Matthew Certosimo
Each of us has a reason for becoming a Liberal.
For my part, I became the first member of my family to graduate from university thanks to Liberal policies. For 25 years, I’ve been an activist in this Party. Putting up signs. Serving as Membership Chair in Halifax. Touring the country with leadership candidates. And acting as legal counsel to the Party, under every leader since Jean Chrétien.
At the Biennial Convention in January, I was elected to a new role, that of National Membership Secretary, with the goal of renewing our Party’s membership promise. At its core, it comes down to three words: Connect. Engage. Inspire.
Membership improvements
We have made extraordinary progress, in a short period of time, on membership:
- Launching “Take Notice”, a new, daily email to each of our 308 riding presidents, with their respective EDA’s new (and renewed) members, donors and volunteers;
- Sending a new, informative “Welcome” letter to new members, along with their membership card, shortly after joining the Party (Click here to see a copy of the letter.); and,
- Making downloadable membership forms available on Liberal.ca (Available here.).
- Identifying a membership chair for every EDA – we have significantly increased our numbers, but still have work to do in this regard.
Supporter launch
When delegates at the Ottawa 2012 – Liberal Biennial Convention created a new category of Liberal supporter – and gave them the right to vote for our next leader – they transformed our Party into a more open and modern political movement, one that can engage and inspire Canadians to create positive change in Canada.
As I have been saying, I have come to believe that implementing the supporter category will be as easy as 1-2-3.
1. Supporters are one step above ordinarily identified Liberal voters. Supporters represent an enormous opportunity for riding associations, candidates, MPs, commissions and active members. Supporters are the new pool of Liberals, who will speak up for change, come to local events, and hopefully become members and donors.
2. There are two important points on the horizon; two important dates: yes, 2013 and the leadership vote, in which supporters may participate, is important, but in 2015 we will have our next federal election, and we should not lose sight of how supporters can make a difference.
3. There are three areas in which decision-making will occur, and your input in each is critical to the success of this project.
- The first being the process by which people sign up and become supporters. This process will be governed by a new “Supporter Bylaw” – I would like to invite your feedback on the draft “Supporter Bylaw”, in the comments below;
- The second is how the Liberal Party will connect and engage with new supporters once they sign up. How do we build that relationship? And how do we engage these supporters to become passionate advocates, members and donors?
- The third element is the actual launch of the formal supporter registry and the campaign to recruit thousands, particularly over the summer. We all have a role to play in this campaign to renew our party.
At Convention, I proposed that we take advantage of the energy and momentum of the Convention over the next 90 days, to kick-start the renewal of the membership promise in the Liberal Party of Canada. We have taken significant steps already, but still have much work to do.
Matt Certosimo
National Membership Secretary
Liberal Party of Canada
1. Supporters are one step above ordinarily identified Liberal voters.
This creates another division within the party at a time when we should be focused on unification.
This will appeal to individuals who may choose to believe they are above ordinary members, which smacks of elitism, which is precisely what we do not want or desire, in any way shape or form.
Every single one of us is unique , every single one of us can contribute equally well. What we need to do is to choose a direction, work for a causes outside the party that will garner media attention. People will join if we provide positive examples of what can be achieved by our members. If we can be a shining example to the rest of our neighbourhoods people will naturally join our cause. Paying Lip service on a web page or taking baby steps to substantial changes will kill our party… of this I AM SURE. WE NEED LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTION.
I do not consider supporters as above / below other members or the general public, but aimed at people who want to see just a little more of the liberal party before they cast their vote, and have a chance to have a say in which leader they would like to vote for.
I do like the idea that no one has to spend money to be a part of the party, I just do not like the idea that the amount of participation they want has to have money tied to it. Many may decide to drop off being members to become supporters, because that is what many of us are. We pay money to support the party, not have a say in its operation.
Hi Maryanne,
I think most of us believe that as you said
“Rest assured that the Liberal Party of Canada understands that the purpose of a political party is that of developing/ proposing and implementing policies that will benefit the general population.”
