Bridging Liberal past with a Liberal future

Richard from Manitoba here,

Stephane came off feistier than Kyoto in a dog park on Sunday, a performance that gathered many impressed "hmm" moments at the inter-camp debate gathering I attended. Dion stood up for the Liberal record against two party newcomers, and I think its important that every Liberal remember that renewal is different than rebuilding.

The 13-year dynasty of our party was not an accident, nor just a product of the "big red machine" in singing campaign mode. In 1993, Liberals had a purpose: to bring Canada to a point of fiscal balance, in anticipation of a day where Canada could afford to implement any policy or program it needed to address social and economic ills. Purpose drove policy, policy drove visible change, and visible change kept us in office. The finest campaigners of Power Corp would not have been able to market a government that appeared to do nothing when the country was in need of fiscal reform. Consider this: Liberals were able to survive the backlash of having to cut social spending (and indeed all kinds of spending), a chorus that could have easily sung the fat lady tune for our party; but no...our purpose was in synch with that of Canadians, and we succeeded.

Stephane, and all Liberals, should be proud of that, because it was an achievement that all Canadians sacrificed for. Our loss came not from that imminent backlash against program cuts: it came when we lost purpose.

The latter Chretien years and fully the Martin years were defined moreso by conditions and actions thrust upon us by popular demand. Chretien's defining 2003 refusal on Iraq was a neccessary reaction to the unilateral action of the U.S: didn't create the mission, we simply said no. Same sex marriage was moved first by nearly every provincial court, even the Supreme Court of Canada, before it was decided. Martin was there to watch the vote.

Overall, there was a vacuum left when we had slayed the deficit. Chalk it up to whatever reason you may, we did not switch modes from fiscal savers to social restorers as the vision initially entailed. At the end, we were managers more than leaders, so busy coping with the day-to-day funcion of governing that we forgot why we were doing it.

Stephane's work on the environment came at the tail end of this. Its clear to see that Stephane always saw the environment as his purpose, but it is equally clear that purpose was not generally embraced by the whole government, nor the whole party. For whatever didn't get done we cannot blame only one of us. The Liberal party gets things done when we all buy into a common and focused purpose, and the environment wasnt it.

Stephane is trying to make the envrionment that Liberal purpose, equal to that of fiscal management back in 1993. Its important that Liberals see our need for such a common purpose. No other leadership candidate has stepped up with such a focus on a grand enough issue. The Liberal Party has proven it can get accomplish amazing feats if it has a purpose...environmental sustainability need be that new purpose, and Stephane need be the leader who can express and act on that purpose: our ability to once again realize this party's potential depends wholly on it.

Dion Rocked the Debate!

I just wanted to say that DION absolutely rocked yesterday's debate. I think that Don Newman confirmed what I have thought about Stephane all along... he is such an outstanding individual and would make such a great leader for the Liberal Party (and Prime Minister for Canada, of course) that the only thing Mr. Newman could think of criticizing him for is his "accent francais!" In a country where we celebrate cultural, religious and linguistic diversity, I am surprised to see that so much attention is focused on such a trivial attribute.

Yes, the ability to communicate in French and English is a requisite, in my opinion, to successful leadership of this country. A great leader, however, is not determined by his or her capacity to communicate flawlessly in Canada's two official languages. Rather, it is determined by the candidates aptitude, compassion, honesty, integrity, adaptability and a proven record of success. No other canidadate more closely fits the mold than Dion. Dion proved that yesterday.

Best 3 DION quotes of the debate:
“I’m proud to be a Liberal, and for me it did not take a leadership race for me to say so.”

“I think it's very important to choose a leader who has some credentials regarding fiscal discipline. I was there when the tough decisions had to be made, and I'm very proud of that.”

“I have always been clear and consistent in my words and actions, and I have never had to apologize for any of them.”

I am proud to be Canadian, I am proud to be a Liberal and I am proud to be a Dionista!

-Kaley (AB)

Dog Lovers for Dion Days Looking for Dollars!

Nothing makes for a lovely afternoon blogpost like some excessive illiteration and a grassroots fundraising campaign. So drumroll please...

Hello Fellow Dion Supporters,

Sunday is the last official debate, and the it's the home stretch! Whether your issue is national unity, the environment, beating Stephen Harper in the next election, owning a cute husky dog, Dion's the man for you.

