Our Anniversary / Notre anniversaire

Some memories from the youth delegates. Certains souvenirs de les jeunes délégués...

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My favorite moment at a convention occured when Gerard Kennedy gave his speech rallying the troups to support our leader Stéphane Dion. We were all sad that our hard work hadn't left us on top but we were so proud of Gerard.

Nous avons tous marche avec Gerard à M. Dion. C'était un temp d'unité et inspiration pour moi.

I will never forget the hugs, the smiles and the friends I made during that walk.

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"I have two favourite convention moments. The first was Paul Martin's speech. It summed up what I thought was one of the most progressive, forward thinking governments, but was cut. Mr. Martin embarked on a very promising path - the Kelowna and Kyoto accords, a New Deal for cities, renewed federalism, same-sex marriage, a greater emphasis on Western Canada - and reminded us all that even though he was stepping down the responsibility rested on everyone else in the room to fulfill his governments mandate.

"The second, was Jean Chretien's speech. 'As you sit at home Mr. Harper, do not adjust your TV set. What you are seeing is real,' and 'Stephen. May I call you Steve, like your friend George Bush'."

- Zac Spicer

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"What I remember most from Convention are the people. After months of organization by phone, e-mail, and internet, Convention finally gave everyone the chance to work face-to-face. For me, this meant getting to meet wonderful people like Delia Greco (pictured here).

The moment that stands out most to me was the third ballot. Seeing Rae drop, and knowing that we stood a great chance of winning on the next
ballot, was a mix of elation and sadness. My great friend, Richard Zussman, had poured his heart into the Rae campaign and was now in the
unenviable position of having to deal with great disappointment and rally his troops at the same time. Nonetheless, he picked himself up, got organized, and worked hard right up to the last vote.

Once the forth ballot came in, we knew that a page had truly been turned in the history of the Liberal Party. We've had our bumps over the last year, but nothing great ever comes easy."

- Ian Anderson

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I spent a good 8 months working on Michael Ignatieff's campaign. From going to his events in the summer, to doing blog monitoring in the fall and organizing in Northern Ontario. I spent an entire week in Montreal getting there before the convention even started. I
think I worked harder that week than I have in anything I ever have. I really believed in Michael and did anything they asked, whether that meant unloading trucks, handing out t-shirts, talking to other delegates or taking part in rallies. It was kind of a frustrating week and I felt all my hard work was going unappreciated.


I still stuck it out because I really wanted Michael to win, even though I felt unnoticed. At the party after Michael lost, I was really disappointed. I went up to him to tell him I was proud to work for him. He told me that he wasn't good with names, but he recognized my face and that he knew I had been with him for a long time and that I worked really hard. I don't know if he really meant it, but after a long week of feeling unappreciated, the fact that Michael would make that kind of gesture with everything I'm sure he was feeling after losing the leadership race really made my convention.

- Justin Tetreault

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"My favourite convention moment was gathering youth delegates from all camps to put on MHF shirts and cheer for her as she finished casting her first ballot. I wasn't a Findlay delegate, but nobody deserved a packed post-vote scrum more than she. As she lead us down one escalator, my candidate was on the one beside me heading up. Without flinching, he smiled at me, reached out for my hand, and then gave me a pat on the back as he continued up one escalator and I continued down the other.

"Je ne savais pas qui allait gagner à la fin. J' était fatigués et avec beaucoup de stress. Cette semaine a été difficile et parfois je voulais arrêter tout et sortie le Palais. Mais à ce moment-là, j'ai rappelé une leçon très importante à mes parents m'ont appris...

"Winning isn't everything -it's being a team player that counts."

- Denise Brunsdon

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"What is it with political conventions and sushi? I love Japanese food as much as the next guy, but seven straight meals of rice, rolls, seaweed, spicy tuna and octopus? The sake wasn't bad, though...better than Red Bull! It got me through many a long night huddled over my laptop, tracking delegates.

Un gros merci au gentil bonhomme qui a inventé le Tide-to-Go. La sauce soja...mon ennemi mortel!"

- John Lennard

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Congratulations / Félicitations

à Danielle Takacs!

LPCO AGM

Conservatives and the death penalty

The Conservative government has decided to abandon Ronald Smith, a Canadian citizen, in his fight against a U.S. death sentence in the state of Montana. Though what he did was wrong, Mr. Smith deserves the support of the Canadian government, his most significant ally.

How does our treatment of Mr. Smith compare to our treatment of U.S. citizens in similar situations? Canadian law prohibits extradition of a U.S. citizen to an U.S. state in which they will face the death penalty. Why does the Conservative government apply a lesser standard to Canadians in the same position?

The reason is simple. The Conservative government wants to send a strong message to Canadians: if you commit a crime in the United States and you face the death penalty, don’t expect any help from Canada. Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day was clear on this point: “We want to preserve public safety here in Canada and that is our position.”

