Who Will Replace Apps as the Next Liberal President?

Next week Alf Apps is scheduled to step down as Liberal Party President. The norm lately has been to appoint the Executive Vice President.

It's rumoured the Leader's Office is preferring Kukucha over Garceau.

I'm not 100% sure of the rules, but I don't think it's outside the scope of the National Board of Directors to pick someone from outside their own little click. So feel free to email them with ideas or state your choice for president in the comment section here.

About Warren Kinsella, John Mraz and Alf Apps

I've received many an email over the last day or so asking me what the hell this Kinsella/Apps thing is all about. "Why would Kinsella swear an affidavit?" one reader asks. "Who the hell is John Mraz?" another asks. Didn't you call for Apps' resignation recently?" asks another.

Here's what I know and here's what I think.

Warren signed an affidavit. A legal document. He knew he could because he knew what he was saying was nothing but the truth so help him God. What else Warren probably knew is that Alfred Apps couldn't possibly do the same. Why, you ask? Well, I'll let you guess at that one.

Alfred Apps has a tendency to believe he, and he alone, is the centre of the universe. See my previous posts in archives. Probably in a conversation with WK and a subsequent conversation with Mraz, Mr. Apps may have thrown some names out there unassumingly....or not. Afterall, he's the guy that claimed to know Pierre Trudeau better than Trudeau's own son.
And, yes, I have called for his resignation over the whole Gallani/Jaffer affair because I think that Mr. Apps should have disclosed his meeting with Gallani to the Liberal Party of Canada before the witch hunt began.

Which leaves me with John Mraz. I damn neared died laughing when I heard Penny Collenette on Power and Politics yesterday when she denied on three occasions that she has never even HEARD of this John Mraz person. (Likened it to that biblical guy with Jesus where the cock crows). I mean really. The guy's been around some serious Liberal backrooms, was part of the War Room as recently as a few months ago and writes a column for the National Post. (Note donor 354 here. Mraz was big in Rae circles during the '06 leadership) What Liberal planet is she living on?

Further, I know John Mraz personally. I don't think he's about to put pen to paper to back up his buddy Warren unless it was nothing but the truth. Putting himself out there like that just isn't his M O.

So, what I'm telling you my Liberal friends is that two guys signed affidavits swearing the truth. One guy didn't. Enough said. With any luck these rumours of Apps are true too.

Now, what is it all about? Hell if I know, but what I can tell you is that the return of the senior Martinites is disturbing to me, and I'm certain WK probably ain't very thrilled about it either. Especially with the talking popcorn master on CBC everyday speaking for the Joe average Liberal.

It looks as though there really is a power struggle behind the scenes in Liberaland. Then again, what do I know?

Liberal Party of Canada - Failing Canadians One Budget Bill at a Time

Let me just say I am disgusted with the Liberal Party of Canada who, singlehandedly, today sold Canada and Canadians down the river by not defeating this budget bill. If I were a constituent in any of their ridings right now, I'd picket their damn offices and demand their resignations. In fact, I think they should resign. They weren't elected to skip out on the most important of votes in the House of Commons. Disgusting. Total lack of principles and morals.

And why the hell is Stephen Harper getting away with contempt of Parliament? Where is the Liberal Party of Canada on this Afghan document release? WHERE?

Grow some balls Mr. Ignatieff and do your damn job!!!

Liberals Lose Another Star Candidate

Dan Mclean, announced his withdrawal as Liberal candidate for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale earlier tonight.

His withdrawal announcement will likely coincide with an announcement that he will be soon be throwing his hat into Hamilton's Mayoral contest.

All polls show Mclean with a substantial lead in the mayoral race, despite the fact that he has never indicated that he was considering running for the Mayor's chair at City Hall.

It is perfect timing for Mclean to enter the race for Hamilton's top spot, with low voter interest in any of the other candidates, including incumbent Mayor, Fred Eisenberger with his bungling of the Pan Am Games stadium file and a lackluster term as mayor.

Mclean is poised to capitalize on his substantial name recognition and his strong local network.

This announcement is sure to provoke more interest in what was sure to be a dud of fall municipal election.

