Considering where things stood politically in Canada on the morning after last May’s federal election, the Liberal Party is making progress toward recovery.
No one is gilding any lilies. There’s much more work yet to be done. But viewed from the vantage point of the morning after this past weekend’s National Liberal Convention, the improvement to date is encouraging.
Since the election, Party memberships have grown by some 15,000 people.
As for fundraising, 2011 turned out to be the best year Liberals have ever had under Canada’s tougher new political financing rules. We raised a record-setting $9.4 million. And our books are balanced.
We’re moving successfully into the modern era of broad-based digital communications.
Most significantly, our National Convention attracted over 3,200 fully accredited delegates – more than the Conservatives and the NDP combined. Despite a blizzard and bone-chilling temperatures, this was probably the largest non-leadership political convention in history. And a third of those delegates were under the age of thirty.
The mood was excellent. Leader Bob Rae repeatedly fired-up the delegates. And a progressive, reform-minded new President and national executive were elected.
The Convention renovated the Liberal Party’s structure to allow more and more Canadians to participate. The changes could allow hundreds of thousands of new people to become involved in the leadership selection process early next year.
Liberals have also started work on policy ideas. Some of them potentially controversial.
But most are rooted in fundamental priorities like economic growth, productivity and jobs, higher education and innovation, sustainable development, adequate pensions, 21st century healthcare, long-term care facilities and services for seniors, etc.
Why all this effort and activity?
It seems a lot of people WANT to help rebuild the Liberal Party. It’s a tangible demonstration that what’s on offer to date from the Conservatives and the NDP is not fulfilling Canadians’ hopes.
