the lowest incomes. But they’re exactly the ones who cannot qualify for tax credits. They’re excluded because their incomes aren’t high enough to be taxable.

How many Canadian families are in this boat?

About 25 million people file tax returns every year in Canada. Some 15 million of them have incomes high enough to pay taxes, while 10 million do not. It’s that group of 10 million low-income families who get left out. A tax credit doesn’t work for them.

The federal government can fix this problem. They should pay the value of their tax credits in cash to those low-income caregivers, volunteer fire fighters and parents of children in arts programs who otherwise qualify, but just don’t have taxable incomes.

The benefits should not go only to middle and higher income Canadians, to the exclusion of families of more modest means.

VICTORY FUND

Welcome, Mr. Rae

While I did not support Bob during the last leadership (I worked in a different camp), I did like the "retail politician" face he presented. As I've watched him over the past few years, I've grown some fondness for his Parliamentary skill, and his casual, "ordinary Joe" demeanor. His skinny-dip with Mercer sealed the deal. He will do anything to help the party succeed.

Mr. Rae deserves our support as he carries on the task of interim leader, and I hope even his political detractors within the party all agree.

Let's get on with re-building this party from the ground up. Let's ensure we have a lot of strong candidates line up for our leadership in a couple of years. Let's hope that new crop of leaders reflects the youth and diversity of the Canada we love. Let's hope it also reflects the nation-building past of this party.

With a Harper-Conservative majority we are at a political cross-roads in this land. Now, more than ever, a party of "nation-building" is necessary to ensure our home and native land doesn't devolve into a series of "duchies" within a loosely shared border with the US. Harper has never meshed his words on the Quebec question - and his Western base DETESTS Quebec and the French language. That won't change.

We have work to do.

VICTORY FUND

Farmer's SHOULD Be Allowed To Vote On Wheat Board Future

I have to agree with Ralph on this one, 100%. The Constitution/Charter of the Canadian Wheat Board must be followed - particularly on a decision as important as the Board's future...

Here's Ralph Goodale's Weekly Report:

LET FARMERS VOTE ON THE CWB – IT’S THE LAW!

Section 47.1 of the Canadian Wheat Board Act is clear.

If the Minister responsible for the Board wants to change the CWB’s “single desk” marketing system, the Minister must first do two things:


• Consult with the CWB’s Board of Directors; and

• Hold a clear, democratic vote among producers to determine whether they support the specific changes the Minister has in mind.

Since the Harper government came to power in 2006, no such vote has ever taken place. The closest they’ve come, a few years ago, was a multiple-choice survey of general marketing philosophy which generated no conclusive result.

In the wake of the recent federal election, the Conservatives are again vowing to kill the Wheat Board. To do so will require legislation in Parliament. Before any such legislation can be introduced, the two conditions mentioned above must be met.

The Harper regime should have the courage of its convictions. No tricks. No deeks or dodges. Just put the issue to a fair vote among farmers. That’s what the law requires.

The two questions to be asked are quite straight-forward.

Do you want the CWB’s single-desk marketing system for wheat: yes or no?

Do you want the CWB’s single-desk marketing system for barley: yes or no?

If the Conservatives decide NOT to proceed in this direct and honourable manner, there are only two other alternatives.

They might try mislead people into believing the Wheat Board can somehow be “optional” and still remain functional for those who want it. But this is simply not possible. Either you have a single-desk seller or you have the open-market. You can’t have a bit of both.

Or, before presenting legislation to kill the single-desk, the government might try to amend Section 47.1 of the CWB Act to eliminate farmers’ right to vote on this issue.

Now wouldn’t that be a strange spectacle – the Harper regime changing the law to remove producers’ democratic right to vote on whether they want to CWB or not.

VICTORY FUND

Goodale: "Center" Or Polarization?

Latest Goodale Update:

THE “CENTRE” OR POLARIZATION?

Pundits are busy writing the obituary of the Liberal Party, and the party no doubt has a long way to go to get itself back on a road to recovery. But its chances of doing so should not be lightly dismissed.

Two factors underpin Liberal resilience, despite the humbling events of recent times.