Perhaps this is a case of another Liberal loss for a greater municipal gain, with Maurizio Bevilacqua likely in line to be the next Mayor of Vaughn.

And More About this Coalition...

of the UNWILLING....

Can somebody, nay, anybody, please tell me how you can have a coalition with one's self? Because, for the life of me, I can't find a single Dipper anywhere suggesting they want a coalition with this spineless rump of a party formerly known as the Natural Governing Party.

Anyone? Bueller?

Ignatieff and Goodale Need to Grow a Couple Pairs!

This is just bullshit! It's time for a damn election. I don't give a shit if Canadians give the Liberals 40 seats as a result. This government has made a mockery of the Canadian Parliament and parliamentarians in general. It's time for the Liberal Party of Canada to grow a set of nuts and stand up for SOMETHING for Gawdsake. ANYTHING! Why have deadlines if you can't even damned well enforce them?

It's embarrasing anymore. I feel sick to my stomach.

And This is Why Maurizio Bevilacqua Should Run for Mayor

I guess Denis Coderre still has a little cache.

plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose

That's how one Quebecer described the news that LPC(Q) President Marc Lavigne was being replaced by The Hon. Lucienne Robillard.

My guess is the real reason for the resignation was NOT his family. Maybe the Friday afternoon announcement makes me suspicious of such things.

About This Coalition, Jean Chretien and Liberal Party Destruction

Liberals are officially spinning themselves into self destruction these days.

As a background to all of this, I offer up the Wiki on the last coalition circa 2008.

I tried to avoid the blogging of the "Coalition" here on this site. But yesterday I snapped. I had had just about enough of the redirect and juxtaposing on the issue.

I'm not certain at what point the Liberal Party members will drop the dialogue of the Dipper/Lib/non-Bloc pact, but I am certain that none of dialogue benefits the Liberal Party of Canada.

Jean Chretien said "If it's doable, let's do it." What Jean Chretien didn't say is whether or not he thought "it could be done." You know, like a proof is a proof when you have good proof, then it's a proof. Show me a quote where he said he's persuing any talks of a coalition, then I might believe it. And this quote from 2008 doesn't count:

Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent had confirmed earlier in the day that he had been in talks with former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien about the possibility of a coalition stemming from disagreement with measures proposed in the government's fiscal update, delivered Thursday.

"I've talked to Mr. Chrétien. He and I both discussed what would be a good situation here for the people of Canada, for Parliament, and we'll see what happens," Broadbent told CBC News. He called the Conservatives' update a "joke."

.

That was then. It was after a brutal fiscal update taking away party funding and talking about nothing and a brutal election and just before a vote of non-confidence. Harper knew he screwed up and this coalition was a real option for Canadians. He prorogued. We turfed the leader.

The UK argument is beyond lame. First of all, in the UK coalition (which many speculate will not survive for an extended period), all the warring parties rallied their troops and went out to the battlefield. All of them proclaimed their sabres were bigger than the other guys. A whole bunch of sabre-rattling and some sword play ensued and then they asked the civilians how they thought the war was going.

The civilians then said, we have no appetite for a clear victor here and we are going to support all of you, now kiss and make peace. With that in mind and very much a reality, the parties THEN went to work to find out who they could "team up with" as an ally in the field. THEN an election was held and the result was exactly what the civilians were telling the parties.

THEN and only THEN did a coalition agreement come to pass. And, only after much negotiating with WILLING parties. It could still have been a BROWN government for all anybody knew, but smarter minds prevailed and Britain was temporarily appeased.

In addition, the coalition that was formed, was formed with the WINNING party and the third place party, not the second place party and the fourth place party. So Brits could live with that for a bit.

Here, in Canada, we have no such similar scenario. We were close in 2008. But nobody liked that idea. In fact, Liberals hated the idea so much they used it as part and party to get rid of their duly elected leader and skip a leadership battle to install its current leader. That leader immediately distanced himself from the coalition.

Former deputy prime minister John Manley asked that Dion resign immediately, saying it was incomprehensible that the public would accept Dion as prime minister after rejecting him a few weeks earlier in the general election. Manley also said that a leader was needed "whose first job is to rebuild the Liberal party rather than leading a coalition with the NDP."