What we are concerned with is that a select few, who believe they are superior in intellect, want to be the ones who that should decide which policies are most beneficial to the general population, and unfortunately them selves first, ie MP pensions etc. This alone shows they are not capable of doing what is best for the general population, not for lack of skill, but for excess of greed of power and money.
I have no doubt many of these are more qualified and skilled, but as you pointed out another time, it is the individual, like the farmer who has the real knowledge that the skilled and qualified must listen to and account for, knowing how to push paper is critical, but without those getting their hands dirty there would be no need for paper pushers, we need each other. Now we are asking to have an equal or greater say in our lives. We want the LPC to be that champion in Canada.
Why would we not want the members of local ridings as a whole nominating and voting for MP candidates? It is the base on our democracy. If we only can vote and nominate the ones the insiders put on display for us; it means nothing.
Our youth are far more worldly and educated now, they will see through this in a second, as a supporter they can vote for whomever you chose, but they can not nominate one of their own to vote for. Of course I am not pointing at you personally Maryanne, but the system.
Each of us has a reason for becoming a Liberal but some of us have it in our blood.
For my part, I became the first in my family to voice the opinion that politicians have the uncanny ability to lie through their teeth, make a negative sound like a positive and have the potential to put business interests ahead of the good of the population and the rights of the people. Recent “adjustments” to policies and cuts bear me out on the latter. Expect others.
For 48 years now I`ve been a Liberal,even as a very young child I was hopefull that Mr.Chretien would some day become Prime Minister even though my mother would often say that the man with the crooked mouth would never amount to much.I was also taught that bragging about ones achievements was, well bragging…an ugly trait at best.
Touring the country for twenty five years sounds like something for the more affluent and a dream for the less fortunate.
Renewing our membership promise…what a lofty inspiring goal it must be, If only WE as members would have had a membership promise list against which we could rate its effectiveness in its renewed form.
Connect Engage Inspire.
Lets dessimate our extraordinary progress shall we ?
We now send an email everyday to our 308 riding presidents. Kinda gives you that connected feeling doesnt it ? Let me clarify. If you are a riding president that is.
We send a brand new shiny piece of paper with writing on it to new members..how wreckless.Heyyy..Old members do you feel left out ?
Downloadable membership forms..wow..I can hardly contain myself, a thousandfold improvement over the online application which requires no paper and no ink at all.
The generous use of short form that everyone just automatically knows or shakes their heads knowingly at ? EDA ? Enhanced Diaper Assemblers ?
I am so sorry for saying this but this is discouraging. Where is the inspiration ? where is the engagement that polarizes and solidifies ?
This just makes me want to disconnect, but, A Liberal I am and Liberal I will always be. To strive for anything less than perfect equality for all peoples regardless of race, colour, creed, social standing or ability to pay is sheer ignorance and folly. To be Liberal is to be human first. To lend a helping hand any time, not just in natural disasters. To realize the potential inside of us and to let it shine and to share who we are with others, liberally. Actions speak louder than words,we need positive affirmative action ,we need to feel like we belong and are a usefull and vital part of this organization. Define… Act….Accomplish…. HEYY Mr. Leader…Lead us..Or so help me GOD…I WILL.
The addition of the supporters is a welcome opening up of the party, but the concept seems to be doomed from the start due to flawed assumptions.
The supporters are given one main right – the right to elect the leader of the party. The assumption seems to be that this will be enough to inspire tens of thousands of non-members to join the LPC as a supporter. This assumption will prove baseless.
Canadians will join as supporters only if they perceive that this new role will benefit them. The materials provided so far by the Party do not in any way spell out why joining as a supporter should be seen as enough of a benefit to encourage an influx of tens of thousands of Canadians into our party affairs.
A major benefit would be to allow supporters some some of input into the determination of what policies should be considered for adoption by the party, and some way to indicate their preferences for various alternative policies.
At present, supporters cannot attend conventions, nor can they submit policy resolutions or vote on policies. This denies the new supporters category of a major benefit.