One is the determined commitment of significant numbers of Canadians who sincerely self-identify as "liberal", and who will not easily abandon their deeply cherished views. In a country as big, diverse and complicated as Canada, these remarkably stubborn "people of the centre" believe passionately that tolerance, inclusion, accommodation and moderation are better governing principles than polarized ideologies of right or left.

The other factor creating some hope and opportunity for Liberals is the ongoing emergence of issues that lend themselves to pragmatic, centrist approaches rooted in some real experience.

On one front, the Harper government is again flipping its position on the deficit. It’s no longer committed to finding a phantom $11 billion in extra space in its fiscal framework so it can balance its books by 2014.

This was the core Conservative economic promise in this past campaign. But now, it seems jettisoned, just like previous Conservative promises about equalization, income trusts, no recession, avoiding deficits, greater access to information, warplanes coming in on-budget, etc.

And don't expect the new crop of NDPers to fight for fiscal responsibility. There was none evident in their profligate $70 billion platform.

On a second front, the social conservatives who dominate this government's backbenches are busy attending rallies, trying to pry the lid off their favourite causes.
Mr. Harper says he won't bring such issues to the fore, but watch for him to use his majority to advance a social agenda through the back-door -- quickly packing the Supreme Court with fellow travelers on the right to fill at least two immediate vacancies, and supporting a plethora of Conservative Private Members' Bills.
In the Courts and in the Commons, voices from the rational centre are needed to defend the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the vulnerable minorities who depend upon it. Social cohesion hangs in the balance.

Then there's the call from Preston Manning for Alberta and Quebec to get together on a plan to gut the legitimacy of the federal government and push much more extensive decentralization of Canada's federation. What better time than now, with a unfettered Harper regime that has never believed in a strong federal government anyway and an official opposition whose sudden success is linked to nationalist support in Quebec? Who will speak for Canada?

And what of the policy elephant in the room for the immediate future -- the renegotiation of the federal-provincial-territorial health accord that expires in 2014?
Will the shaping of medicare for years to come be best served by a polarized argument between ideologues on the left and right, or by pragmatic centrists who truly believe in a universal, publicly funded system and are willing to innovate to save it?

VICTORY FUND

Membership Deadline Tomorrow!!!

Make sure your LPC membership is renewed before tomorrow, so you may vote in the "extraordinary convention" matter:

KEY DATES

Friday, May 20, 2011 (5 PM Local Time)
Membership cut off. Only members in good standing are eligible to vote or stand for election as a delegate

Friday, June 3, 2011
Deadline to submit intention to stand as a delegate

Saturday June 11, 2011/Sunday June 12, 2011
Delegate Selection meeting date

Saturday June 18, 2011
Extraordinary Convention (by teleconference)

VICTORY FUND

Nina Grewal & Deepak Obhrai Make Cabinet!

From "anonymous" Conservative sources:
It appears two of the most "capable" MPs on the Harper back-benches will finally be called up in the "Harper Government". Their intellectual brilliance, coupled with their bent for lively debate, has certainly influenced the Ottawa decision-makers.
For Grewal the sources say it was the "new hairdo" that really sold the PM. Apparently she visited PM Harp's $10,000/night hair stylists. She didn't emerge with the "lego-man snap-on hair look" either. Her brilliance as an MP, and her superlative tactical wit in the Commons was key to her ascendance. Harper was also very keen to learn of her election strategies - particularly the rumoured broadcast of partisan messages in to a Canadian audience during an election from the State of Washington, in the US... Very convenient to broadcast partisan talk-show messaging from across the US border - where the pesky CRTC (and perhaps Elections Canada) have no reach. Harper apparently feels Ms. Grewal and her equally monolithic husband can teach the Conservative caucus a thing or two about campaigning... (oh, and you should HEAR the things that sources indicate were apparently said).
Deepak O... O-to-the-bizzie... What can one say about Calgary's most entertaining MP? Joining the Reform Party many years ago after being rejected by others, he quickly got help from several parties to flood the nomination meeting. Facing racist epithets from the "in-crowd" at Reform central, he never cowered... He actually never did anything to stand up for his vote base. Oh sure, his office paid it's dues in speeding up immigration files, but it was his work in the policy milieu that has won Deepak such worldwide acclaim. You see, Deepak is one of the back bench who gets the occasional speech written for him... then allowed to speak for a couple of minutes - mostly during completely empty House sessions. It's all so his constituents can watch this heroic orator shake Parliament's foundations... and there's something to put in those 10%ers...
It is thought Obhrai will give a whole new meaning to the term "Foreign Affairs". Apparently he has already booked free weekly trips to India for his entourage (which may or may not include Paris Hilton, and the "little person" from MJ's "Dreamland Ranch").
In other Cabinet news, Harper has apparently appointed two of his very talented kittens to key roles. Minister of Weaving Yarns will be "Buttons" (apparently also the PM's new bed mate). Minister of Women's Affairs will be Sox (who, of course, Harper had spayed).
Looking forward to see this very "intellectual" and talented bunch "storming the Hill"!

