Comments on: Youth ostracism in Canadian politics

By: Denny

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:05:52 +0000

I didn’t write anything about what you said Ryan, I think you meant to address that to Ian.

Anyways, the NDP restored the ability for youth and unwaged delegates to register online today.

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By: Ryan Barber

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:13:32 +0000

Hi Denny,

It seems the Globe and Mail made a small mistake in the article you’re quoting. While I did say I thought the motion would be “very divisive and alienate Liberal supporters.” and finished up with “Do you want to hear the words ‘President Harper’,” I did not make the other comments attributed to me. To my recollection it was one of the youth delegates at microphone 3 (I was at 6, and if you’re like me you PVR’ed CPAC all weekend so you can check it out if you’re unsure).

I would just like to state that, while I strongly opposed the motion, I feel the youth wing had nothing to be ashamed of in bringing it forward. Quite to the contrary the Young Liberals have been at the forefront of bringing forward fresh ideas in the party and without question were the all stars of the convention this weekend, from their advocacy for primaries and their cosponsoring and advocacy of the marijuana legalization motion, which I think will play a significant role in how we’re defined in the coming months and years. The motion on abolishing the monarchy however was, even if one were so inclined, weakly worded. Establishing an all party committee to explore the idea was not the best way that could of been presented, and while I credit Mr. Sutherland for having the guts to stand up for his convictions I would suggest the YLC put equal care into the wording of motions like that as they did everything else they did so well this past weekend.

Hope that clears things up a little!

– Ryan Barber, Simcoe North

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By: Denny

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:45:56 +0000

Thanks for the support Ian.

Fortunately for me I’m in a financial position where if I am able to get the time off work to go to convention I’ll be able (and had planned) to pay the full price. A lot of people aren’t in this position and it’s disappointing to see extra hoops added for them to get the discount that has traditionally been offered. However if I did need the discount it seems that I wouldn’t be able to get it since the only phone I have access to during business hours is my employers phone which I can’t/won’t use to make political calls.
Initially I’d hoped that the youth option had just been removed to fix another glitch (previously if you checked off for a youth it also asked if you planned on attending the June 2011 youth convention which had already happened) but Deveraux’s response to the NDYA confirmed that removing youth and the unwaged from those eligible to register online was intentional.

Fortunately two leadership candidates have already stepped up and said this is wrong. Romeo Saganash has signed the petition and retweeted it, and Nathan Cullen has responded to my e-mail and promised to raise the issue with the party.

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By: Veronica

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:19:43 +0000

“Instead of talking about what is important to them and what truly affects their lives – “shrinking jobs,” post-secondary education and increase of aboriginal Canadians in jail – they chose this motion that can “only bring harm and ridicule to our party,” [delegate Ryan] Barber said. ”

According to a 2009 Macleans’ article Canada spends “$40 million or $50 million [a year]”; I suspect that figure is higher in the years after 2009. The 40 or 50 million dollars saved when Canadians stop supporting the monarchy could be applied to what Ryan Barber thinks Liberal youth leaders should be concerned about.

http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/07/14/queen-costs-us-more-than-the-brits-pay/

PS I signed Denny’s petition.

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