Several other insiders advocated moving up the date of the party leadership vote, rather than have Dion remain leader for either a potential election or coalition, while leadership contenders Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae both agreed that Dion had to quit immediately. Dion initially scheduled his resignation for the party's leadership convention in May 2009, but on December 8, 2008, he announced that he would step down upon the selection of his successor.

Bob Rae, who helped to persuade the Liberal caucus of the power-sharing deal, took over as the coalition's spokesman and planned to travel throughout the country to promote the coalition. By contrast, Michael Ignatieff, the frontrunner to succeed Dion, was said to be uncomfortable with the idea of sharing power with the NDP and receiving committed support from the Bloc Québécois. Ignatieff said that there would be a "coalition if necessary, but not necessarily a coalition," noting that the coalition served a useful purpose by keeping the Conservatives in check, but warned that the Liberals should look over the budget before deciding.After the withdrawal of his two rivals, Ignatieff was left as the sole declared leadership candidate, so he was appointed interim leader, and his position is was ratified at the May 2009 convention.

Resolution
On December 12, Ignatieff met with Prime Minister Harper to discuss the budget, with their spokesmen describing it as a "cordial" meeting.

Layton and Duceppe remained committed to ousting the Harper government,pledging that the NDP would vote against the Conservative budget regardless of what it contained. Layton urged Ignatieff's Liberals to topple the Conservatives before the shelf life of the coalition expired; constitutional experts said that four months after the last election, if the government fell, the Governor General would likely grant the Prime Minister's request to dissolve parliament instead of inviting the coalition.

On January 28, 2009, the Liberals agreed to support the budget as long as it included regular accountability reports, and the Conservatives accepted this amendment. This ended the possibility of the coalition, so Layton said "Today we have learned that you can't trust Mr. Ignatieff to oppose Mr. Harper. If you oppose Mr. Harper and you want a new government, I urge you to support the NDP".

Last week that same leader's office issued talking points dismissing any possibility of coalition. In other words, the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada is saying, we are a Liberal Party, we are moving forward as one party focusing on the needs of Canadians. Will he changed his mind? Um, he's been known to so you never know.

The point is this dear Liberals, the perpetuation of the coalition talks from the members - Yes, Sam Lavoie, you ARE now an elected "senior Liberal" in your capacity -
is signalling to Canadians that you are just too damn weak to govern and you are admitting whole-heartedly that the Liberal Party of Canada can NOT beat Stephen Harper's Conservatives. And that, my friends is the reality of the situation.

I didn't sign on to be a member of the Liberal Democrat Party of Canada.

How about if we put together a platform and send it out to Canadians and let them be the judge of who they want. How about not throwing the environment away for another generation by voting down the omnibus budget bill. How about talking about that stuff. Win some seats first.

I have news for you friends, if you go to 40 seats, it ain't gonna matter who you try to make a coalition with, you're done for four more years.

But hey, if you're void of ideas or the notion we can put together something along the lines of Kelowna, Kyoto and Kids, I guess a coalition it is.

Anywho. Carry on.

About Sam Lavoie "Leading Liberal Youth"

This is the Platform Sam Lavoie ran on when he was elected in a coin toss just one year ago.

I thought the premise behind the YLC was to recruit a new generation of Liberals and inspire, new, fresh ideas that represents future generations of Liberal Canadians. Speaking for all Liberal youth as he does, Mr. Lavoie did nobody in Liberaland any favours with his vociferous interview with Tabor.

Here's a thought Sam: Why don't you and your regional presidents go out there and concentrate on how to recruit new youth into our Liberal Party like you're supposed to be doing and leave the coalition stuff alone. Or, perhaps you can call up the the president of the youth Dippers and start a coalition at that level to show the big boys you mean business.

Sam also lead a youth movement at the National Convention that would have derailed the "One Member One Vote" motion. And as young BC Liberal President, Josh Hutchinson said to me in Windsor recently: "you should be killed" (in reference to my strong online fight against the Lavoie amendment to the motion). Now that's "LEADERSHIP"!

