Rebuild Liberal Party Sooner Rather Than Later

Not sure this suggestion classifies as a "reform" for the Liberals, but I believe it has merit considering the circumstances. Every sentence uttered by a Liberal these days includes, "renewal" or "grassroots", sometimes both. If this party is truly going to rise from the ashes and reinvent itself, resonate on the ground a simple practical measure is to accelerate riding nominations and get candidates in place for the next election.

Obviously, any rebuild starts at street level, which is why it would be advantageous to have all our candidates for the next election in place by the time the permanent leader is chosen. Rather than a situation where many candidates are picked just prior to an election, this type of "deadline" would ensure people spend considerable time branding their name within the community, attending events, rubbing elbows, a consistent presence during the supposed "down time" prior to 2015. The Liberals desperately need roll up their sleeves types, this type of long commitment would ensure the most dedicated, motivated stand for the party.

Rather than local candidates just being a name on a sign, the vast, vast majority really having no idea who they are, a long candidacy would help in that regard. Any issue in the local paper, our candidate is the representative available for Liberal comment. Liberals don’t have the incumbent advantage, we don’t have name recognition, which makes it imperative our candidates give themselves as much time as possible to connect and converse. Want to run for the Liberals, part of the job description means dedicating yourself to two plus years of attending corn roasts, hitting the farmers market every Saturday, meeting with local stakeholders, are you ready to do that? The goal being, come election time people say "I know so and so and I know what so and so stands for".

This suggestion might sound trivial, particularly given how the NDP rolled through Quebec contradicting this entire premise. However, if you’re going to rebuild a party, establish a donor base, become a true grassroots entity, then having the local representative on board early, participating and getting involved, seems like a solid step in that regard.

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