Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Liberals and NDP announce dueling conventions

If you're looking to plan your calendar for June 2011, we got two political save the dates this afternoon that set up an interesting set of battles, debates and conspiracy theories.


The first save the date came into my e-mail this afternoon from the alliterative Liberal Party president Alf Apps:

On behalf of the National Board of Directors and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, I am pleased to announce that the 2011 Biennial Convention of the Liberal Party of Canada will take place in our Nation’s Capital from June 17-19, 2011 at the new Ottawa Convention Centre.

And that was followed just over two hours later by a tweet from the non-alliterative, but we don't hold it against him, NDP national director Brad Lavigne:

#NDP will hold 50th Anniversary Convention in #Vancouver June 17-19 2011 http://tinyurl.com/dzudk5 #cdnpoli

So yes, you read that correctly. On the same afternoon, the Liberals and the NDP announce their 2011 biennial conventions, and on the same weekend in June as well.

Will we have an election or two before then? Will one or both end up being leadership races? Will Ben Mulroney be ready to challenge Justin Trudeau for the Liberal crown yet? Will Pat Martin use puppets and wage the awesomest leadership campaign ever? Such fun.

It raises some interesting logistical questions. Which MPs and staffers will need to skip their own party's event to observe the other's? How will CPAC choose which competing sessions to broadcast to the audience of tens that will want to tune in?

Then there's the battle to get the best media talent to come and cover. The Liberals have the benefit of proximity in Ottawa -- no travel, and sleeping in their own beds. But then again, Vancouver offers expense account fun. And mountains. Even if the bars do close way too early.

I look forward though to the conspiracy theories. Please don't disappoint me there, Conservative friends. NDP and Liberal conventions on the same weekend, announced the same afternoon? Surely this must be a conspiracy!

Proof of secret plotting on Coalition Deux? Or the planned fruition of highly secretive party merger talks, with motions to merge two be debated by each party at their conventions? The New Democratic Liberal Party?

The shadow knows!

In the mean time, save the date.

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1 comment:

Kyle H. said...

Ottawa is perfect for me - I can drive instead of flying. Excellent.

We should find out if the Bloc is holding a similar convention on the same date - that'll put the conspiracy theories into full throttle.

Wait for it - the Democratic Liberal Bloc will come to fruition!