While we may not have the final say on his fate, we do have the power and the responsibility to express Canada’s principles. Canadian foreign policy should be a reflection of Canadian domestic policy, not U.S. domestic policy. We don’t execute people, and we should fight to protect our citizens who face that fate, no matter what they’ve done.

Canadians deserve better. They deserve a government that will stand up for them, through thick and thin, because they are Canadian.

Not okay

"This government, by stealth, is changing that long-standing policy to Canada to protect Canadians against the death-penalty abroad. You have a wholesale change of law to capital punishment without any debate whatsoever in Parliament." - Ujjal Dosanjh

Persons Day / Journée de l'affaire « Personnes »

Merci à Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney et tous les autres féministes de la génération pour leur travail.



But let us never forget, as Mary Ellen Smith said, "The iron dropped into the souls of women in Canada when we heard that it took a man to decree that his mother was not a person."

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/famous5/053002_e.html
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/celebres5/053002_f.html

Bonne fête M. Dion!

L'hon Paul Martin avec les Jeunes libéraux

Ballin' at the Laurier Club event in Toronto!

A Party's party parting

The last summer student has officially gone back to school.

And although my heart is upset, my liver is relieved.



Looking back upon the summer, I have to say I’ve learned a lot from what I’ve done, from what I’ve seen, and from those with whom I did and saw those things.

I have learned that although St. John New Brunswick may be a beautiful city, one should not get a chance to find this out if driving from Halifax to Quebec City efficiently.

I have learned that Saskatchewan canola fields are a big deal if you haven’t grown up with them.

I have learned that North Bay and Montreal pubs share a common commitment to excellence in patron-oriented partying and laissez-faire dance floor policies that the rest of this country, sadly, lacks.

And I have learned that working for something you believe in, even if as seemingly inconsequential as a summer student program, is consequential. To spend a summer in Ottawa, with its unique opportunities, activities, and atmosphere, is an amazing experience. Moreover, to spend a summer growing and learning with an outstanding collection of earnest and dedicated Liberals will leave you with memories not to be forgotten.

To Elyse, Jay, Justin, Carlene, Dylan, Kelly, Meghan, Mary-Rose, Oz, Ian, and Colin, thank you.

And more importantly, to your fantastic bosses:

The Hon. Paul Martin, Hon. Dominic LeBlanc, Jamie Carroll, Andrew Telegdi, Hon. Mauril Bélanger, LRB, Senator Eggleton, Hon. Ken Dryden, Senator Hervieux-Payette, and Senator Jim Cowan,

UN GROS MERCI!

-db

Quebec Elections on Monday, volunteer today!

We had a great time helping out last week, and e-day is sure to be even more exciting. Email dbrunsdon@liberal.ca to join in a caravan from Toronto, Ottawa, or anywhere inbetween.

Recruitment Package Packing Party!

lancement officiel bientôt...

Guess who's coming to breakfast?

This week Liberal Leader Stephane Dion sat down with the Young Liberal Summer Students in the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition. Over breakfast he thanked us for our months of service to the Liberal Party around Ottawa and discussed matters of importance such as the ageing population and post secondary education.


“He welcomed us and our ideas, and spent a great deal of time just listening” said Ozren Jungic from Vancouver B.C. “Dion recognizes youths’ ability to tell it like it is; and he was very accepting of that.”



Stephane took the time to lay out some of his thoughts on different ways of addressing post secondary education tuition. “He has put a lot of thought into the various combinations of possible actions” Said Meghan Pritchard who is studying abroad in Geneva at the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales, “together we went over all the options and offered our input and tried to flesh out the best solution.”

Wow. Talk about the emporer having no clothes.

What were they thinking?

Dion-Top of the World

La rencontre avec Stéphane Dion était une expérience de laquelle je me rappellerais pour longtemps. As a first-timer at the OYL’s Summer Fling at Nipissing University in North Bay Ontario, I was impressed by how welcome everyone made me feel. Stephane came in and greeted us as friends; he took the time to listen to our concerns. J’étais tellement impressionné avec le respect et la considération qu’il a donné a chaque question de notre groupe. His inspiring speech was a refreshing change from the rhetoric of the Harper government. A la fin de la journée, je savais exactement pourquoi je suis Liberal!

Once we were done with the day’s activities the group went to North Bay’s waterfront to celebrate with a cruise on Lake Nipissing. Awards were announced and I was thrilled when my riding club of Toronto Centre Federal was awarded Best Riding Club of the Year and its president, Chris Drew, was awarded as Best President of the Year, the awards solidified the sense of camaraderie between all of us. We are all excited to deliver a victory for Stephane Dion and the Liberal Party of Canada by getting Bob Rae elected in Toronto Centre in the upcoming by-elections.