(The above post is meant purely in jest. All characters are fictitious, or at least don't exist in any useful way).
VICTORY FUND

The Art of War

Posted this over at Warren's blog earlier... in response to his post on Alf Apps resigning.
While the party did well in the area of fundraising, and building online tools (there was a turn-around in these areas - we started to learn how to do it right), the presentation of the leader, party cohesion, and election strategy were a gong show.
When you "win" a job in a corporate setting, or in any setting, you always take the best of your rival's efforts and utilize them. You welcome your rivals into the fold (not set them on rear benches), and MOST IMPORTANTLY you identify (you actually should know this during the contest) your rivals' best strategists and figure out how best to use them in your own organization! After all, many political hacks tend to be looking for what's in it for them. They generally tie themselves to one bandwagon in the hopes of being the "king-maker" or "lynchpin" in the organization. Well... if they fail in one area, they may be quite receptive to an offer from the organization that just beat them.
Have these folks never read Sun Tzu? "The Art of War" should be MANDATORY reading for all political staffers. There should also be a sub-section/addendum on realizing who the REAL enemy is, and WHEN to stop rattling mouths.
As a life-long Liberal (started out at the age of 5, actually, but close enough) I blame all the partisans for what happened on May 2nd. After a leadership contest your loyalty should be - irrevocably - behind the elected leader. Period. In Sun Tzu's time, they used to execute those who wavered in the support of the leader. Sure we've all supported various leaders through the leadership campaigns. Some of us were wrong. Many of us right.
We'll rebuild the party, for sure, but we will be dumping some folks who don't want to ascribe to the "party first=Canada first" objective. There is no room here for "me first".
Yes, Apps should likely resign (and hopefully a few others with him - we need a general re-org there anyways). Even if they feel they built a solid framework for organization and fund-raising, the leadership needs to take responsibility for what happened. We need to remember what side we're on.
We will take the party back... And indeed the brewing "Young Turks Uprising" will put some folks back on the right track. Let's just keep focused on the task at hand. Our party does benefit from having a very large, coast-to-coast organization, and a pretty solid fund-raising base (which still needs growth).
The old PCs died for many reasons, but communication was a huge one. They died before the real burst of the internet/social media age. The Liberal Party today is THE MOST CONNECTED online political party in Canada. We will survive due to the social media. We will thrive due to this new milieu... one where we already have a head start. The old PCs also died because they were swallowed up by, and pretty much reinvented as the current Conservative Party. There was no merger... Just a "re-naming". WE, on the other hand, will be re-inventing ourselves.
Grit for life!
VICTORY FUND

Avaaz.org Effort Overturns Conservative Ugandan Law

For those of you not familiar with Avaaz.org, they are in international organization/network which fights for civic rights, individual rights, and global sanity through in ingenious web of contacts and social media synergies. You can learn more, donate, or spread the word via their website (www.avaaz.org).

Just yesterday Avaaz utilized the power of the internet and social media to overturn a draconian Ugandan law - fostered by a right-wing/conservative coalition - which would have proscribed the death penalty for homosexuality. The very thought of such a law makes one's stomach turn, yet in some parts of our world (even here) there are hyper-conservative zealots who would welcome such thinking.

Thank God Avaaz was there to speak out. Here's the story:

Dear friends,

Frank Mugisha and other brave human rights defenders delivering our petition to the Ugandan Parliament just before leaders dropped the gay death penalty law.

