Liberals launch debate on survival and victory in 2015

The Liberal Party of Canada says it is under attack from rivals who want to wipe it off the political map, but it has a plan to fight back that involves a major overhaul of the party following its historic election defeat in May.

The party's national board released a "Roadmap to Victory in 2015" document Thursday that outlines what the Liberals need to do if they are ever again to form government. It makes a series of proposals related to fundraising, streamlining operations, increasing membership, preparing for the next federal election in four years and rebuilding trust within the party.

In an accompanying document to explain the proposals, Liberal Party president Alfred Apps says it's "no exaggeration to note that the very survival of LPC may now be at stake" and that Liberals are wondering whether the party's decline can be turned around.

"The resolutions we have proposed would practically revolutionize the way that the party has traditionally functioned," the paper says. "Taken together, the proposed resolutions, if enacted, would result in sweeping constitutional change and radical operational modernization of the party's affairs."

The Liberal Party was decimated on May 2 — dropping from 77 to 34 seats and losing its leader, Michael Ignatieff — and it is now being forced to do some serious self-reflection on the state of the party, and a post-mortem on why it not only didn't win the election, but lost it so badly.

For the first time in their history the Liberals are neither in government nor on the Official Opposition benches. They are being led, on an interim basis, by Bob Rae, their fifth leader in eight years. Since 1993, the Liberals have gone from a majority government, to a minority one, to Official Opposition, to their current place in the corner of the House of Commons, beside the NDP and across from the Conservatives.

"Now we are faced with an assault against our party from the left and the right; from opponents who want to eliminate Liberalism from the political landscape," the national board says.

Proposals focus on grassroots, fundraising 

To fight back and rebuild, the road map paper says Liberals need to focus on a few key priorities and themes:

• Rebuilding local electoral district associations (EDAs) and provincial and territorial party affiliates with more grassroots engagement and "Liberal activism" in regions where the party has been in "an extended period of decline."
• Streamlining organizational structures and breaking down silos between the leader's office, the national office and the caucus.
• Modernizing communications and fundraising, training a "new generation" of digital fundraisers, organizers and fieldworkers.
• Broadening their appeal to include more women, aboriginal Canadians, new Canadians and youth so the party is more fully bilingual and multicultural.
• Opening up how leaders and candidates are chosen, how money is raised, and how policies are chosen and implemented.

The paper was prepared in advance of the Liberal convention in January in Ottawa. The national board says it was written based on consultations with party activists, supporters and former supporters who have ditched the party. It says the proposals are meant to generate debate and discussion and perhaps generate alternative proposals on how to fix the party.

The document lays out a six-phase rebuilding plan that includes electing a new Liberal leader some time between March and June of 2013 and it proposes overhauling how that leader is elected.

The Liberal executive is suggesting the next leader be elected through a series of regional votes, similar to how primary contests are held in the United States, over a period of weeks and then at a meeting of the "Council of Presidents" the winner would be confirmed. It also proposes that online and other forms of voting be used in the process.

Among the other proposals being pitched by the board are ideas on how to bring in more money. The Conservatives excel far ahead of the other parties when it comes to fundraising, and having cash in the bank is essential to waging a successful campaign.

'Defending' next leader

The board suggests launching a major fundraising campaign next spring and creating a new "special cash reserve for the purpose of promoting and defending its next permanent leader."

The attack ads by the Conservatives against Ignatieff and his predecessor Stéphane Dion are cited by Liberals as one of the reasons they failed to gain support from voters.

In his detailed and highly analytical background paper, Apps calls the attack ad strategy "insidiously brilliant" and says the Liberals didn't realize the damage it was doing or respond effectively.

In fact, in several parts of his paper, Apps gives credit to how the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) manages campaigns.

"The highest art of modern democratic politics is that of communicating effectively with voters. CPC strategists, current masters of that art in Canada, understand that 'connecting' with the voter is about reaching them emotionally," he writes.

But he also has harsh words about Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government, saying it is "driven by ruthlessly partisan calculation, rather than sound public policy."

Apps also takes a look at the NDP and says its breakthrough in the spring election, particularly in Quebec, had mostly to do with the personal appeal of Jack Layton, the party's leader who died in August, and the fact that the NDP has no "baggage" in Quebec the way the Liberals do because of the sponsorship scandal.

Apps predicts a battle is brewing between new members of the NDP in Quebec and older members in the rest of Canada and over the special status of unions within the party. He acknowledges that Liberals have to be "aggressive" in countering the surge of the country's new official Opposition party.

The Liberal renewal document also recommends launching a membership drive next spring, and creating a "supporter" status in addition to full "member" status. A supporter would be able to vote in leadership and candidate nominations but would not be able to participate in conventions as a full delegate or run as a candidate.

Another proposal is to hire a "director of digital operations" to oversee a unified communications strategy, and there are also proposals to allow for online and mail-in voting for leadership conventions and candidate nominations.

"We believe the convention will be a watershed event, not only for Canadian Liberalism but also for Canada's future as a progressive, compassionate, diverse, bilingual, united and prosperous nation," the paper says.