Aaron GlynWilliams- Toronto Centre

Dion’s pledge motivates young women

“Stephane Dion’s pledge to have at least 1/3 female candidates in the next federal election has inspired women across the country to become strong Liberal candidates” said Caitlin Townsend VP- Youth of the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission. “The importance of female participation in politics just became that much more important as Steven Harper has cut yet another woman out of cabinet.” It is for this reason that Townsend co-founded the Ontario Women’s Issues Committee (OWIC). The Young Women’s Issue Committee will have four major tenets: Young Women’s Policy, Community Outreach, Networking, and Mentorship.

Building on the vision of Stephane Dion, this committee and its federal counterpart hope to create a formal mentorship program with federal and provincial female caucus members across the country for young women who show interest in running as Liberal candidates in the future. “A Young Liberal Women’s mentorship program will help give young women the tools that they need to succeed in aspiring to become elected officials.” said Townsend this weekend at the official launch of the WIC at Nipissing University in North Bay Ontario.

To get involved in OYL Women’s Issues Committee contact Caitlin Townsend at kate_townsend@hotmail.com or to get involved in the National Young Liberal Women’s Association contact Denise Brunsdon at dbrunsdon@liberal.ca

Another one bites the dust

Just when you thought Stephen Harper couldn't care less about women's equality, it turns out he can! With a cabinet shuffle that booted one woman out, he's but a few more steps away from "Boys only" cabinet meetings. Just like elementary school, except with longer recesses.

db

Summer Fling in North Bay

This weekend the OYL held its 7th annual Summer Fling in North Bay Ontario. It was a great time and we had the distinct pleasure of being joined by our Leader Stephane Dion. The local media ate it up, check out these links below.

Here, here and here

Also, enjoy some of the highlights with this photo essay



Melissa, Elyse, Meghan, Mary-Rose and Matt on the boat cruise



Stephane Dion and Anthony Rota take questions



Ahoy there. Welcome to the Chief Commander



En Route to North Bay we celebrated Paul Martin Dr


Mike, Claire and Chike on Lake Nippising




Ian, Matt, Meghan,Kelly, Kate & Denise at Cecil's in down town North Bay


The local MP Anthony Rota at opening ceremonies

Harper snubs another Premier...

Stephen Harper came to the NWT for a three day visit...and failed to notify anyone but his riding association. Paranoid secrecy? Check. Disregarding regional leaders and politicians? Check. Half hearted environmental protection? Hey, he's three for three.

"Dion stayed. And fought."

I've been looking for an excuse to post this photo again, and then along came this article.

My fave line is, "Dion stayed. And fought. To any Conservative (or Liberal) who thinks this guy isn't tough enough to be prime minister, maybe you'd better think again."

Conservatives best wake up
The Winnipeg Sun, The Toronto Sun
Lorrie goldstein

The more I learn about Stephane Dion, the more I think it would be dumb of the Conservatives to underestimate him.

I know, according to the punditocracy, the federal Liberal leader is a dud-man-walking.

But they also told us Stephen Harper was a dud and Paul Martin was dynamite.

Oops.

Two books suggest why Dion could be a serious threat in the next election.

The easier read is Linda Diebel's Stephane Dion, Against the Current, published earlier this year.

The tougher but more eye-opening one is 1999's Straight Talk -- a collection of Dion's speeches and writings when he was Canada's unity minister, following the near-disaster of the 1995 Quebec referendum.

Reading these pieces, you quickly discover that Dion is, like Harper, scary smart.

His speeches, letters and essays -- most given when he first entered Jean Chretien's cabinet on the advice of Chretien's wife, Aline -- literally demolish the separatists' arguments.

No wonder they hate him. He's smarter than they are. More>>

Atlantic Caucus: More than meets the eye

We've arrived in the fantastic city that is Moncton in search of Magnetic Hill. A phenomenon we were later told by a disgruntled Moncton Tourism employee (before attempting the hill itself) that is just an optical illusion. Talk about ruining the awe factor. Despite the authority that is the disgruntled employee, we plan to wikipedia this immediately upon arrival to Halifax for details, as we are sure that wiki is in fact the repository of all human knowledge.

There's a killer boardwalk at Magnetic Hill, on what looks like a large muddy puddle with beavertails and everything.... We might actually get a chance to eat something other than tim hortons which seems to be the roadtrip staple this week

The whole magnetic hill theme park thing is pretty cool...we just finished that and now we're driving across a covered bridge. We're buying into every touristy thing we can find here, I mean 5 bucks to stick a car in neutral and roll up/down a hill? Elyse just attempted her moose call in the magnetic hill zoo so I'm slightly worried about some sort of animal rampage so I'd better go...

Here's to hoping we don't get mauled by some rogue wildlife...

Kelly-Anne