Liberal

Ottawa 2012 Liberal Biennial Convention Reports

The Ottawa 2012 Liberal Biennial Convention was very successful at an important moment in our Party’s history.

All the sessions were well attended, in particular the constitutional amendment plenary.  Because of the many vigorous debates, we had to extend the discussion time on Saturday night. Even then we were not able to cover every proposed amendment which meant that we had to extend on Sunday morning.

This also meant that we had to cancel the presentations on the evidence based policy sessions and the Resilience of the Liberal Ideal sessions.  The evidence based policy sessions produced seven reports on the following topics:

• The Jobs We Want, The Jobs We Need
• Democracy and Good Governance
• Justice
• Environment
• Health
• Advancing Equality, Diversity and Social Cohesion
• A Vision for Canada’s Engagement Beyond Our Borders

These reports present the key points raised by the panelists, the Caucus members, and members’ online feedback as well as highlights of the question and answer session and notable ideas and suggestions.

The reports on the Resilience of the Liberal Ideal Sessions summarize the delegates’ discussions that took place during the roundtable and open microphone sessions.

Many members have requested a copy of these reports so in the spirit of openness and transparency we are happy to oblige and make them available for you to study and review.

On behalf of the Convention Organizing Committee, I would like to thank all those that took part in the convention activities, whether on site or on line, as well as all those involved in the organization of the convention.  Well done everyone!

We look forward to reading your comments.

Mauril Bélanger

Convention co-Chair and National Policy Committee Vice-Chair

Don’t let Stephen Harper creep your emails

The Conservative government has introduced an Online Surveillance Bill that could violate your Charter right to privacy — unless you act now to stop them.

This bill would force internet service providers to track, preserve and hand over your personal subscriber information, including your email and IP addresses, upon request without a warrant.

Forget creeping your Facebook. Stephen Harper’s people would now have the legal right to monitor your emails and track your every move online without any kind of judicial oversight.

Liberals are standing up for your privacy rights in Parliament – but we need your help.

The government is on the defensive following a public outcry. They will be sending the bill to committee and have said they’ll consider opposition amendments. But with a majority government they can oppose any fair, sensible amendments we propose unless we demonstrate an overwhelming show of public support. That’s where you come in.

The Liberal Party’s Public Safety Critic Francis Scarpaleggia has studied the work of experts like Privacy Commissioner of Canada Jennifer Stoddart and Canada Research Chair Michael Geist to craft amendments that strike a proper balance between privacy rights and public safety.

With your support we can force the government to hold open, televised committee hearings and stop them from using procedural tactics to limit debate and ram the bill through Parliament to avoid further scrutiny.

Please click here to sign right now — and support the Liberal amendments calling for judicial oversight on electronic surveillance.

Then please forward this email to friends and share the petition on Facebook and Twitter as widely as possible before the committee meets.

http://lpc.ca/privacy 

Thank you.

Bob Rae

On this day 47 years ago, the maple leaf flew for the first time as our official national symbol. Since then the red and white maple leaf flag has been proudly worn by our athletes in international competitions and sewn on the backpacks of Canadians traveling abroad.

The Canadian flag has become a ubiquitous symbol of both worldliness and hospitality across the globe. That worldliness took on a whole new meaning in 1981, when the Canadarm was deployed from the Columbia space shuttle; the world saw an amazing piece of technology that donned our flag.

Today, as we look at the Canadian flag and consider its significance and its history, I would like to salute the determined leadership of Lester B. Pearson during the flag debate. I also extend our appreciation to former Liberal Member of Parliament from Leeds, John Matheson, who still lives in Kingston today, and who was the driving force behind the multi-party committee to select the maple leaf flag, and later helped develop the Order of Canada.

- Bob Rae

A Valentine’s Day Liberals will never forget

Volunteer coordinator Julie Cousins and Liberal candidate Grant Gordon in front of the Valentine Wall.

2,126 hearts on the Valentine Wall. $151,266 raised. And one Liberal team in Toronto-Danforth that is fired up like you wouldn’t believe.

That’s the Liberal movement at work – your movement, Canada’s movement.

You’ve just proven that Liberals are united, determined, and ready to rally behind our common cause – no matter where we live in this great land. But your support doesn’t need to stop with the success of the Take Toronto-Danforth Campaign. 

In fact, nothing sends a stronger message that Liberals will fight hardest for the people of Toronto-Danforth, then you getting involved.