So be the change you wish to see and donate to Equipe Dion. $10, $20, $50, $100, any amount will help. And in case you're still not sure, check out these happy faces and tell me you don't want to be a part of this ;-)

-Denise

so i'm getting writer's block thinking of a title!

i'm in a meeting this afternoon with one of my professors, trying somehow to get advice and direction for my future -- you know, one of those meetings... and the question of the day comes up -- do i take my LSATs at mcgill in december (at convention) or do i wait until february and get denied entrance to law school because my application won't be completed until too late? ahh.. ... sometimes i wonder about the liberal party! super weekend AND convention on lsat days!

anyways... so this naturally leads to the topic of leadership and i tell her i'm supporting stephane dion. she puts her hands to her face, shakes her head and says... oh, i'm so happy -- in her cute polish accent. he's the only logical choice for the party, she says. i was watching super weekend results very closely, she says.... oh boy, i say, relieved as i hand her my law school referee forms (in a pre-addressed fed-ex envelope) and walk out the door... i thought she was conservative?

debate sunday in TO anyone?

the beautiful appeal of stephane dion

i am so happy that my undying support is directed at stephane dion. i have received so much praise from friends in other camps for backing such a strong, experienced, and inspiring candidate. i love how everyone can concede that stephane is really the most qualified and suiting candidate to fill the position of leader. driving back from home at the end of this thanksgiving weekend, two friends and i argued over the candidates in the leadership race. each one admitted that dion is the only top-four candidtae without baggage that would prove to be divisive to the liberal party. i guess people really do believe in a united party, a united canada. J'ADORE DION!

Why I'm thankful for being a Dionista

Richard from Manitoba here.

On this thanksgiving weekend (shout out to the Aboriginal people that "gave" [read had stolen] all this land we live on) I'd like to tell everyone why I'm thankful for being a Dionista:

10. The relief of enviro-guilt (you know, the kind that you get every time you see a smoke stack, or when the tumbleweeds of McDonalds wrappers go rolling by)

9. Knowing that Trudeau federalism is still alive in someone.

8. A charming accent (!) that everyone should adore.

7. Bountiful dog food for Kyoto.

6. Kyoto. (Ya, ya, the vote. We all know that you don't send your campaign manager going door to door during an election. The best thing Stephane could do for Kyoto is to keep on campaigning so he can finish what he could only start with the late (too late), great Project Green.)

5. The elderly lady I drove an hour to pick up to vote for Dion on Super Weekend. I hope I'm graceful and intelligent when I'm old (kind of hard, seeing as I'm neither as of now)

4. The "Liberal on Board" window sticker in the back of my Civic hatchback (keep it small, SUV haters)

3. The fact that the two-year countdown to Bush-free day is going to start soon!

2. Being able to get along with anyone else's leadership camps (I haven't seen a Stop Dion website thus far)

and finally, the #1 reason being a Dionista is so gangsta....

Going to the FRENCH pubs in Montreal with our man!

A New Contest: Where's Waldo (er, Colin)

Following on the heels of the last photo contest, here's another one! Remember how great it was to read those "Where's Waldo" books as a child? Scouring the page for that goofy little face staring back at you? Well look hard at this photo and see if you can find our own youth campaign's Waldo, Colin....

Photo Contest Winner!

The official winner of our informal "Best Balloon Arch at a Dion Event" Competition is clearly, clearly, clearly North Vancouver. Congratulations!

SuperWeekend Diary: Day 3

Denise's Day 2 Stats recap (ticker soon to be available):

Hours awake so far: 17
Emails received: 252
Times I was so happy I almost cried: 2
Times I was so stressed I almost threw up: 0
Number of pizza slices I ate: 1
Number of people in campaign office who dissed my music selection: 0
Number of drinks I've had since polls closed (a new ticker feature): 9

So here we are on Sunday night. Hooray, we made it! Not to get too sappy, since politics is "rough-and-tumble," but let me say that I had a lot of good experiences this weekend with a lot of wonderful and respectful people from all camps.

Have a good sleep everyone. We deserve it :-)

Denise

Dion Rocks Nova Scotia Student Clubs

Hey all,

Score one for the Dionista youth team! After all is said and done, Dion took 7 of the 16 student club spots in Nova Scotia. Brison placed second with 6 and Iggy third with 3.


Here's the breakdown for anyone who is interested:

Saint Mary's

Dion 3
Brison 1

St. FX

Dion 2
Brison 1
Iggy 1

Dalhousie

Iggy 2
Dion 1
Brison 1

Acadia

Brison 3
Dion 1

The Bluenose Dionistas are comin to Montreal with a bang!! Watch Out!

Colin Hebb