Young Liberals of Canada
Encyclopedia
The Young Liberals of Canada (YLC) is the national youth wing of the Liberal Party of Canada
. All members of the Liberal Party, who are aged 25 and under, are members of the Commission of the Young Liberals. The Young Liberals of Canada are the largest political youth organization in Canada. It has been estimated that the YLC has nearly 60,000-80,000 members at various periods, and has a presence in nearly all of Canada’s 308 ridings. The current President of the YLC is Samuel Lavoie.
campaigned on the promise of reserving specific number of delegate spots at national conventions to young liberals. Trudeau went on to win the party leadership, and YLC was allocated specific number of delegate spots in each riding association and in accredited campus liberal clubs.
YLC wielded unique influence in the party’s leadership selection as it controls the accreditation process of campus clubs. YLC clubs had been fierce battlegrounds during federal leadership races from the early 80s to 2006. The Paul Martin
leadership campaign was particularly notorious for hostile take over of campus clubs leading up to the 1990 and 2003 conventions. YLC's influence in the leadership selection process was greatly diminished in 2009 when the federal party changed its constitution to elect its future leaders by a "weighted One Member, One Vote
" voting method.
YLC has also sometimes been a source of embarrassments and scandals for the party.
The Commission of the Young Liberals of Canada, therefore, promotes the perspectives, policies, and ideas of Liberal members who have not yet celebrated their 26th birthday. It is not a separate entity from the Liberal Party, but is rather a part of it. The YLC mirrors the structure of the Liberal Party of Canada. There are Provincial and Territorial Organizations, which administer themselves according to their own bylaws. There is also a National Executive that runs the affairs of the entire YLC. The organization binds together provincial and territorial Liberal Youth organizations. The YLC does not always agree with the Liberal Party of Canada. In fact, the YLC often pushes the larger membership of the Liberal Party to adopt new policies that may be viewed as too radical or challenging. In order for the YLC to promote and push a policy for the entire Liberal Party to adopt, it must be an official YLC policy, properly adopted at a Policy Convention. Therefore, The YLC and Liberal Party of Canada often do not agree, or have not passed the same resolutions, at any given time.
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
. All members of the Liberal Party, who are aged 25 and under, are members of the Commission of the Young Liberals. The Young Liberals of Canada are the largest political youth organization in Canada. It has been estimated that the YLC has nearly 60,000-80,000 members at various periods, and has a presence in nearly all of Canada’s 308 ridings. The current President of the YLC is Samuel Lavoie.
History
In an attempt to attract young liberal supporters for his leadership bid, Pierre TrudeauPierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
campaigned on the promise of reserving specific number of delegate spots at national conventions to young liberals. Trudeau went on to win the party leadership, and YLC was allocated specific number of delegate spots in each riding association and in accredited campus liberal clubs.
YLC wielded unique influence in the party’s leadership selection as it controls the accreditation process of campus clubs. YLC clubs had been fierce battlegrounds during federal leadership races from the early 80s to 2006. The Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
leadership campaign was particularly notorious for hostile take over of campus clubs leading up to the 1990 and 2003 conventions. YLC's influence in the leadership selection process was greatly diminished in 2009 when the federal party changed its constitution to elect its future leaders by a "weighted One Member, One Vote
One member, one vote
One member, one vote , as used in the parliamentary politics of the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Canadian provinces, is a proposal to select party leaders and/or determine party policy, by a direct vote of the members of each party...
" voting method.
YLC has also sometimes been a source of embarrassments and scandals for the party.
- In 1997, its BC wing president misappropriated $30,000 from the federal party's coffers, and was later convicted of fraud.
- In 1999, several drunken Young Liberal delegates attending a convention in Victoria smashed up a couple of hotel rooms. The Liberal Party was sued by the hotel and settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
- A former president of the BC wing, Erik Bornmann, was implicated by the investigation following the BC Legislature RaidsBC Legislature RaidsThe BC Legislature Raids resulted from search warrants executed on the Legislature of British Columbia, Canada, in 2003. The legal proceedings were stopped just before government officials were to testify...
, and served as a key witness in a trial that pertains to the scandal.
