Archive for the ‘Federal Politics’ Category

Last night I was sent a link to an article in the Winipeg Free Press about Bob Rae calling out Liberal cliques, Liberal navel gazing, and turf wars. The Globe and Mail pipes in as well. I couldn’t agree more.

Mr. Rae has signaled that he wants Canadians–all Canadians–to be invited into the leadership race for the Liberal Party of Canada. I suspect this point of view has come out from the Albertan experiment last summer with the Alberta Liberals who engineered a supporter system that drew in 28,000 individuals to vote for our leader across the entire province. It allowed regular people to vote in the leadership race without needing to pay for a membership. The system also allows people to walk off the street and vote for their favorite in their local nomination races. It was reasonably effective, was takeover proof, and was great to find a base to build from for new riding associations.

Also, it undermined long standing factions in the party in Edmonton and Calgary, and opened up the field demonstrably for others to partake in the race as candidates, supporters, and organizers. It wasn’t an insider’s game of who had what lists or where you could get more membership forms from–you could walk around with your own sheets, pull in the information of hundreds, and build up a campaign from there. It washed over the previous battled and infused both a new energy and blood into a party. As the new president of Calgary-Klein I hugely appreciate being able to simply circumvent the unhappy cliques of four, five years ago, skip over candidate squabbles that have existed for some four to eight years, and get right into building the association in preparation of a 2012 election.

I feel this type of infusion of new blood is needed in the federal Liberals. In my own case there is not one day in the last three years (since I began being active in the Liberals) that I haven’t noted my blessing that I skipped the Martin-Chretien spat of 2000 to 2005. We had Martinites coming into AGMs, electing their preferred president, and, well, then doing nothing afterward. After “winning” and beating out the other guy the associations were left to rot with no leadership and no people. And I had to work under the shadow of this conflict.

When I was in Calgary-East as its president it had been four years since a downtown clique came in, imposed a lawyer as president, and everything went to pot. And year after year after that it fell apart: first with Paul Martin being defeated, then with that downtown clique retreating to provincial politics, the year prior to my presidency they had a young Turk who was tied to a leadership race who then disappeared after his guy lost, and ultimately collapsed in 2010 to 7 members, no money, no board, was unregistered by Elections Canada, and no leadership.

This then turned around when I entered into that one Liberal graveyard, re-registered the riding association, increased its membership to 110 from 7, had our wonderful candidate take a strong leadership role, had the association (and not myself!–I left it to the grassroots that were being built in the riding after being encouraged by myself!) run a $20,000 fundraiser in early 2011, and then I ultimately pulled away, quietly, to let the association–full with local people–take over and run a fabulous campaign in 2011 that brought a large amount of attention to Liberals in Calgary. While all of this was being done I was being sniped at in the background, that old clique calling for my resignation not once but twice, and I was a consistent target of sabotage. During all of this our current candidate, Josipa Petrunic, was trying to be our candidate, show leadership, and create a Liberal bastion… that one clique lost her nomination papers twice, lead her around in circles, and, only when the LPCA  stepped in and an election was upon us, moved to have her as our candidate. We could have had her be our candidate just after the end of the 2008 campaign ended and a riding association up two years before I was needed to be called in.

When I tried to figure what was the cause of this rather mighty bit of enmity toward me I found out it was rather simple: I was “the enemy” and a “pawn” of an opposing clique that no longer existed. Let me re-emphasize this: I was “the enemy”–a young Liberal of 19 years who never had once went to a leadership convention (aside Ignatieff’s in 2009 which may not count, arguably) and never conceived of past leadership spats and barely even knew the faction–and was being targeted as “the enemy.” People hated me that I never met. To this day it still shocks me. The presidency of Calgary-East left me bitter–a bitterness I’ve tried to hide–and I am so glad Bob Rae is taking such a stand against these past turf wars and cliques. I have never been a part of these turf wars–but I have always been in the shadows of them. And I know that other volunteers, other possible leaders of the grassroots, and many young liberals have been in the shadows of these internal squabbles and pushed out from it.

