This Great Country of Ours…3 Days on the Liberal Express

Rather than provide links for all the places and people we met, I’ll just say that I spent 3 days on the Liberal Express with Michael Ignatieff, from Pickering to Ajax to Markham to Toronto to Orillia to Camp Couchiching to Rosseau to Barrie to Caledon to Brampton....... The Liberal Express blog has lots of photos of the whole tour. And it was great fun. It was nice to spend some time with MP colleagues wearing shorts, sandals, T-shirts and flip-flops; the Young Liberals on board were good fun; Michael was terrific, the reception on the ground was extraordinarily warm and welcoming, the reaction excellent—all in all, it was really positive, and as the first week of a 7-week tour, bodes well for the summer. Lucky Michael and the team get to spend the whole summer exploring this great country of ours, and meeting so many of the great people who live here.

Ce beau pays qui est le nôtre…3 jours sur l’autobus le Libéral Express

Plutôt que de vous fournir les liens de tous les endroits et personnes rencontrés, je vais seulement vous dire que j’ai passé trois jours à bord de l’autobus Libéral Express avec Micheal Ignatieff, en partant de Pickering vers Ajax en passant par Markham, Toronto, Orillia, au Camp Couchiching, Rosseau, Barrie, Caledon et Brampton… Je vous invite à consulter le blogue de l’autobus Libéral Express pour y voir les photos de la tournée. Mon séjour sur l’autobus fut très plaisant. J’ai apprécié passer du temps avec mes collègues député(e)s en short, en chandails à manches courtes, et en sandales; j’ai aussi eu beaucoup de plaisir avec les jeunes libéraux qui étaient à bord de l’autobus. Michael était formidable et les réceptions et activités organisées sur le terrain étaient extraordinairement invitantes et conviviales. Tout autour, les réactions étaient très positives et pour la première semaine d’une tournée de 7 semaines, on peut dire qu’elle s’est très bien passée. Michael et son équipe sont chanceux de pouvoir explorer notre beau pays tout au long de l’été et d’y rencontrer autant de bons citoyens canadiens.

Canada 150

This past weekend was an exciting one for the politicos in our country. People from across the country gathered in Montreal, online, and in 70 satellite conferences in various regions (including one in Willowdale!) from coast to coast to coast. Though the event was hosted by Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal Party of Canada it was non-partisan allowing for an open, thoughtful and frank discussion on where Canadian policy needs to go and how we are going to get there.

As a Young Liberal participating in the Montreal conference (and online, seeing as the Internet is more or less attached permanently to my hand) I had the chance to converse with some truly amazing people. The weekend was inspirational to say the least.

We talked about the challenges of an aging population, the changing job market, the economy, the environment, carbon tax. We explored culture and the effects of the digital age, we looked at youth representation and the impact of the voluntary sector and NGOs. This multi-directional conversation is an exciting and dynamic dialogue that, I think, is allowing more people the opportunity to engage in politics – and isn’t that what democracy is, everyone with a voice, everyone engaged? Well it is the democracy I want to be a part of at least. One where citizens are excited about politics and eager to contribute.

For more on Canada 150 and to watch videos of the conference proceedings from Montreal check out the website: http://can150.ca/

-Elizabeth

MHF and Willowdale Team at CAPP Rally

Last Saturday, Martha and a group of us from Willowdale met up at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto along with thousands of other Canadians to protest Stephen Harper's decision to prorogue Parliament. We were there to demonstrate that we care about our democracy, and if necessary are willing to fight for it, as Michael Ignatieff said that same day in Ottawa.

Standing amidst the throngs of people crowding the square, it was hard to make a good estimate of exactly how many people turned out, but as our numbers kept filling the square and eventually spilled out onto the streets, it was clear that Canadians are anything but apathetic about their democracy. People of every age and from every walk of life had shown up because were not happy with the government's actions. Faced with mounting questions over his government's performance on issues such as torture in Afghanistan and the growing deficit, Stephen Harper was counting on the apathy of Canadians to be able to dodge scrutiny and criticism by shutting down Parliament. And clearly, he judged wrongly!