We need to adapt by providing some kind of forum for supporters to initiate policy suggestions and to participate in the debate over alternatives. This can be done electronically. This does not mean we need to allow supporters to vote on policies at this stage; we should consider voting rights as we get our members more comfortable with the notion of supporters having influence over the party’s direction.
We also need to build in some kind of continuous and one-time methods of finding out the views of supporters on various policies and issues, through online polls or polls conducted by polling companies.
This will enable the Party to keep its finger on the pulse of its supporters.
Unless we offer serious benefits to potential supporters, they will not join. Right now, it is difficult to see what a party member has to say to potential supporters when we go out to recruit them.
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We need a clear, positive and convincing answer to the question: Where’s the beef?
Offering Canadians thin gruel instead of real beef just won’t cut it.
If a supporter wants to do any of the things you mention in your post, they only need to pay their $10 and become a full fledged member.
Original supporter proposal envisioned giving a supporter important role on a local level as well – participation in a nomination process of a MP candidate. The motion to grant this right was defeated during our last convention. As a result, we are left with a supporter deprived of half of the proposed rights.
The most important part of the supporter function, the local one, was blocked, it seemed to me that the good old boys did not want Joe Public having a say and vote on the insider part of the LPC. The name supporter always seemed wrong to me, the name consultant or advisor may have been more candid. I can not see how a vote is much of support when the supporter’s opinion or vote on issues is not requested.
Don, there were 3200 members of our party at convention, and well over 2000 of them were in the room when the first two supporters amendments were passed, and the third was defeated. How, exactly, did the “good old boys” manage that? I was in the room, I voted. There was no one whipping the vote. The Members made their decision.
We opened up the process of selecting our leader to every Canadian who wants to participate. If they want to participate beyond that, they can pay the $10 like the rest of us, and then have a say in party policy and their candidate selection.
By limiting the supporter vote to just leadership, we have created the mechanism for converting supporters to members. It gives politically un-engaged Canadians a chance to experience politics in a way they haven’t before. if they like it, then they can choose to pay their $10 to get more involved.
If leadership goes well, and the supporters model works, there is nothing stopping us from adding more privileges to the supporters at the next convention, or the one after that. I do not blame our membership for being cautious.
Personally I would not have voted for supporter at all, I do not think $10 to be a member was much of a deterrent. I was not at the convention, but as a general member did not get a chance to vote either, hopefully that will not occur again.
I must admit I do not know the makeup of the voters at the convention, but I do know connected people were invited, people with more money and or lived close by had the advantage, and that I was accepted to go as a voter if I could have afforded the trip, and had enough knowledge to make my vote sensible.
It may not have been totally insider, but it was not a open membership vote either. It takes time to change.
Do tell though, what was the sentiment that allowed voters to vote for a leader, but not vote and nominate a candidate for MP. I know my ignorance is showing, but I will not learn without questions.
Brian, do you really believe the ability to cast a vote to elect the permanent leader of a party that you have absolutely no say over what it is to consider as policies and which policy alternatives are best, will galvanize tens of thousands of Canadians to sign up as supporters?
Without significant influence over the party’s direction and policies (which could be advice rather than voting, but significant nonetheless because involvement is offered) what will encourage them to take the half step towards signing up as supporters?
The supporter concept used in reaching out to involve more than simply party members was used successfully by the Conservative Party in the UK, but there they let others have a say in which of three Conservative Party members should stand for election as MP.
At our convention, this was narrowly defeated, unfortunately; most likely existing incumbents feared real reform in our party and hence there were few current MPs who spoke out in favour of supporters having a say in the choice of who should stand as an MP for the LPC.
We should revisit this issue and have our party poll Canadians on whether they would like to see more input on the choice of MP candidates – my guess is that the convention decision is far out of line with the views of most Canadians on this score.
Putting this matter to the vote again will give us a choice to offer supporters real influence in the party, and if we can invite their input on choice of policies as well, we might have something to excite them.
Right now nobody has made a compelling case why supporters will sign up.
Yes, I do believe it.