And it’s not just from one camp that did this. Other small factions and groups tried to do stuff as well, much of it revealed to me from minutes, listening to Liberals of decades gone by, and bitter, angry ex-presidents. And don’t forget the fights in eastern Canada: the amount of idiocy that has gone on in Alberta is probably much, much less than what has gone on in Ontario and Quebec where Liberals have been more powerful and quite a bit more organized, which makes me think it has been so much, much worse there than it has been here.

If you want to know a surefire way to kill an association or irrevocably harm an association organize a coup against the local liberals during their AGM. Or foist a non-resident, ‘star candidate’ on them at the last minute. Or walk in, without any notice or communication, and introduce a person that that association has never met and never heard of that will be their candidate in an election when several candidates were already raring to go. The constituency of Wildrose dealt with this last one almost three years ago and made several young Liberal bitter about the party, and is a wonderful talking point amongst the provincial Wildrose Alliance partisans talking about “undemocratic Liberals.”

This is ongoing stuff and it creates a very long shadow into the future and sabotages the very people that Liberal Party of Canada needs to build itself up now more than ever. It has hurt myself, rural Alberta, Calgary, and so many other places for the Liberals.

These type of actions hurt us, hurts volunteers, and hurts the Liberal movement. I am a strange, strange politico: I get bothered by bitterness and annoyed by intrigue, but it doesn’t push me away. I’ve dealt with worse and will struggle through it. But I’m not the average person. The average person, who wants to get involved and be a part of something, will not tolerate that type of abuse by others. And these regular people are the ones that build parties and make things happen. I’m a stalwart, and I know I’ll outlive the cliques that have targeted me, but that doesn’t mean that these regular folks will stay with the Liberals after they are on the receiving end of their abuse.

I am so blessed that the Liberal Party of Canada in Alberta governing council stuck by me in 2010, that people weren’t intimidated, and that Josipa was given a chance. I don’t want different factions beating on each other, I don’t want those old battles hurting more people ten years on, and the struggle I had to go through be felt by others.

I want an open party, that includes as many people as possible, and that seeks to bring in new people by every day. An open primary process removes these hardcore cliques and factions: they’re worth having to be the engines of the party but the ultimate power and strength of the party should be found not from them but from the roots of Canadian society. An open process, with membership not so much controlled by presidents or PTAs or national headquarters or any faction, but in individuals who say that they want to be a part of the process, who have or haven’t been involved before, can do so easily and contribute their ideas and energy.

I want that.

I want Rae to take a leadership role in redefining the Liberal way of doing things, reform us, and leapfrog past the other parties in the way and method we do things. I’m sick of the bitterness that I had no influence in causing and I’m tired of volunteering in the shadow of conflicts that persist to this day. I want to move above and beyond what has gone on before and build a brighter, stronger Liberal Party of Canada and a strong tomorrow for Canada.

So, Rae, lead the way: I’m 100% behind you. Let us build a brighter, more open, and more inclusive Liberalism.

Zack Siezmagraff, past federal candidate and long time Albertan Liberal, has written the below letter to Ralph Goodale, member of parliament for Wascana, on the issue of building a western fortress of support for Liberals. You can follow Zack on twitter here at @ZackSiezmagraff.

I really like the post below because it hits on three core issues: (1) it speaks the truth: there are Liberals here, (2) we can turn that into a wellspring of strength for the representation of liberalism in Canada with appropriate resources and attention, and (3) it outlines a plan to take on the challenge.

Interestingly enough the Calgary Region (all the presidents and candidates in the Calgary + Wildrose ridings who come together for a monthly meeting and have monthly events) proposed a plan of action like there where we would buy into a system where we would, each of the associations, pitch in for a 20 hours / week job for a student or a Political Science graduate to help us organize in Calgary. This fell through because of coordination issues across the different associations. If there was direction from national on this subject I think it would really help with building the Liberal brand in Alberta again.

