Dryden Speaks Against Harper Motion

And Liberal resolution, as well.

Dryden Speaks Against Harper Motion

And Liberal resolution, as well.

Welcome to Balmy Montreal!

The forecast for the first half of our convention is warm, warm, warm! Delegates coming from
-23C Edmonton and other sub-Arctic locations: dress accordingly! The lovely weather will give everyone an opportunity to make the most of our wonderful city. Looking forward to seeing all Liberals this week :)

Harper Recognises Quebec Nation

Harper has brought forth a motion in response to the motion to be brought forward by the Bloc tomorrow. He recognises the Quebec nation within a united Canada. He rejects Bloc notion of Quebec of independant nation. House goes mad. Big, great kudos from our fearless leader Bill Graham for commitment of Canada and ability to overcome partisanship. Liberals will work with all parties to promote Canada - houuse goes mad. Great speech! Duceppe is up next.

Proper Process and Transparency: Necessary for Renewal

Last week the Quebec Women's Liberal Commission passed a procedural resolution asking that all resolutions adopted by the Special General Counsel on October 21st be removed as LPCQ priority resolutions. The concern is not the content of the resolutions themselves - though some resolutions are more popular than others -but how this set of resolutions became a priority in the first place. The process is highly questionable and not transparent in the least.

Last year, the LPCQ enhanced its warchest by $250 a delegate at the LPCQ Biennial Policy Convention, held in Montreal in November. After months, sometimes years, of preparation of policy resolutions by standing commissions, riding associations and Liberal clubs, a final set was debated and prioritised in plenary. Those resolutions stood as priority LPCQ policy until they mysteriously vanished from the website two weeks ago.

The LPCQ constitution is clear: the convention is sovereign. Yet, somehow resolutions crafted over not more than three LPCQ 'policy committee' meetings and adopted by a special general counsel have been permitted to supersede policy legitmately passed in plenary by a large number of LPCQ members.

In yesterday's English and French language media, 2 members of the 'policy committee' went to great lengths to defend one particular resolution in order to give it and themselves legitimacy. Interestingly, other members of the same 'policy committee' questioned from the outset the committee's legitimacy in - and the propriety of - developing policy. One member protested vocally, but alas this was not recorded as the 'policy committee' did not take minutes. People were permitted (including one blogger) to show up at the last meeting to vote, when they had attended no previous meetings. If you have members of the body that brought us this policy questioning the body's very legitimacy, what does this say about the policy output?

And why should a small, transient group that met infrequently and was not transparent about its process have more power than the grassroots?

The majority of the Quebec leadership campaigns support the Women's Commission in this effort. If the LPCQ refuses to remove the resolutions and replace them with the legitimate 2005 resolutions, a motion will be brough to the floor. Clearly, this can be avoided and should be, however logic and politics don't always mix. If you support transparency in process and grassroots advocacy in the LPCQ, lend your signature to petitions that will be circulating before the Quebec Caucus meeting.

Iggy Youth Sinks to New Low

I was not terribly surprised to see that anti-Anglo sentiment is alive and well in the booing Quebec Iggy Youth. Alexandre Plante of Fuddle Duddle posted the following remark at Views from the Water Edge:

It is supported by most Quebec Liberals. Only a handful of angry anglos are against it. The type of Anglos that haven't evolved since the 1950-1960s. The ones that caused the separatist movement to erupt.

Now suppose we replace 'anglo' with some other ethnic/religious or linguistic group. It's interesting that among certain people, the last bastion of socially acceptable ethnic slurs are those directed at English-speaking Quebecers. With inflammatory remarks like that, I'm wondering if it will be Iggy campaign propaganda in my mailbox tomorrow or something slightly more sinister....

Aucune réponse, en n'importe quelle langue

Today Michael Ignatieff had op-eds published in both languages (G&M and La Presse) where he 'clarifies' his position on the nation of Quebec.

He tries to be clear that he is - undoubtedly for pragmatic purposes - against any constitutional entrenchment of a 'fact'. What is he is still still unclear on is how the resolution that came out of his campaign would affect ethnic and linguistic anglos and allophones dans la Belle Province. I have asked his blog patrol this question several times and I've gotten no answer. Not even spin. So, again I must ask Team Iggy: How does Iggy's view of the civic/social/fiscal/spiritual/numinous nation he refers to affect Quebec Anglos and Allophones - or 'New Canadians' in ROC. If you have no response - which you clearly do not - you should look into who designed the policy proposal; question whether anyone clearly understood the demographics at play (i.e. Anglos in Qc; Anglos and allophones prevalance within the Liberal Party Canada - Quebec)

In addition to littering Canadian mailboxes with non-recycled paper product (bad Iggy!), his Quebec Team has also conveniently avoided demographic realities. In short, the Iggy campaign was happy to learn that as a delegate from a Montreal riding, I would be attending convention. They were less than thrilled to hear what I had to say about my perception about their campaign's perception about the Quebec 'reality' and the foul treatment of Mm. Dion et Rae in our fair city on 21 Oct.

All that to say: I'm still extremely interested in hearing an explanation from team Iggy about how this will affect the 1 million people in Qc who identified themselves during the last census as 'English Canadian' and the other countless people who are 'allophone' Quebecer/ Canadian. Tell me a story about the Charter, Iggy. But don't forget the notwithstanding clause.

LPCQ Grassroots Demand Democracy and Transparency

The following is a draft resolution from real LPCQ activists. Contrary to the spin, not all members of our party support the process used at the Conseil Général Spécial to determine priority resolutions. We are also concerned that members of LPC in the other provinces and territories might be led to believe that all members of LPCQ support lack of transparency in process. This is not the case. We are determined to save this Convention and we hope we will have the support of Liberals everywhere - even if only in spirit.

Sinestra
xx

Resolution Concerning Prioritisation of 2005 Liberal Party of Canada (Quebec) Policy Resolutions for consideration at 2006 National Biennial Convention of the Liberal Party of Canada

Whereas Liberal Party of Canada (Quebec) policy has been developed, deliberated and prioritized by the grassroots members through biennial policy conventions;

Whereas the LPC(Q)’s ridings and grassroots members devote considerable time and energy to developing policy resolutions for debate, amendment and adoption at biennial policy conventions;

Whereas the Liberal Party of Canada (Quebec)’s Constitution was amended in November 2005 to allow for policy to be amended and adopted at meetings of the Special General Council, which remains a governing body;

Whereas the General Counsel’s recently-acquired ability to develop policy does not confer on it the authority to override decisions of the biennial policy convention in its capacity as the supreme and ultimate policy-making body of the LPC(Q);

Whereas resolutions passed by the Special General Counsel at its October 21st 2006, meeting cannot be allowed to supersede resolutions adopted and prioritised in plenary at the LPC(Q) Biennial Policy Convention, November 2005, lest biennial policy conventions be rendered redundant;

Whereas, notwithstanding the aforementioned facts, it has become a matter of contention as to which set of resolutions should represent the voice of the LPC(Q) members at the upcoming National Biennial Policy Convention;

Be it Resolved that the LPC (Q)’s Constitution be amended to clarify the prioritisation, relationship and ranking of resolutions adopted at biennial policy conventions, such that these take precedence over those adopted by any other LPC(Q) body or forum, including special general counsels;

Be it further resolved that the hard work and firm will of the membership of the LPC(Q) be recognised by validating resolutions prioritised at the November 2005 Biennial Policy Convention;

Be it further resolved that in the spirit of good faith towards its membership, the democratic process and transparency, the LPC (Q) present the priority resolutions adopted in November 2005 as its priority resolutions at the upcoming National Biennial Convention.