I'm not sure if Sam's coalition talk fits the bill for "uniting our party", but feel free to discuss. Below are Samuel's ideas for a platform and the youth amendment to the One Member One Vote that I fought to defeat.

Dear Friends,

It’s time for change within the Young Liberals. It’s time for fresh ideas, strong leadership, and solid cross-Canada unity, which will allow the Liberal Party to defeat Stephen Harper’s Conservatives. It’s time for us to change Canada.

Welcome to the online home of my Campaign for Young Liberal Change - a chance for you to get involved in shaping the direction of our youth commission, our party, our country and our future.

I am currently serving as YLC Vice President for Policy, and I have decided to run for President of the Young Liberals of Canada because I am convinced that our nation’s youth are not satisfied with the status quo. I envision our commission as the vehicle for the progress we seek as Canadians, and I believe that working together our Party is the best advocate for our ideas and our dreams.

We need leadership that shares those dreams and that idealism - leadership that has the courage to reinforce our convictions with meaningful action, enthusiasm and passion, while maintaining a commitment to unity within our party. This is what the role of young Liberals should be: to have the courage to reject the politics of division, and focus on a greater vision.
I believe that I can be this leader. My passion for this country knows no boundaries. I joined this party because I came to the conclusion that when it focuses on its core values, it represents one of the most important institutions in Canada. We’ve proven it in the past and it is now our duty to prove it once again. I think the role of the YLC is often underestimated. I believe in a YLC that is a dedicated youth lobby, a YLC that reaches outside of its traditional circles, a YLC that is independent enough to deliver on the ideas and innovation of its members, yet one that works with the party towards progress. In short, a YLC that matters.
In the last few months, our campaign has been blessed with a lot of support from BC to Newfoundland, in all provinces and territories. I want to thank everyone for their faith in me and their help at this critical time in our party’s history. What has brought together so many Young Liberals from different backgrounds and different regions is the fact that we are truly like-minded. We are like-minded in our passion for our country, like-minded in our unwavering commitment to this party and like-minded in our belief that the Young Liberals of Canada can and must spearhead the change that will bring about the new Liberal era. My supporters and I hope you will join us on this exciting journey towards Young Liberal Change.

Please use this group frequently and email your ideas, questions and suggestions directly to Sam at samuel@samlavoie.ca , and make Sam Lavoie's campaign your campaign too!

My Preamble to opposition of the youth amendment and the youth amendment in its entirety. Notice the seconder of the amendment.

On April 3rd, 2009, the YLC National Executive voted to make an amendment to the One Member One Vote Constitutional Amendment going forward this month in Vancouver at the Liberal Party Bienniel Convention.

This YLC amendment demands a quota of 25% of the riding votes be set aside for youth only. In other words, if there were say 10 youth members in your riding association of 300 members, those 10 youth will have 25% of the vote from the riding.

Many Liberals have expressed their concern over this amendment. One of those concerns is that if the youth are allowed a 25% quota, why isn't the women's commission, the seniors commission and the Aboriginal commissions. Where does it end?

There is already a long journey ahead for the supporters of One Member One Vote to obtain a 66% majority at the convention. Now we're going to complicate the matter more by sticking in an amendment that could be debated for hours on end.

HERE'S WHAT THE YOUTH HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE ISSUE:

Preamble: “One Member, One Vote” Constitutional Package

History:

The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) has historically recognized the under-representation of young people in the political process, which manifests itself in the establishment of the Young Liberals of Canada (YLC) Commission. The Young Liberals are the heart of the Party; its strength, its energy, and its manpower. Approximately, one third, or 33% of all delegate spots are reserved for youth delegates under the current leadership system of LPC.

Problem:

At the upcoming 2009 Leadership and Biennial Convention in Vancouver, there is a constitutional amendment being presented by the National Executive of the Liberal Party to reform the leadership selection method. The proposed change is a one member one vote (OMOV) system. Under the new system, each riding would be allocated 100 points which would be distributed by percentage of the vote per leadership candidate (i.e. if Candidate X gets 50% of the votes in a riding, he will be allocated 50 points). As the amendment currently stands, there is no provision to account for the under-representation of youth in the Party. This proposal is problematic for both the Young Liberals organization and the Liberal Party as a whole.