Hon. Ralph Goodale,

Re:                   Fundraising Initiatives

It was a pleasure, and an honour, to meet you at the Liberal caucus in Ottawa a few weeks ago. I was our party’s candidate in the rural Alberta riding of Yellowhead.

Background

I am very active in the Alberta Liberal Party, and have come to be a friend of Senator Grant Mitchell’s. When he was filling the slate for the 41^st General Election, he asked me to be the candidate for the riding of Yellowhead, a large rural riding that runs just west of Edmonton (where I live) all the way to the BC border.

I was told I did not have to campaign. There is no riding association in Yellowhead, and no money. I did decide to spend some time campaigning, and I attended one of the all-candidates debates. (I wanted to attend more, but I could not take time from my job, and I simply could not drive out to the locations by the time of the debate’s commencement). I am proud to say in the Barrhead debate, Rob Merrifield began smug, but ended the night sweating and rambling about “the coalition”, thanks largely to my persistent and sustained debating.

Although I literally did almost nothing – no website, no pamphlets, only 10 signs (paid by the LPC) in a humungous riding – I still got $1,100 in donations. One woman wrote me a $100 cheque at the Barrhead debate when I said “If throwing people in jail had a positive effect on the crime rate, then the United States would be the safest country on the planet”.

Alberta is Conservative country. But it wasn’t always so. Two generations ago, it was Mackenzie King country. Diefenbaker’s prairie populism caught fire, and within a generation it was Progressive Conservative country.

Preston Manning worked very hard (in fact, he ran unsuccessfully in Yellowhead in 1988), in church basements, in legion halls, to make Alberta Reform country. That did not happen overnight, but that is essentially where we are now.

By running a parachute like me in a rural Alberta riding, we are sending the message to Harper, “Ok, you can have this one”. So if we don’t take it seriously – neither does Harper. He didn’t set foot in Yellowhead (probably never has). He didn’t have to. And since we ceded him huge swaths of the country, he could engage us in Liberal bastions – which he did.

 

The Proposal

The LPC hires two full time field workers, dedicated to rural Alberta. Their job description will be to travel in rural Alberta, host meetings in church basements, in legion halls, meet with local politicians, reeves, and community leaders. Engage rural Albertans in the rebuilding of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Along the way, they will find the volunteers to form riding associations. They will also find quality, local candidates.

 

Economics[1]

I’m sure we can find 2 recent political science graduates who will work for $45,000 – $50,000 per year.

Salary (2)          $100,000

Travel               $50,000

Sundry              $20,000

Total                 $170,000

 

But we’re cutting positions, not creating them, right?

We need a rethinking of our office resources. We need to engage in the same practices that Preston Manning and the Reform Party did in order to win votes.

My personal experience running in Yellowhead – I got $1,100 in donations and 1,190 votes (and I sure didn’t meet that many people) tells me there are Liberals in rural Alberta.

If the Liberal Party of Canada demonstrates their commitment to rebuilding, I am convinced this tactic will pay dividends. We will sign up new members, and find those Liberal donors.

Run a pilot project in Alberta for a year. Furthermore, imagine the press release – Liberal Party to rebuild starting in Harper’s backyard. I attended several Ignatieff events in 2009 and 2010 in Edmonton, including a sold-out $100-a-plate dinner. I have no doubt that the faithful Liberals in Edmonton and Calgary would gladly fund the initial $170,000 investment into rural Alberta field workers. I’m sure in your experience you have found it’s much easier to raise funds when there is a concrete goal, rather than an abstract.

I would recommend a full commitment for one year, and set concrete targets – the program must self-finance (ie take in at least $170,000 annually) over a certain period (I am not sure 1 year is realistic initially); membership targets; setting up riding associations; etc.