There is nothing stopping anyone who wants the ability to help the party craft policy or elect a local candidate except a single $10 bill. Anyone who wants that ability in our party already has it. The supporters system gives us the ability to offer Canadians a low effort yet significant entry into the world of partisan politics. They get to try before they buy. If the supporters like what they see, if they enjoy their experience of participating in leadership, then our ridings can begin the process of converting them to full members of the party.
If they don’t, well, at least we have their email addresses and phone numbers come election time so our local campaigns can try to re-engage them.
But ultimately, this is what passed at convention, and we, the members of the party, have an obligation to try and make it work, even if we don’t agree with it. Perhaps if we all suspend our disbelief a little bit, and give it a chance, we might be surprised at the outcome.
And if it fails? Then we change it. That is the beauty of a party based in democracy: We get to change the rules every two years if we want to.
Another note: Would someone (Bob Rae? Our executive? others?) please do us all a favour and spell out the reasons why Canadians should decide to sign up as a supporter of the party?
Take a stab at giving us at least 5 convincing reasons why tens of thousands of non-members should sign up for this new role.
So far we have not heard convincing arguments.
Let’s face it: if we end up with few supporters signed up and have an election of our permanent leader with little input beyond the 30,000 or so signed up members of the party voting, we are going to look pretty silly. You can imagine how Mulcair and Harper will try to define the new leader chosen by such a flop of a process.
So, let’s get real and have our party leadership spell out at least five reasons why Canadians will in their tens of thousands flock to join our party as supporters …
And if nobody can come up with 5 or more compelling reasons, let’s acknowledge that we have a potential disaster on our hands.
Hello Again Ashton,
First I thank you for your continued support as a member of the Party, your involvement and feedback are critical to our success. And now, as promised, I am now addressing some of the supporter designation issues you and others have raised.
Whether we embrace or decry the Supporter category and the constitutional right to vote for the leader bestowed on non-members, it is a decision of the convention and as such none of us can ignore. In fact it is our responsiblity as a Party to make sure that every effort is made to implement the direction given by the membership.
We will only know if the initiative is successful in attracting more people to the Party after it has been implemented and given the time required to observe the effects.
The Party has always had supporters who put signs on lawns, made donations, provided policy input and voted for us, but who did not join as members. The issue has always been in how to identify them? what to offer them for their support? and how to make membership interesting?
I know you asked about why people would sign up to be a member of the Party? Frankly none of us can explain another person’s reasoning but I can note that people are signing up as “Supporters” for the following stated reasons:
1. They want to have a say in the leadership vote
2. They don’t want to be tagged as a member of a Political party, It is this that requires examination:
a) some people’s employment keeps them from being ‘members’ of a political party.
b) being a member brings some people a level of responsiblity to an organisation that they don’t want to undertake
c) Before being willing to be a “Liberal” some people would like to get more acquainted with the Party than they do as general members of the public
d) there is recognition in the ‘supporter’ category for the things they do for the Party without the label of being a “Liberal” (in some regions this is more important than others)
3. They want to try something new in the political involvement realm
More importantly what is the benefit of being a “Supporter”? I suggest reasons will differ from person to person it hinges on the requirement for the Party to be able to communicate directly with supporters more consistantly than it can with a member of the public. If you were a “Supporter” you would then
1. Know about and be able to participate in policy discussions that interest you (because we ask supporters, as well as members, about their areas of interest & we contact you regarding policy events / questions / consultation etc. )
2. Have a say in the selection of next Leader of the Party (This is a constitutional right as of January 15th 2012)
3. Know about and participate in events of interest to you(because you get notices of events sent to you directly)
4. You have regular access to a broader number of local citizens with whom you can initiate solutions to common problems
5. Work with Party members to suggest more ways of improving the Party.
As Matt noted we will be launching a recruitment campaign in which we hope you will participate.
Regards
Maryanne
Hello Ashton,
As you clearly note, the most significant offering a political party makes is that of its policies. Rest assured that the Liberal Party of Canada understands that the purpose of a political party is that of developing/ proposing and implementing policies that will benefit the general population. We also understand that we cannot represent Canadians in a closed ‘Liberal’ bubble, thus we must engage and consult Canadians on questions of policy in a meaningful way. From my perspective the implementation of the member’s direction to create a category of leadership voters called ‘supporters’ in no way limits us from consulting Canadians on policy.
