Lead-up to 2019 election a balancing act, incoming party president says

The incoming Liberal party president says their biggest challenge going into next year's election will be the balancing act between boasting about and defending the government's track record during their first mandate.

"There has been change… but that work isn't finished," Suzanne Cowan told The House.

"We need to have a second mandate so we can make sure the things that we've been able to implement stick."

According to the government's own assessment, only 81 of the 364 mandate commitments have been completed, with another 232 in progress.

The government has also come under fire for dropping some campaign promises since being elected — most notably, electoral reform.

Future policies to run on in 2019 will be debated at the party's convention in Halifax this weekend.

Not all delegates at the gathering are likely to agree on the best path forward, but that's an eventuality Cowan is expecting.

"This is what we do, this is why we have these policy conventions."

A mix of new and existing policies will make up the Liberal party platform leading into next year's vote, and Cowan says it's important for the party to communicate to voters what they've done over the past three years as well as what the future could hold.

Another challenge will be assessing the other two parties, as both the NDP and Conservatives have new leaders, she added.

"It's going to take even more to win in 2019, it's going to take more money, it's going to take more people."