Long-Term Payoff

In addition to finding more Liberal members and donors, there are several long-term benefits. By engaging with rural Albertans, it will make our next platform that much more in tune with Canadians. Furthermore, qualified, local candidates will emerge. The NDP also runs mainly parachutes in rural Alberta. Currently, turnout is low, and the Conservative candidates spend nowhere near the limits because they don’t need to.

If the Liberal Party of Canada ran a full slate of qualified, local candidates in rural Alberta, it would put the Conservatives on defense. Furthermore, it would provide a qualified candidate for the “anti-Harper” vote to coalesce around.

Finally, it would be a long term strategy. We must be prepared to not win a single rural Alberta seat in the next election. But in two elections, perhaps we can make a few inroads. Within a generation, rural Alberta just might be Liberal once again.

Conclusion

I lived in Toronto-Centre from 2006-2009, and I helped out with Bob Rae’s 2008 by-election. In Toronto-Centre, one of the most Liberal ridings in the country, the Conservatives ran a very credible candidate in Rev. Don Meredith. He came in fourth, with 12% of the vote, but he was credible, worked hard, and ran a good campaign. (As you know, he is now Senator Meredith).

If Harper runs credible candidates in downtown Toronto – we must run credible candidates in rural Alberta.

Replacing Ottawa staff with field workers in “True Blue” Alberta is a bold, risky move. If it succeeds, it will pay long-term dividends, and this model can be adapted very easily to other areas where we are weak – first to rural Saskatchewan, and so on. If there was ever a time that the Liberal Party needed bold new ideas, it’s now.

I am very passionate about this idea. It combines fundraising, renewal, and re-growth. I love Alberta so much, and I know that there are Liberals here – we just need to connect with them. I am sure you feel the same way about Saskatchewan. The MPs that get elected do not reflect the true political DNA of our provinces.

I would love to talk with you in more detail, if you wish.

Thank you for all you do.

Regards,

Zack Siezmagraff

Wanted: A Leader

Must be willing to travel across the country, sleep 5  hours a night, and be willing to shake hands of more than a half a million Canadians.

French and English are mandatory.There is no on the job training and you are expected to start at least ten years ago. Must have at least ten years experience communicating with the greater public. Must have lived or been exposed to most of Canada. Must have a vision for the county but must balance that with listening to Canadians. Must “feel” young, to both onlookers, the media, and yourself. Must look good in a red tie. Must spend time of week networking with thousands of Canadians out of instinct or desire to listen. Also, said leader must be able to debate in front of millions of Canadians and keeping his or her cool. Must be a pragmatist, articulate, and be centrist with a wellspring of ideas and thoughts.

Said leader must “inspire” Canadians to be better, to crave for a better way, and to lead Canada.

Pay is minimal. Your family will miss you (by the way, you need to be a family man [or woman]). Nerves of steel mandatory but must be (and be seen as) human. Must be willing to be attacked by NDP, fellow Liberals, Conservatives, the media, and teenagers dressed as large chickens, all while wearing a smile.

Candidate must be able to raise votes and financial capital from western Canada, inspire Quebec voters, able to build Liberal vote in Toronto and Ontario, kiss fish with Atlantic Canadians after a round of whiskey, not have left the country for longer than 5 years at any time in his/her life, and all candidates should expect no on-the-job training. Political baggage is expected but it should be minimal. Municipal or provincial experience a plus.

Your name should be pronounceable.

Please forward inquiries to

Liberal Party of Canada
81 Metcalfe Street, Suite 600
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 6M8
Phone : (613) 237-0740

Please cc Vincent St. Pierre at vin@vincentstpierre.com.

Jack Layton, long time NDP leader, died on August 22nd. He brought the NDP from 13 seats and 8.9% of the vote under Alexa McDonough to his stupendous 2011 results of 103 seats and 30.63% of the vote. He pulled the party from a million Canadians voting for him to four-and-a-half million. And it was Jack, Jack’s image, Jack’s character, and Jack’s leadership that pulled the NDP from being a fringe fourth party to becoming official opposition. He first won the leadership a month out, an effective nobody with no one knowing his name or betting on him to win, of the 2003 NDP leadership contest. It takes a certain kind of guy to do that. And Jack was that type of guy.