I have some thoughts on the implementation of the formal
Supporter category which I will address in reply to some of your later comments below and I invite you to visit the blog post “Why all Policy is Local” http://www.liberal.ca/newsroom/blog/policy-local/ where we can continue to explore the policy engagement concerns you have expressed.
Regards
Maryanne Kampouris
National Policy chair
Hi Jarek,
it is concerning me a lot that the changes we may have hoped for are melting into some sort of revised status quo. There also seems to be a false sense of time, it would not surprise me if the CPC call an early election, if fact I will almost bet on it.
We need our new leader and policies sooner then later. And revamping the old will take too long. One thing I do know is that old ways are much harder to change and slower then renewing completely, I am with you fully on that.
I agree with Don – the next election is most likely going to be in early 2014, BEFORE we hold our policy convention, and soon after our permanent leader is chosen. Harper is unlikely to let the new leader rebuild the party through new and better policies than those we now have.
Harper is likely to table several issues which will clearly show how far from mainstream the NDP is, and then strike before our party is fully reformed and rebuilt. With our deficient policies (especially regarding the almost total lack of election and electoral reform policies), we will be all over the map.
Harper’s recent private member bill to allow the flying of the flag was simply the first of many wedge issues to define the Dippers as being pro-separatist and out of touch with mainstream thinking.
A couple of things:
1. On the welcome letter, I noted as part of the content, “National Conventions – elect or be elected as a delegate to represent your riding at Convention, where Liberals gather from across Canada to decide on policy resolutions” with a link to lpc.ca/convention2012.
Perhaps this is just an oversight.
2. Section 3 sub 1.b: I do not see the need for commissions to have access to supporter information. If needed, they can request a listing from the EDA membership secretary. Giving access to commission clubs without EDA oversight may impact negatively on communications from both the EDA and National Party.
That’s all on first look.
1. Sending email to the riding presidents is next to no change at all, who knows if they read them, pass them on etc., they need to be sent to all members of each riding, or posted on the main site, easily found.
2. New informative welcomes, if they have real information, other then where to donate, and if they are sent to the many new members in the past year or more who received nothing
3. If new supporters have to go through local presidents and riding associations, it equals to no change at all in dead ridings.
4. Connection to supporters and members alike has to be more direct to the liberal party, not through riding leaders, who often are too busy with their own life or do not want competition to their own ideals and power.
5. Any registry that allow us to find our co liberal members or supporters would be a big step forward, for me I have not, over months, been able to find the name of anyone except my riding president, and provincial federal party leader.
To be fair my area is huge and my party president is a 5 hour drive away, and agrees to meet me if I make the drive. But I do not get anything from her unless I make a very specific request. NO information on what the party or riding is doing, has ever been sent to me.
Don,
You are not alone and your experience of feeling isolated from the party can not be justified by the distance from the center (whatever it is – the EDA’s president location or the place of a meeting). I’ve heard the same complains from members living in a Metropolitan of Toronto. The assumption that EDAs’ presidents are doing the best to inform members and pass information from them up, is nothing more than wishful thinking (of course there are exceptions). Current technology allows us to be directly involved and consulted. For some reason it doesn’t seem as a obvious solution to the tops. Time is passing (soon we will be reflecting on the anniversary of “horrible” elections) and do we really see a change? Now is the time when we need to be more inclusive not exclusive: we need more decision-making by more people. We don’t need more decision-making by fewer people. If the Liberal Party is to be renewed, we need to involve as many people as we can. And that the image is of a party that is expanding its reach and letting more people in, not contracting to let just a few decide most things for the (ever-decreasing) many.
Hi Don. If I remember right from a previous post of yours, you are in Skeena-Bulkley Valley? The LPCBC office and executive have been working to help revitalise that riding. My understanding is that we are hoping to hold an Annual General Meeting up there soon, and are looking for people willing to serve on the executive. If that is something that interests you, please send me your contact information to brian.rice@lpcbc.com.