No matter where you live in Canada, you should know we’re ready to run the most sophisticated campaign in Canadian political history. And part of that effort involves harnessing supporters across the country to amplify our message, including:

• Learning more about Grant Gordon at www.grantgordon.ca
• Following, retweeting and sharing our message of the day from the Toronto-Danforth Liberal riding association Twitter and Facebook accounts;
• Following, retweeting and sharing Grant Gordon’s tweets and Facebook posts;
• Building online relationships with major Toronto social media personalities who may be receptive to the Liberal message; and
• Commenting online on media articles about the Toronto-Danforth campaign to correct falsehoods and spread our message;

But if you do live in the Toronto area, you should know we need volunteers with an extraordinary variety of talents and relationships that possibly only you possess, including:

• Language abilities in Mandarin, Cantonese, Greek, Italian, Urdu, Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Punjabi, or Vietnamese;
• Ties to local mainstream, multicultural and electronic media or major Toronto social media personalities who may be receptive to the Liberal message;
• Ties to local multicultural community associations or church and religious groups;
• Ties to local business organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, or social groups like Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs;
• Ties to bowling, pool, or hockey leagues and other sports teams; and
• Knowledge of any upcoming local events that we should attend, from bake sales and bazaars to festivals and major gatherings.

If you can help with any of the above, please email Volunteer Coordinator Julie Cousins at volunteer@tdfla.ca.

You should also email volunteer@tdfla.ca if you can help with traditional campaign activities, including:

• Knocking on doors;
• Making phone calls;
• Installing signs;
• Delivering campaign literature to people’s houses;
• Doing data-entry; and
• Getting out the vote on election day including hosting, running, or working out of a home centre.

If there’s one message we want to share above all, it’s this: That Liberal candidate Grant Gordon is the true local candidate best able to fight for jobs, pensions and opportunity for the people of Toronto-Danforth.

So please repeat this message every chance you get, on Twitter, on Facebook and whenever you talk to friends, family and neighbours about the campaign in Toronto-Danforth.

We’re in this together – and together we can win.

Thank you.

Bob Rae

Open Letter to Canadian Scientists Regarding the Freedom of Government Scientists to Talk About Their Research

Ted Hsu

The Communications Policy of the Government of Canada specifies that it is intended “to ensure communications are well co-ordinated, effectively managed and responsive to information needs of the public.” The Policy, implemented by the newly elected government on August 1, 2006, is intended to ensure that government communication with the media and public is both timely and accurate, reflecting both public opinion research and public policies. Research falling under this Policy includes but is not limited to that which is produced by Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, and Health Canada.

In spite of the attempts to streamline the exchange of information, in many cases the Policy served to either delay interviews or have interviews conducted with a media relations spokesperson rather than the expert responsible for the research. An audit of Environment Canada in late 2011 led by Environment Commissioner Scott Vaughan found that government scientists “are still not clear” with regards to what they can and cannot say or do at public meetings and in the media.

In the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has recently passed an Administrative Order on Scientific Integrity. The order explicitly permits NOAA scientists to “freely speak to the media and the public about scientific and technical matters based on their official work,” and goes on to explain that “NOAA scientists are free to present viewpoints, for example about policy or management matters, that extend beyond their scientific findings to incorporate their expert or personal opinions, but in doing so they must make clear that they are presenting their individual opinions – not the views of the Department of Commerce or NOAA.” This policy was implemented after a two-month public comment period.

The NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy not only allows scientists to speak freely, but it also reflects support for scientific methods and research. This transparency is crucial for fostering scientific integrity and public trust.

As an opposition Science and Technology critic, and former research physicist, I desire to maximize the benefits that scientific research brings to society. With input from the scientific community, I hope that we can make proposals to re-frame the Communications Policy to allow government scientists to speak freely, if not about policy or management, then at least about their research. This will not only benefit scientific research by expanding its impact and relevance, but will also help the Canadian public and policy-makers to make informed decisions about policies and government decisions based on this publicly funded research.

If you have any comments about the Policy or suggestions for how to improve it, please share your views in the comments below. You can also sign up for Science & Technology updates and I’ll keep you updated on developments.

- Ted Hsu

Liberal Party critic for Science and Technology and Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands

Recevez les mises

This is it

This is your last chance to add your name to the Valentine Wall – and if you’re hesitating, there’s something you need to know.

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Watch our OAS Town Hall

You may never have set foot in Centre Block on Parliament Hill – but this Monday, February 13, from 10 am to 1 pm your voice will be heard there. That’s because we’re opening Parliament to all Canadians, holding a special pre-budget consultation on Stephen Harper's potential cuts to Old Age Security – and we’re webcasting the whole thing.

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We did it before in Winnipeg North

If you think Toronto-Danforth is the safest NDP seat in the country, think again.

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We’re Listening. We’re changing. We want you back.

Thursday night, Liberal members came together and nominated me to represent a proud Liberal tradition in our riding as the candidate for Toronto-Danforth.

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This picture tells the story

As the newly nominated Liberal candidate for Toronto-Danforth, I can’t tell you what it means to see this.

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