While some may argue that this defeats the whole purpose of OMOV, we argue that OMOV defeats the purpose of having YLC to preserve and protect the youth voice in LPC—a voice that continues to be heard, respected, and fights for what matters most to young, progressive Liberals. We owe this to all Young Liberals of the past, present, and future. Young Liberals of yesterday and today have worked and fought hard for our commission and the presence we have in LPC and we owe nothing less to those of tomorrow so that they may have a home in the Party, just as we have had for years and years.

Solution:

The YLC is proposing an amendment to the amendment to allot a minimum of 25 points to youth voters in each federal riding in order to maintain our representation in LPC. This amendment would translate to having separate youth ballot boxes at a leadership vote in every riding, and the votes would be tallied separately and given a minimum of 25/100 points in that riding. However, if the percentage of youth exceeds 25%, the larger number will be counted.

Proposed LPC amendment:

(a) Delete section 56 and replace it with the following:

(1) The Leadership Vote is a direct vote of all members of the Party who have a right to vote on the Leadership Vote weighted equally for each electoral district in Canada and counted in accordance with this Section.

(2) Every member of the Party who ordinarily lives in Canada has the right to vote on the Leadership Vote, if that member has –

(a) been a member of the Party for the 41 days immediately preceding the day of the Leadership Vote;

(b) paid the registration fee (if any) for the Leadership Vote established by the National Executive;

(c) complied with the registration procedures established by the National Executive or by the Leadership Vote Committee.

(3) At least 27 days before the day of the Leadership Vote, the National Executive must publish on the public website of the Party the registration procedures for the Leadership Vote.

(4) Each member of the Party who has a right to vote on the Leadership Vote may vote by a preferential ballot on which the voter indicates their preference for leadership contestants. A ballot is not spoiled because the voter has not indicated a preference for all leadership contestants.

(5) The ballots must be counted, under the direction of the Chief Electoral Officer appointed under Subsection 56(6), in accordance with the following procedure (that is illustrated in Appendix B):

(a) Each electoral district is allocated 100 points.

(b) On the first count:

(i) for each electoral district, the first preference votes recorded in favour of leadership contestants on the ballots cast by the members of the Party who live in that electoral district are counted and then the 100 points allocated to the electoral district are allocated to each leadership contestant on the basis of the ratio the number of the first preference votes received by that leadership contestant bears to the total number of votes counted;

(ii) the total number of points allocated to each leadership contestant from all electoral districts in Canada are added to produce a total for the “national count”.

(c) On the second count, the leadership contestant who received the least points on the first national count is eliminated and that leadership contestant’s first count ballots are distributed in each electoral district among the remaining leadership contestants according to the second preferences indicated and counted according to the procedure set out in Subparagraph 56(a)(i) as if they were first preference votes.

(d) On each subsequent count, the leadership contestant who received the least votes in the preceding count is eliminated, and that leadership contestant’s ballots are distributed among the remaining leadership contestants according to the next preferences indicated.

(e) The first leadership contestant to receive more than 50% of the points allocated on any national count is selected as the Leader.

(6) The Leadership Vote Committee and the National Executive must jointly appoint a Chief Electoral Officer who will be responsible to make all arrangements necessary for the conduct of the balloting on the Leadership Vote and adjudicate all disputes over accreditation and the right to vote on the Leadership Vote.

(7) The Chief Electoral Officer appointed under Subsection 56(6) must act independently of the National Executive and each of the leadership contestants.

Proposed YLC amendment to the LPC amendment

Under section 56(5)(a) of the proposed LPC amendment, add the following:

(i) No less than 25 of the 100 points shall be allocated to members aged 25 or less.

Motion – YLC National Executive Meeting, April 3rd, 2009.

Be it resolved that the YLC National executive adopt the proposed amendment as outlined above to be presented to the Constitutional Plenary at the 2009 Leadership and Biennial Convention of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Moved by: Scott Pickup, Legal and Constitutional Affairs Representative

Seconded by: Samuel Lavoie, VP Policy

Passed: Unanimously