Uganda's anti-gay law has failed! It looked sure to pass last week, but after 1.6 million petition signatures delivered to Parliament, tens of thousands of phone calls to our own governments, hundreds of media stories about our campaign and a massive global outcry, Ugandan politicians dropped the bill!

It was down to the wire -- religious extremists tried to push the bill through on Wednesday, and then convened an unprecedented emergency session of Parliament on Friday. But each time, within hours, we reacted. A huge congratulations to everyone who signed, called, forwarded and donated to this campaign -- with our help, thousands of innocent people in Uganda's gay community do not wake up this morning facing execution for whom they chose to love.

Frank Mugisha, a courageous leader of the gay community in Uganda sent us this message:

"Brave Ugandan LGBT activists and millions of people around the world have stood together and faced down this horrendous anti-homosexuality bill.The support from the Avaaz global community has tipped the scales to prevent this Bill going forward. Global solidarity has made a huge difference."

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs' Office also wrote to Avaaz:

"Many thanks. As you know, thanks to a very large extent to the intensive lobbying and combined effort of you, other civil society representatives, EU and other governments, plus our delegation and embassies on the ground the Bill was not presented to the Parliament this morning."

This fight is not over. The extremists behind this bill could try again within just 18 months. But this is the second time we've helped defeat this bill, and we'll keep going until the hate-mongers give up.

Transforming the deeper causes of ignorance and hatred behind homophobia is an historic, long term struggle, one of the great causes of our generation. But Uganda has become a front line in that struggle, and a powerful symbol. The victory there echoes across many other places where hope is desperately needed, showing that kindness, love, tolerance and respect can defeat hatred and ignorance. Again, a huge thanks to all who made it happen.

With enormous gratitude and admiration for this amazing community,

Ricken, Emma, Iain, Alice, Giulia, Saloni and the whole Avaaz team.


Media highlights:

Anti-gay bill shelved:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13392723

Avaaz's response to the outcome in the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/13/uganda-anti-gay-bill-shelved

Ugandan President did not back bill because of "criticism of human rights groups":
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/05/13/international/i042638D37.DTL

Anti-gay bill delayed amid outcry:
http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Uganda-shelves-anti-gay-bill-20110513

Uganda's "kill the gays" bill defeated:
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE74C0HP20110513


Support the Avaaz community! We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way -- donate here.

VICTORY FUND

FLAG Meeting - "Rebuilding The Liberal Party"

FLAG - the "Federal Liberal Action Group" for Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley will be planning our next meeting within the next several weeks. This is an extension of the discussion on the private Facebook Group "Liberals Rebuilding the Liberal Party" (this is a private group, and you must be approved to join).

As a group, our focus will continue to be the betterment of the Liberal brand. We would like to invite anyone interested to contact us - and to WATCH THIS SPACE - to ascertain time/location/date. We will try to ensure that the meeting is in a more central location so people from the Fraser Valley can attend - as well as those on the North Shore. By central we mean the "geographic center" of the region (Surrey, East Burnaby, New West, Coquitlam). We'll keep it close to SkyTrain/public Transit.

Please join us as we work to bring the Liberal Party into the new era of politics. We welcome all who have an interest in seeing the further growth and evolution of the party.

Watch this space for further details on event time/location.

United in moderation!

VICTORY FUND

Winning Back The Burbs

80% of Canada's population (+) lives in so-called "urban" areas.

The last major loss (last week) for the Liberal Party reflected a collapse of support in those areas. When you break down the "collapse", it was large if you consider "seat numbers", but popular vote-wise was a few percentage points in many areas.

So what can we do to start winning that support back? What types of policy can we implement that finds support in the key suburban ridings we lost?

There are a few areas where we have room to grow, or be "reborn":

1) New Canadians - We took a major hit within new Canadian and visible minority communities. In cities like Surrey, Richmond, Burnaby, Delta, Brampton, Mississauga, Malton, and even Vancouver and Toronto, we lost vote on both sides, but most particularly to the Harper Cons and Jason Kenney's almost WEEKLY appearances on ethnic media and at event venues. As one who is a founder of a South Asian policy institute, we were appalled at the LPC's lack of interest in pursuing this vote beyond propping up our existing MPs. Issues that could have been used weren't, and we lost much vote.