Policy
In many policy areas, the Young Liberals have been more progressive than the party as a whole, taking a pro-same sex marriage position as early as 1994. The Long-Term Commitment to Africa Policy, the Commitment to the Kyoto Accord Policy, the Protection of Sex Trade Workers Policy , Canada Post-Secondary Education Transfer Policy, and the Same-Sex Marriage Rights Policy planks of the Liberal Party of Canada all originated as YLC policy. At the most recent Liberal convention, policies espoused by the YLC include a commitment to an activist foreign policy, focusing on conflict resolution and the promotion of peacekeeping, combating global poverty, the creation of an international convention regulating the global trade in small arms and light weapons and munitions, a commitment to the Kyoto Protocol and promotion of low emissions vehicles, the implementation of a refugee appeal board, the Legalization of Marijuana, the creation of a Ministry of Post-Secondary Education, the elimination of post-secondary tuition fees for second official language courses, promoting and protecting safe-injection sites, and the creation of a National Volunteer and Work Experience Program. The 2005 decision of the Paul Martin Liberal government to not enter into the American missile defence program was in part credited to opposition in the Young Liberals to the program.Post-secondary clubs
The Young Liberals of Canada have dozens of Post-Secondary Institution Young Liberal clubs throughout the country. Post-secondary school clubs are organized and run by provincial or territorial organizations and must be accredited by the National Executive of the YLC. Each accredited club may send delegates, with voting rights, to provincial, territorial, and/or national conventions and conferences for both the YLC and the Liberal Party of Canada.Relationship to the party
Recent campaigns
The Young Liberals of Canada, in response to Conservative TV and radio attack ads, ran the Hi.im.a.liberal.ca internet video campaign, a spoof of the Mac/PC ads, which garnered media attention for its novelty, as well as the Red Revolution campaign, focusing on the “taking Canada back” by improving youth involvement in politics and the Liberal Party. The Young Liberal "Explain the Tape" event in downtown Ottawa gained national attention, being featured in national media such as CBC Newsworld and Macleans magazine. The Young Liberals additionally ran the Go Green, Vote Red initiative, reaching out to environmentalist voters and promoting the Green Shift/Carbon Tax proposed by the party. Most recently, in May 2010, they launched a campaign in opposition to Bill C-391 and in support of the federal long gun registry.Prominent former members
YLC has proven to be a training ground for budding politicians and political organizers. Many elected officials played prominent roles at the party’s youth wing. They include:- Jean ChrétienJean ChrétienJoseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
, former Prime Minister (served as young liberal president of Université LavalUniversité LavalLaval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
) - Stephen HarperStephen HarperStephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
, current ConservativeConservative Party of CanadaThe Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
Prime Minister - Michael IgnatieffMichael IgnatieffMichael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
, former federal leader (served as national youth organizer) - Denis CoderreDenis CoderreDenis Coderre, PC, MP is a Canadian politician from Quebec, Canada. Coderre is the Liberal Member of Parliament for the Montreal riding of Bourassa.-Background:...
, current MP and former federal minister (as president of YLC's Quebec wing called for the resignation of Leader John TurnerJohn TurnerJohn Napier Wyndham Turner, PC, CC, QC is an English Canadian lawyer and retired politician, who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada from June 30 to September 17, 1984....
) - Dwight DuncanDwight DuncanDwight Duncan, MPP is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1995, and is the Minister of Finance in the government of Dalton McGuinty...
, current provincial minister (served as aide to Herb GrayHerb GrayHerbert Eser Gray, is a retired Canadian politician. He was Canada's first Jewish federal cabinet minister, and is one of only a few Canadians ever granted the title The Right Honourable who was not so entitled by virtue of a position held.-Early life:Born in Windsor, Ontario, the son of Harry...
, contested the presidency of YLC's Ontario wingOntario Young LiberalsThe Ontario Young Liberals is the official youth wing of the Ontario Liberal Party, and the Ontario wing of the Young Liberals of Canada. All members of the Ontario Liberal Party, or the Liberal Party of Canada , who are aged 25 and under are members of the OYL...
) - Rob OliphantRob OliphantRobert "Rob" Oliphant is a Canadian politician and a United Church minister. He served in the House of Commons as a Liberal Member of Parliament for the Toronto riding of Don Valley West from 2008 to 2011.- Personal life :...
, former federal MP - Bonnie CrombieBonnie CrombieBonnie Crombie is a Canadian politician. Formerly a Liberal Party Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Mississauga—Streetsville, in Ontario, she was elected to Mississauga City Council in a by-election in September 2011....
, former federal MP - Ruby DhallaRuby DhallaRuby Dhalla is a Canadian politician. She represented the riding of Brampton—Springdale in the Canadian House of Commons from 2004 to 2011 as a member of the Liberal Party...
, former federal MP (served on YLC national executive) - Scott AndrewsScott Andrews (politician)Scott Andrews is a Canadian politician. He was elected to represent the Newfoundland and Labrador electoral district of Avalon in the 2008 Canadian federal election. He is a member of the Liberal Party...
, current MP (served as YLC National Vice President, and contested YLC's presidency) - Christy ClarkChristy ClarkChristina Joan "Christy" Clark, MLA is a Canadian politician, the 35th and current Premier of British Columbia, Canada...
, current Premier of BC (served as young liberal president of Simon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
)