tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post6675192543363917101..comments2024-02-07T16:22:39.625-05:00Comments on Jeff Jedras: Policy and the Liberal convention: Critics missing the real controversyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-61506068582258411882009-03-19T22:38:00.000-04:002009-03-19T22:38:00.000-04:00En Famille is a totally volunteer effort. We could...<I>En Famille</I> is a totally volunteer effort. We could sure use more volunteers...tedhsuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17762609953990464067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-7223504298875575982009-03-18T11:24:00.000-04:002009-03-18T11:24:00.000-04:00Hi Jeff, I understand your concern and frustration...Hi Jeff, <BR/><BR/>I understand your concern and frustration. I look at En Famille as a work in progress. From my point of view it is light-years ahead of where we were when I first joined the party in 2006. <BR/>In Saanich-Gulf Islands we have held nearly a dozen policy town hall meetings all over southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. We are all voting online and our President is well aware of our priorities and will be voting for them. <BR/><BR/>I think we should be concerned if this is a trend and continues down the path of just the party elite voting on what goes forward. I guess the frustration for a lot of you is that unlike BC you haven’t had a policy convention recently and decided on the top 10 priorities.<BR/><BR/>From what I understand from my wee little corner out here is that the policy process is no longer going to just be held at conventions as they are costly and time consuming. Instead the party is looking to the grassroots to continue the policy process online indefinitely so that the party never runs out of fresh ideas to put forward.<BR/><BR/>We can all see it has a long way to go, but I’m sure if we keep up the fight together we can build En Famille into a brilliant policy building medium. Keep your head up and do not waiver in your cause to bring the grassroots back into the fold of the party. - Ray Larson -Saanich-Gulf IslandsRay Larson Jrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10848365186861911298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-74025724243264154512009-03-17T17:31:00.000-04:002009-03-17T17:31:00.000-04:00When I was informed via En Famille that my riding ...When I was informed via En Famille that my riding president would have a vote on resolutions to go from workshop to plenary, I contacted him to see if he would be aclling a meeting of the membership to discuss them and provide him with some guidance. I was informed that this was "news to me" (him) and he would check. That's almost a week ago now. I haven't heard a peep.Quixotiquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06087377725237482826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-56221482463544356692009-03-17T16:26:00.000-04:002009-03-17T16:26:00.000-04:00This is why I signed up to attend the biennial:"In...This is why I signed up to attend the biennial:<BR/><BR/>"In the workshops, only one resolution is forwarded to the policy plenary sessions of the Biennial Convention, while there, they will be added to the priority resolutions that were originally forwarded for discussion."<BR/><BR/>This is the only direct policy vote members have had until this year, which has now been supplanted by a non-binding on-line exercise in futility operating under the guise of inclusion. Not a good thing. I don't understand why someone would attend "because they can afford to go" or why they'd attend for a leadership campaign of one person. The only reason left to go is for policy input, which has all but evaporated.ChrisInKWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00367104004670657127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-78070836199861659322009-03-17T14:52:00.000-04:002009-03-17T14:52:00.000-04:00"But have the Conservatives released their platfor..."But have the Conservatives released their platform for the next election?"<BR/><BR/>The Conservatives didn't release their platform for the last election until a week before the vote, and only then because they started taking heat.Steve Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04871113039374739208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-59326635265890230972009-03-17T14:17:00.000-04:002009-03-17T14:17:00.000-04:00Here in Kingston & the Islands, our riding pre...Here in Kingston & the Islands, our riding president will be consulting with the policy committee and the results of <I>En Famille</I> voting by riding members before casting her votes.<BR/>To some extent the responsibility lies with riding associations in this case to make sure there is consultation.<BR/>Now having all convention delegates vote instead of just EDA presidents seems like a good idea. But I would also venture to say that a good number of convention delegates signed up because of the leadership race, or because they could afford to go, and not because they wanted to vote on policy resolutions.<BR/>At least the present process gives some say to active riding members who cannot afford to make the trip to Vancouver and therefore did not sign up to be a delegate.tedhsuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17762609953990464067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-24829556058097504392009-03-17T14:05:00.000-04:002009-03-17T14:05:00.000-04:00There's an easy solution for this. Every EDA shoul...There's an easy solution for this. Every EDA should have the power to send resolutions directly to en famille, and EDAs must have a policy meeting in order to have their delegates accredited. Even if they meet and agree to send no resolutions forward, that's fine. They could (in theory) have their meetings on line. But they must at least present some opportunity to their members to table policy resolutions.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16287295355147760571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-46776396371445544462009-03-17T13:50:00.000-04:002009-03-17T13:50:00.000-04:00This is very disturbing ! In my riding of Peterbor...This is very disturbing ! In my riding of Peterborough many grassroots liberals have informed me they have never been contacted by the riding president on policy matters for the Vancouver Convention.<BR/><BR/>There have also been no " Liberal Helping Events " organized in this riding as of yesterday !Thee Messengerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15763792498182528431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19402125.post-57965557388165438232009-03-17T13:30:00.000-04:002009-03-17T13:30:00.000-04:00This is very frustrating. The policy committee "en...This is very frustrating. The policy committee "encourages" EDAs to hold meetings where members could voice their policy preferences to their president. I question how many riding associations have followed through on this. My president is less than receptive. This is not renewal, this is a step backwards. Why exactly am I attending a Convention if there will be no real workshops?ChrisInKWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00367104004670657127noreply@blogger.com