When you consider that Canada's two FASTEST GROWING CITIES are within that group (Surrey and Mississauga), you realize the folly in doing very little there (except late in the election, when it was a matter of trying to hold what we had). In reality the work in these cities should have been ongoing over the years. In 10 years (or less) Surrey will be BC's largest city - with a withering Liberal presence.

We seriously dropped the ball in this area, and it is where we need to recover. Sure there is a large recent immigrant business community - and we need to tap into that with notions of Liberals' strong economic policy (a historical fact). We will talk more of the "ethnic" policy area in coming posts.

2) Green policy with a practical, vote-winning bent - We introduced a "Green Shift" in the 2008 election that had no real advertising advantage. While the idea may have been good and sound, we needed a better way to sell it than allowing ourselves be open to the "spending" attack.

What we really needed to do was "go green" by finding populist green ideas. Ideas that would be win-win for suburban voters. Here is where a party policy convention would help. Voters strongly suspect election promises. Us "hiding" our platforms/ideas does no good. If our party - meaning our members - come out in front of an issue and OWN it, the public will have more inclination to believe us. Back it up with year-round ads, and you could have a winner.

Sea levels in BC are rising - so much that the right-leaning BC Prov Gov't is planning to spend $$$Millions more to raise dykes around the province. Climate change reality is beginning to set in. If there is to be a Merger, I'd advocate a pairing with the Greens before the NDP. The Greens have an economic ideology similar to ours.

I'm not a fan of any merger - but we couldn't hurt from an awareness of an issue which could take root if we sell it properly. BC, Quebec, and much of urban Ontario are open to ideological suggestion by a "Liberal-Green" Party (or a Green-Liberal Party). Not suggesting any merger here, but talking about a party vision.

As solid core set of "urban/suburban" policies (where 80%+ of the Cdn pop lives) including more green transit would benefit our electoral chances greatly. Voters in the Lower Mainland of BC would jump onboard a promise to connect Lower Mainland cities to Vancouver by rail, and to expand existing rail networks.

As a matter of fact, suburban residents EVERYWHERE in Canada would jump aboard any idea that would:

1) Lower their daily commute times (we could tell them about this with daily ads on "all-traffic" radio stations that everyone usually listens to at some time during their commute.

2) Allow them to spend much more time with families

3) Lower daily parking costs

4) Lower their gas costs, and perhaps even let them sell their cars

ALL people want to save money - not spend more. We CAN sell green ideas, but only with a description of how it will save Joe Public money. We also cannot wait until the writ to sell it. Start right after the policy convention.

As a former sales person and businessman I can assure you that people buy benefits - NOT ideas. The list above is personal benefits to Canadians for adopting a suggested Liberal policy.

There are a great set of suburban issues, which could net us votes in the next election. Let's find them. We will continue to grow this discussion in the days and weeks ahead. We will also expand the discussion to embrace the synergy which is needed with the farms which support the cities (and, yes, that is how we should always present it - the farmers "supporting" the cities - without farms the cities couldn't be).

VICTORY FUND

Winning Back The Burbs

80% of Canada's population (+) lives in so-called "urban" areas.

The last major loss (last week) for the Liberal Party reflected a collapse of support in those areas. When you break down the "collapse", it was large if you consider "seat numbers", but popular vote-wise was a few percentage points in many areas.

So what can we do to start winning that support back? What types of policy can we implement that finds support in the key suburban ridings we lost?

There are a few areas where we have room to grow, or be "reborn":

1) New Canadians - We took a major hit within new Canadian and visible minority communities. In cities like Surrey, Richmond, Burnaby, Delta, Brampton, Mississauga, Malton, and even Vancouver and Toronto, we lost vote on both sides, but most particularly to the Harper Cons and Jason Kenney's almost WEEKLY appearances on ethnic media and at event venues. As one who is a founder of a South Asian policy institute, we were appalled at the LPC's lack of interest in pursuing this vote beyond propping up our existing MPs. Issues that could have been used weren't, and we lost much vote.

When you consider that Canada's two FASTEST GROWING CITIES are within that group (Surrey and Mississauga), you realize the folly in doing very little there (except late in the election, when it was a matter of trying to hold what we had). In reality the work in these cities should have been ongoing over the years. In 10 years (or less) Surrey will be BC's largest city - with a withering Liberal presence.