The rally we attended was the creation of Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament, a non-partisan grassroots coalition with a remarkable story. When Stephen Harper revealed quietly on New Year's Eve that he was shutting down Parliament until March, one university student from Alberta made an act of simple but honest protest: he started a Facebook group. Pundits dismissed this as irrelevant, saying no one really cared. But as more and more people joined, and the group passed 100,000, then 200,000 members, the actions of one citizen concerned for his democracy blossomed into a truly coast-to-coast movement uniting Canadians of every sort and sparking rallies across the country, including the one we attended.

One of the greatest privileges of volunteering alongside Martha is listening in as she converses with Canadians about the issues that are important to them--which is so integral to the job of a Member of Parliament. We met lots of people that afternoon who shared how fed up they had been with the decision to prorogue, but how warmed and inspired they had been to see the strength of this movement that had risen up. It was great to meet so many people share their concerns for the fundamentals of democracy, whether on the streets and squares during the event, or afterwards at Milestones and Future Shop!

-Ryan Krahn

*For more photos see the Facebook album.

Canada's place in a changing world.

My first degree was in International Relations (UofT), and when I went on to study and practice law, a significant portion was international law, and international trade and commerce.

Since the end of my "formal" studies, I have continued to be a student of international affairs, recognizing the importance of international relations to so much of what we do.

And I am so proud of what Canada and Canadians have done on the international stage, from my grandfather and others in WW1, my father landing on D-Day in WW2, to people like Lester Pearson winning the Nobel Peace Prize (and doubly proud that Pearson was a Liberal--proud as I am of what my Dad accomplished in WW2, he was definitely Conservative!)

I was therefore really pleased that Michael Ignatieff spoke this past week on his vision for Canada's place in the world, on Canada re-establishing itself as a constructive participant in world affairs. Even more, I was really excited about the substance he offered, with a number of concrete ideas about what we can, and should, do. Please read Michael Ignatieff's speech to the Canadian Club of Ottawa. I'd love to hear what you think.

Summer Caucus

Needless to say, our caucus retreat this past week was eventful, with Michael Ignatieff making it very, very clear that we Liberals will no longer support the Harper government. We all feel a sense of relief that we can now, truly, stand up for things that are so important to us as Liberals. In addressing caucus the day after his announcement, Michael was clearly in fine form. We could see, and hear, and feel his relief at his decision---he was confident, enthusiastic, eloquent and passionate about the future. In short, he was terrific.

And it is fascinating to watch Jack Layton and the NDP with their waffling and mixed messages!! How extraordinary, after so much ‘holier than thou’ posturing about ‘never’ supporting Stephen Harper. The tables are turned; the NDP are now facing the practical challenges of an election that doesn’t suit their own timing (or poll results!)—and lo and behold, their principles, if Jack Layton had any to begin with, seem to have disappeared.

These are interesting times...

On a personal level, it was really nice to catch up with so many colleagues who have also become good friends. We were all very busy with our ridings over the summer, but I was glad to see that colleagues who are often so hard-working all of the time, also managed to get some time this summer with their families.

And a final note of thanks about the warm welcome we were given by Sudbury and Northern Ontario, it was wonderful. We look forward to turning the whole region Liberal red again!

Throughout caucus I conducted a little experiment and used Twitter to create a mini photo journal of the event, as seen below.

Liberal Women's Caucus roundtable with representatives from various Sudbury organizations.

Kristina Gasparini, Carol Hartman - new Lib candidate + Janet Gasparini, who also fought for the nomination. What a great team we have!

During break in ON caucus mtgs, Frank Valeriote + Andrew Kania online- power of being connected :)

Here’s Justin right after @M_Ignatieff speech - the look on J's face (and his shirt) says it all!!

This photo even made it to Macleans: http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/09/01/well-justin-is-convinced/


Larry Bagnell MP + wife Melissa Craig + daughter Aurora Sage as we all get ready for big #lpc rally

Deputy House Leader Marlene Jennings recharging after an eventful day--"Why bother with veggies when you have french fries??

