It is nothing unusual today when the Prime Minister sends you a note, calling you by your first name, and asking for your help. What is unusual is the e-mail is not a plea for money but asks you to send ideas to help fix the Liberal Party’s constitution. And after searching out and reading the party’s constitution, you can only agree. It needs fixing.
The party needs to start with the preamble. It is much too long and rambling. It needs to be reduced to less than 25 words.
It also needs to better define its role as a party. The party is the sum of the membership of all the party organizations in the electoral districts across Canada along with the parliamentary wing of elected members and senators, led by the party leader who is elected by the party as a whole. The party may also have affiliated associations in provinces and territories which should support and follow the principles of the Liberal Party of Canada.
And it is the party that must determine if an individual is qualified to run as a Liberal candidate. At the same time, it must be the electoral district that chooses from among the qualified candidates and there must be an appeal process if a candidate has not been approved within reasonable time.
Policy must become more of a continuing process of the party. On-going study groups, policy meetings and dialogue with the parliamentary wing need to become routine for the party. Members of the parliamentary wing should also be ready to travel to electoral districts not held by the party to provide party members with policy updates and reports on parliamentary activities.
The objective is to create an on-going presence of the party in every electoral district. Fund-raising, membership drives, policy discussion and fellowship are all basic to an active and successful party association. The stronger the electoral district associations across Canada, the better the party will do in turning out the Liberal vote in elections.
But it is essential to recognize that the lead entity is the party. Leaders and parliamentarians are like the blowing snows of Canadian winters. They pass. It is the party that must provide the continuity of principles, protect the rights of Canadians, the development of liberal policies and the constant strengthening of the party organization. It is the essential truth of liberalism that must be furthered.
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Copyright 2016 © Peter Lowry
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