We seriously dropped the ball in this area, and it is where we need to recover. Sure there is a large recent immigrant business community - and we need to tap into that with notions of Liberals' strong economic policy (a historical fact). We will talk more of the "ethnic" policy area in coming posts.

2) Green policy with a practical, vote-winning bent - We introduced a "Green Shift" in the 2008 election that had no real advertising advantage. While the idea may have been good and sound, we needed a better way to sell it than allowing ourselves be open to the "spending" attack.

What we really needed to do was "go green" by finding populist green ideas. Ideas that would be win-win for suburban voters. Here is where a party policy convention would help. Voters strongly suspect election promises. Us "hiding" our platforms/ideas does no good. If our party - meaning our members - come out in front of an issue and OWN it, the public will have more inclination to believe us. Back it up with year-round ads, and you could have a winner.

Sea levels in BC are rising - so much that the right-leaning BC Prov Gov't is planning to spend $$$Millions more to raise dykes around the province. Climate change reality is beginning to set in. If there is to be a Merger, I'd advocate a pairing with the Greens before the NDP. The Greens have an economic ideology similar to ours.

I'm not a fan of any merger - but we couldn't hurt from an awareness of an issue which could take root if we sell it properly. BC, Quebec, and much of urban Ontario are open to ideological suggestion by a "Liberal-Green" Party (or a Green-Liberal Party). Not suggesting any merger here, but talking about a party vision.

As solid core set of "urban/suburban" policies (where 80%+ of the Cdn pop lives) including more green transit would benefit our electoral chances greatly. Voters in the Lower Mainland of BC would jump onboard a promise to connect Lower Mainland cities to Vancouver by rail, and to expand existing rail networks.

As a matter of fact, suburban residents EVERYWHERE in Canada would jump aboard any idea that would:

1) Lower their daily commute times (we could tell them about this with daily ads on "all-traffic" radio stations that everyone usually listens to at some time during their commute.

2) Allow them to spend much more time with families

3) Lower daily parking costs

4) Lower their gas costs, and perhaps even let them sell their cars

ALL people want to save money - not spend more. We CAN sell green ideas, but only with a description of how it will save Joe Public money. We also cannot wait until the writ to sell it. Start right after the policy convention.

As a former sales person and businessman I can assure you that people buy benefits - NOT ideas. The list above is personal benefits to Canadians for adopting a suggested Liberal policy.

There are a great set of suburban issues, which could net us votes in the next election. Let's find them. We will continue to grow this discussion in the days and weeks ahead. We will also expand the discussion to embrace the synergy which is needed with the farms which support the cities (and, yes, that is how we should always present it - the farmers "supporting" the cities - without farms the cities couldn't be).

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Amend The Constitution To Delay Leadership? Possibly

We CAN amend the constitution... We can allow all party members as of the date of appointment of the new leader to vote on a constitutional amendment to allow for a 2yr window to select the next leader. An online vote can be done quite easily. Also a "local" ballot in ridings across the country. The latter option would also allow Liberals to gather one more time post-election... Great way to begin people thinking about party reform.

We CAN do it. We just need to - as needed - break with "tradition". The Constitution can be amended. There is no need to shy away from that. As a matter of fact many of the needs of this party may require constitutional changes.

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Simulcast the Next National Convention to Cities In Each Province

Rather than spend a lot of money on a "grand convention" in a central location, I would recommend using leading edge technology to "simulcast" the Convention to every province.

In doing so, we would ensure fuller participation (a lot easier for someone from Kindersley SK to carpool to Regina, than fly to St. Johns), and save a lot of the costs. Provincial "federal groups" would select venues which would suit the crowd, and we could have all the leadership candidates at one location - say, Ottawa.

Just an idea - we owe it to ourselves to ensure the fullest turnout possible, to ensure the rank-and-file party members are heard.

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I REFUSE To Accept The Easy Path

Seems a vast majority of Liberals want to rebuild the party. It also seems that a small handful want to "merge" with the NDP. Is that a matter of convenience? Is that so we can "get back to power" quickly? If that is honestly the best defense of a move that Harper would cherish, then you're really... err... nuts.