M&M photos

As many of you know, we had an "M&M" fundraising event with Michael Ignatieff on Friday, and it was terrific! (Particularly given that it was downtown Toronto, on a Friday evening of the second-last summer weekend!) I want to thank Michael Ignatieff for taking time from his busy schedule, and I also want to thank the MHF team members who worked so incredibly hard to get this off the ground. It's always dangerous to name names because you might leave someone out, but there were a few folks who went over and above, so Carol, David, Puneet, Michele, Sid, Rahil and all the other volunteers who make our team so great, that was a great success---thank you so much!!

I also want to say a special thank you to the Twitterers, facebook folk, and the bloggers who promoted the event (and even reported on while it was happening!)---very neat :-)

Here are a few photos from the night:

Korean Canadian Liberal Association Gala

Congratulations to the Korean Canadian Liberal Association on the terrific Gala event last night, with big thanks to Justin Trudeau who gave the keynote speech. Thanks also to David Zimmer, MPP for Willowdale and Kathleen Wynne, Ontario Minister of Education and MPP for Don Valley West, both of whom came to show their support, with David also bringing greetings from Premier Dalton McGuinty. Congratulations to Sonny Cho, president of the KCLA and to all of the volunteers who helped create a such a successful and well-attended event--well done!! On a personal note, it was great for me to see so many friends, to be able to bring greetings and congratulations to the KCLA on behalf of Michael Ignatieff, and to do Justin's introduction. I didn't even have to mention that all you need to do is offer him kimchi and he'll come---he pretty much did that himself :-) I also took the opportunity to say thank you to the Korean Canadian community for being so extraordinarily warm and welcoming to me, as the relatively new MP for Willowdale, and how much I look forward to a long and strong future together. A great evening was had by all.

Here are a few photos from the night, more will be available on Flickr very soon!

2nd Annual Toronto Regional Day

Hi! My name is Ryan and I am a volunteer for TeamMHF. This Saturday, I was one of several Willowdale representatives at the 2nd Annual Toronto Regional Day organized by the Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario). “Ready to Win” was the event’s title, as the purpose of the day was to help prepare those of us at the grassroots level for an election campaign, if an election is called.

The lobby of the Ryerson University meeting room was buzzing when I arrived a few minutes before 8:30 in the morning. There were a lot of familiar faces present, including a number of people I recognized from the Vancouver convention in May. There wasn’t a lot of time of time for chatting over coffee, though, as the schedule was packed!

For the first break-out session of the day, we were assigned to tables with people from other ridings as well as our own. Along with several other Willowdaleans, I was seated with number of people from Etobicoke-Lakeshore, the riding of Michael Ignatieff, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. We were given ten minutes to come up with an election preparedness plan given the hypothetical scenario of an election in six months. The mixed seating arrangement gave us the opportunity to exchange our ideas and our experiences from past campaigns.

After each table shared their plan, an “expert panel” composed of experienced past campaign managers provided advice and recommendations for improving the plan. Several more break-out sessions throughout the day continued on this theme, with variations on the time frame from 6 months to two days.

We broke in the middle of the day for a lunch of sandwiches and salads (which was included with registration!). This provided more opportunities to meet and chat with Liberals from all over the Toronto region.

The highlight of the day for me was a speech by Rocco Rossi, National Director of the Liberal Party of Canada. He spoke with great conviction about the challenges facing the party, but also about the huge strides that we have made. Mr. Rossi stated that the party needs for every Liberal in Canada to see themselves as personally responsible for the party’s future. He challenged each of us to recruit at least one new Liberal—which would double membership if everybody did this!

The event was a great opportunity to hear some expert advice from seasoned campaign runners. For me, the most helpful input came simply from connecting with people from other ridings in Toronto, sharing ideas and stories from past campaigns. I should mention that Eileen Shuchat, who is Toronto Region president for the LPC(O), did a great job in organizing the event and is actually from Willowdale herself! We left the event energized and ready to fight an election regardless of when the next one will be held.

- Ryan