When in the last days of the election it arose that Jack was at a massage parlor of ill-repute.. the mud slid right off of him, gained no traction, and went nowhere. If Ignatieff had been to that parlor, or Harper, or anyone else, I would bet that it would have sunk them and their party. Jack walked right through it, though. It was because he created a one-on-one relationship with his supporters, and, if you didn’t notice, I wrote Ignatieff’s and Harper’s last names not their first, like Jack. Read some newspapers on the NDP, listen to some radio broadcasts–it’s about Jack, and it’s about connecting to you. It was good branding. He sang, he danced, he lived, and he breathed politics. For the last decade or so the NDP was Jack Layton and Jack Layton was the NDP. He was hyper-aggressive politician (even going so far as to push a Olympic viewer at a pub away from him so he could get seen on camera, amongst other things), knew how to attack other politicians while not engaging in what some may call “attack politics”, and was always willing to attack, and ruthlessly, anyone who dared to oppose him.

But, that’s gone now. The NDP’s ability to avoid being seen as attacking other parties, through Jack’s charm, is done along with the personal story build up just for Jack between himself and millions of Canadians. Many in the media and involved in politics correctly see that the base of support created for Layton, and just for Layton, isn’t transferable to the party. The party of Jack is just that: Jack’s. That personal connection is gone after Jack’s body in in the ground, and when the two perennial leadership possibilities of Libby Davies and Thomas Mulcair begin to collect the IOUs they’ve collected over the last decade in their leadership races… we are going to be treated with a party unsure of how to handle its internal squabbles in the public sphere, a first introduction to negative politics that had always purveyed in the NDP to many of its supporters,  with a crumbling of its support.

I have never belittled the NDP or Jack Layton on this blog. It’s because I respected him and his ability to lead. (Even though he never respected Liberals.) The party no longer has that pragmatic leadership of Layton. What they have is a “front runner” by the name of Brian Topps who derisively refers to young, engaged students as “kiddie liberals.” And the two perennial leadership hopefuls I mentioned a paragraph ago? One introduced to parliament a petition stating that 9/11 was an inside job and the other questioned pictures of a dead Osama bin Laden. These are the front-runners. Let that sink in for a moment. They’d be the leaders of a party that many would call the “government in waiting.”

None of them capture the support of Quebecors that won them their official opposition status on May 2011, none of them have the pragmatic strains of Layton’s leadership, none of them chew into Liberal votes, and none of them can hold together the patchwork of socialists, prairie populists, Quebec nationalists, BDSers, pro-Israel folks, anti-free traders, pro-free traders, lefty preachers, atheist social libertarians, and so many other constituent groups. They are no Jack Layton. Not even of the same level as he was. They are parts of different factions of the NDP–Mulcair and Topp from the party’s strain of pragmatists, and Davies from the long ostracized socialist caucus–and none of them have ever shown a gift for Layton’s type of grace or his ability for leadership that is needed to lead a party.

Either we will be shocked by a leader popping out of the Quebec caucus or there’ll be an anti-institution take over by a group outside the party. These two things are unlikely. The first idea is impossible because of the voting system for the NDP which is biased to members-rich Ontario and BC, making a serious Quebec challenge very unlikely. The second challenge is unlikely because the hardcore partisans are already locked up by different camps, the shock by the loss of Layton will turn off more people from the NDP, and many are happy with the success of the party and wish to continue with the same cadre of party officials (who are already tied to said front runners) will resist change.

If the NDP were a stock I’d be shorting them. It looks bad for the NDP right now; Rudderless and without a direction the next four years will be really painful to watch, especially with any of the current front runners win the leadership race.