Preston Manning, and Tommy Douglas before him, built parties from nothing. They started from scratch. They had 0 MPs, and an ideology that most people rejected outright. Think about that for a minute.

We have much more to start with: A fund-raising organization, national links and memberships in EVERY single riding across the land, and MOST IMPORTANTLY: highly skilled people (our membership) made up of some of the elite in their areas of expertise. Thinkers at a nation-building scale. People with national and global visions. We are much more than a formerly-separatist, right-wing Prairie rump.

If Manning could build his party to what it has become, then certainly we can start with much more and achieve greater things. We will need to start with bold ideas. We WILL have to allow the grassroots to truly drive our policy. We will also have to be willing to accept the will of the greater part of the party when said policy comes to vote - but also to seriously consider what we might think of as "fringe" ideas, which we could seriously grow with.

Right now I see the vast majority of Liberals wanting to work hard in the difficult, but VERY interesting project of renewing policy and getting back to ideological roots, and a tiny minority supporting a "marriage of convenience" with the NDP, to boost ourselves back into power. While cooperation (and indeed, even a coalition) with Layton - to defeat Harper when the opportunity presents - is not a bad idea at all, there is no valid reason to eviscerate the party to do so.

Having spent the last 32 years of my life (from Grade 7 to now) championing the Liberal - no... "liberal" actually - cause, I REFUSE to sit down now. I REFUSE to give up. I REFUSE to accept the "easy path".

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Policy - Before Leader

Policy - and a REAL policy convention MUST come before a leadership election. We need to define the rules for that leadership, but more importantly, strike out bold policy fronts which separate us from the crowd.

We must also ensure that we start educating the Canadian public on "left", "right", and "center". Harper schooled us on Marketing 101 this campaign - and the two before it. As someone who spends a lot of his time marketing small businesses, I see a dearth of talent in our Marketing Dept.

First off, we need to accept the new idea of year-round off-writ advertising. As a party we must resolve to start influencing the vote starting now, with such a tact. Don't be negative (the public won't accept that - only use when necessary)... Advertise what it means to be a Liberal (we take the BEST points of right and left, and combine them in a fiscally responsible manner). Simple 15 sec spots run YEAR-ROUND. Any party that wants to compete with the Cons (or any left/right ideologically driven party) needs to do this. Funds will come, and continue to, as more people hear our message. The PRESS/MEDIA WILL NOT DO THIS FOR US. We need to do it alone.

Canadians need to re-gain the sense of what "liberal" means. This has to be a grassroots movement, that won't be easy, but it WILL win votes.

As Liberals, we have two choices:

1) Give Harper what he wants (merger with NDP, so he can enjoy a constant left-right dialectic which a corporate elite and media continue to sway in the right's favor - as in the USA).

2) Rebuild, sensibly. Idea-driven re-birth, with POLICY FIRST. We can appoint an interim leader (Quebec please) that can begin the ground work in the biggest potential growth area, work on REAL policy that is clearly different from the rest (while explaining clearly how we can pay for it), then choose a leader at a convention that would define a generation.

ps: Don't poo-poo YLC for having BOLD ideas... EMBRACE YLC, and let them lead the way!

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Well... At Least We Won't Be Worrying About An Election for 4-5 Yrs

Double-dip recession

2nd US housing collapse

Canadian housing bubble at bursting point

Rampant inflation taking off

Gas to be $2/L by Winter (home heating fuel with it)

Yup. I think I'd much rather let Harper deal with that. Considering he's the one who squandered our $13 Billion surplus and got us into this home crisis in the first place.

Let him wear what he's created.

In the meantime... lets take up a collection to run informative TV ads for the next 4 years - expounding the need for a moderate "middle" in Canadian politics...

You know:

"Hi, we're the Liberal Party. We believe in the perfect combination of the best of the right and left, while rejecting those ideas that don't work for Canadians. Left is bad. Right is worse. We're here for the majority of Canada".

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And So The Die Is Cast

Come what may tomorrow... and much may come... we are most likely to have a new mission beginning Tuesday.

For now, GOTV, convince others to vote strategically, and PULL, PULL, PULL the vote.

A lying government, contempt of Parliament, and spending out of control may really not matter to the general public, but it does matter to us...

Good luck/Bonne chance to everyone.

Vive' Le Canada!

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