Cano-lotta Fun

Never having been to the prairies I didn’t quite know what to expect, I’ve seen “Corner Gas” and “Little mosque on the prairies” but I still didn’t know what I was getting into. So when I travelled to Lake Diefenbaker Saskatchewan I was amazed by everything from the long and hazy highways to the neon yellow canola fields.

I learned a lot about prairie life and what it was like. As I sat on the porch overlooking Waka lake, watching the sky that CBC has been hailing, I listened to a man speak about his distrust for the government and that he would never vote Conservative again because of their handling of the Afghanistan issue. He said “that’s a deal breaker.” He asked how we Liberals were faring and if we were going to fix the mess that’s been happening of late. I offered my best and said that it was largely up to him and people like him to make that change on Election Day. So I think that I won over at least one person over the weekend.

Jay Telegdi- Bradford-West Gwilimbury, Ont.

Ontario Experiences Camp Wanna Be Free

Although disappointed after hearing from a lifer that highway bison sightings were a rarity, our time in the "friendly province" was overall quite good. Winnipeg airport was a breath of fresh air after experiencing the early morning rush at Pearson (6.30 is an ungodly hour).

Who knew that vast yellow fields were canola? We didn't. That's why we stopped just outside of Winnipeg to take some glamour shots in a bright yellow field and investigate this oddity. We were informed by a nice local about the crop we were standing in, who gave the trademark "friendly Manitoba" smile after learning we were from Ontario. He was only about a kilometer down the road when an unmentioned member of the Ontario team stripped down past his unmentionables to streak through the canola.

The PT Cruiser is a car designed for baby boomers cruising down the strip reminiscing about their earlier years, a fact that we learned first hand. It is not a car designed to travel Highway 16, the one lane “new Trans-Canada” highway from Winnipeg to Saskatoon rife with tractors, RVs and generally slow-moving, lane hogging vehicles. Passing required accelerating from a few kilometers back, but nevertheless we made it to Saskatoon in reasonable time.

Camp Wanna Be Free was everything and nothing like I expected. As an Ontario Summer Fling regular I was used to regimented weekends with pulling and politicking – capped off with a generous dose of hospitality each night. At CWBF things seemed to meld together; fun, politics, sessions and beach time were indistinguishable but it worked. Overall CWBF was a great experience, one that I hope to experience annually!

-Kevin

Down South America Way

(Mackaycartoons.net)

"We are not going to say, 'Fix all your social, political and human-rights problems and only then will we engage in trade relations with you,' " Mr. Harper said at a joint news conference with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. "That's a ridiculous position."

For the complete article check out:

Rubbing elbows with Dion

As a thank you for doing two days of phonebanking, the Ottawa Summer Students got to rub elbows last night at District 89 with Stephane Dion and many of the former leadership contestants last night. In attendance were Scott Brison, Bob Rae, Maurizio Bevilaqua, Martha Hall Findlay, Carolyn Bennett, Hedy Fry, Gerard Kennedy.

It was a good time, for a good cause with all money raised going toward paying off leadership debts.

With 2 similar events coming up next week in Scarborough and Mississauga, those in the GTA region will have the chance to do the same.

For more information visit the Liberal Party website. To buy tickets contact Diane Mitchell at(416) 921-2844 ex 341 or dmitchell@liberal.ca

I was recently out in Saskatoon, taking a French immersion course at the University of Saskatchewan. It was very interesting to see how there is a good Francophone community in Saskatoon and in Saskatchewan in general. It was great to see that most were fellow Liberals who were quite pleased with previous' Liberal governments' decisions to support Francophone communities outside of Quebec, and this support from Liberal governments has made it easier to keep their language and culture.

What was also interesting was to meet the general public in Saskatchewan who were extremely upset at PM Harper breaking his election promises on the Federal equalization payments towards the province. It was very evident in our talks with everyone that many will aggressively campaign against Mr. Harper in the upcoming election. Another issue that agitated many in the province was the income trust promise. Now most of us don't think of income trusts and investments when it comes to Saskatchewan, but because of former Finance Minister Ralph Goodale, haling from Regina, the issue is close to home. Many seeing how Mr. Goodale's integrity was viciously attacked by Mr. Harper and others, and then Mr. Harper himself breaking his promise, they saw that as something too big to allow to just pass by. Mr Goodale is a legend in Saskatchewan and is well known for his integrity and ethics throughout the province and of course throughout the country.

Overall, it was great to see fellow Liberals in Saskatoon and have many different discussions with them on multiple issues that affected Saskatchewan and the Country as a whole.

Husain- Mississauga

Presentation- 7/7/07

This weekend I was fortunate enough to represent the young liberals at the National Women's Commission training day in Kirkland, Quebec. It was a great experience for me and I had a great time speaking with the female Quebec candidates about new media. During the presentation Mme. Krieber helped out by commenting on Blogs and facebook. She mentioned to the group of candidates to check out her favourite blogger, Jason Cherniak. J'étais vraiment heureuse quand beaucoup des candidates en mentioner qu'elles ont vu les ad Libérale, "Liberal vs. Conservative," Elles étaient vraiment fier du travail que nous, les jeunes libéraux, faisons chaque jour. It was a great experience for me and as a young woman in politics I am looking forward to working with this organization in the future.

Phonebank Marathon

Watch out Conservatives! The Young Liberals had a very successful evening of phonebanking yesterday for an upcoming event.

My Summer in Ottawa

For the past 3 weeks, I have had the opportunity to work on Parliament Hill as part of the Liberal Summer Internship Program and it has been amazing.

Being from Sault Ste. Marie and only having been to Ottawa for a few days at a time, I really didn't know what to expect of the city or the atmosphere on the Hill. I can honestly say that everybody I have met has been great and the experiences have been really fun.

During the past 2 summers, I had interned in Toronto at Queen's Park and while I really enjoyed my time there, Parliament Hill is a totally different atmosphere. One reason for that is because Queen's Park Liberals form the government, while Ottawa Liberals form the opposition. Because we are in opposition and there are fewer interns and fewer staffers, it feels more tight-knit and everyone genuinely has a good time together and from a work standpoint, it feels like everything that I do is important to winning the next election.

My time in Ottawa so far has been one great time after another. From socials at D'Arcy McGees, to parties at Stornoway, to my first Canada Day on the Hill, this has been a summer to remember. With 2 months left, I can't wait to see what else happens.

=(

Women's organizations cut staff in wake of Conservative funding guideline changes (EN) (FR). Je n'oublierai pas la prochaine fois que je...

Hamilton Youth "Take Back Canada"

The Hamilton Young Liberals started Canada Day by going to the heart of Tory country, the rural area's of our riding. We marched with our candidate, Arlene MacFarland Vanderbeek, in the Lynden Canada Day Parade. Expecting to find a frosty reception, we found the town lining the roads welcoming us to their community.

"Harper lied about income trusts," one resident told me. "I'm not going to get fooled again. You've got my vote next time around".

"We need to get serious about cleaning up the environment," another resident told me.

"We shouldn't be in Afghanistan anymore," another person said.

We finally knew that we had made an impact when a older gentleman yelled from the sides of the parade route, "Go Grits!".