Brian
Hi Matt,
I have put my name forward for ‘membership’ in our riding. Your blog is informative, concise and relevant.
Thanks so much!
Supporters are one step above ordinarily identified Liberal voters.
This Is Disturbing….Are We Not all Equal In Our Support Of The Party ? Does Money Or The Gift Of Elocution In Support Of The Party Elevate Any One Of Us To A Higher Status Amongst Party Members ?
That One Quote Has The Power To Alienate And The Ability To Inflate Egos.
Language And How It Is Used And Percieved Is Undeniably The Most Important Part Of Any Campaign Or Program Engaging New Members. Please Dont Patronize. This Is Merely My Perception Of This Comment.Objects May Appear Closer Than They Actually Are.
Are you working on liberal apps for i-phone & Ipad? The one in itunes has had no updating (as of a week ago) since elxn41.
I would like to know more about the Liberal strategy for winning votes and fund raising. For instance, what would the party prefer?
12 donors of $100.00 each? Or, 1 donor of $1,200.00?
With the first choice, one can assume that the 12 donors will vote Liberal. But, with the second choice, one can assume, only, one vote.
It seems to me that the Liberal party would prefer more voters with a lesser donation each. I believe this is why you are seeking a $5.00 donation from each voter now.
Good morning Jade,
To answer your question, we gladly accept both options! It’s also a matter of personal preference where some people want to do a large one-time donation and be done with it since they’ve reached their max amount, for example by joining the Laurier Club https://action.liberal.ca/en/laurier.
Others may prefer to do smaller donations but on a monthly basis, such as with the Victory Fund https://action.liberal.ca/en/VictoryFund It’s important to note that Victory Fund donations contribute to both the riding and the Party.
Last but not least, one-time donations often come with specific campaigns or are based on specific issues that are important to the individuals. These donations can be anywhere from $5, $50, or $500. Have a look at the short video for more info: https://www.liberal.ca/donate/
Another question: Are earlier stories under News & Releases just falling over the edge never to be seen again, or is there some kind of accessible archive?
@torontoimmigrant You can see all archived content from this page: http://www.liberal.ca/newsroom/
You will see 92 Pages of content under ‘featured’ and 394 pages when sorted by ‘most recent’ (meaning all content).
You can also navigate it by month if you look at the bottom of the sidebar.
When will we see and hear Bob Rae defending himself against the attack ads? Collectively, we just donated an astonishing amount of money. Don’t just sit on it, DO SOMETHING.
Similarly, regarding election fraud. For the time being, my donations will go to the Council of Canadians, because they are DOING SOMETHING.
I think they are doing the right thing by waiting a little. The cons seem to be doing a good job on themselves right now. NL’ers are calling for Penashue to resign, Paradis is being investigated, and McKay/Fantino will be under alot of pressure after today’s F-35 report. Lets let them do the work to themselves for now.
Everything sounds great. When am I going to see the ““Take Notice”?
Good morning Jarek,
The “Take Notice” emails are sent to all 308 riding presidents to inform them of their respective EDA’s new (and renewed) members, donors and volunteers. The objective is to enable riding associations to better outreach and communicate with liberals in their associations.
Thanks Andre. When I’ve read “Launching “Take Notice”, a new, daily email to each of our 308 riding presidents, with their respective EDA’s new (and renewed) members, donors and volunteers;” I’ve assumed in my excitement that all members will be receiving updates about party activities. Funny, how I was able to misinterpret Matt’s sentence to line up with my wishes :-).
I want to emphasize the importance of sharing information with us. We need more communication channels – the one through EDA’s president is not working with maximum capacity and it tends to chop the data.
I am very happy to see the welcoming letter…..our local riding president does a top flight job engaging new members, and desiminating information from HQ to ordinary members….Will there be some kind of audit done to ensure all riding presidents do their part to engage new members and encourage their involvement?…..
One of favourite idioms is the Russian…”trust, but verify”…;)