Growing OLP Into Canada’s Most Welcoming Political Movement

Two Constitutional Amendments to Move the Party Forward

As Ontario Liberals head into our upcoming AGM in Hamilton this March, the primary focus of every party member must be answering the question of how to grow our party again.

I’ve been trying to answer that question for over a decade as a volunteer at the riding level, a staffer at party headquarters, an advisor to ministers in government, and a member of four provincial election campaigns under three different party leaders.

What is clear to me is that you can’t grow a winning movement if you put up barriers to enter it or drive good people away from it.

For the Ontario Liberal Party to rebuild successfully, we must become the most welcoming party in Canadian politics to new supporters and long-time volunteers alike.

Inclusion needs to be the cornerstone of our party culture and that culture must be reflected in the rules we govern ourselves by as an organization. That’s why, for the first time in my years of political involvement, I’m proposing two constitutional amendments to be voted on at the AGM that I believe will help us move two steps forward towards this goal.

The first would address the longstanding financial barriers that exist within our party to those with lower-incomes who have chosen our party as their political home.

The second would ensure that the Constitution makes specific reference to the guiding disciplinary documents within our party and eliminate exceptions to enforcement.

Reducing Event Fees for Low-income Members

Many of the most important decisions we make as members of the Ontario Liberal Party take place at party conventions where registrants:

· Elect the Executive Council

· Vote on constitutional amendments

· Help develop party policies

· Select a new Leader

Having a voice in these decisions is why many members join in the first place. But to break-even on the cost of hosting these events, the price of registration is set at a rate not all members can afford. And that can mean leaving those with low-incomes on the outside of decisions and underrepresented in our party in general.

The party has taken steps to address cost-burdens on certain members by entrenching a reduced rate for youths, students, and seniors in the Constitution. In the past, the party has also offered a Northern Travel Subsidy for members from Northern ridings who experience increased travel costs to attend events far from home.

These measures are great but incomplete. They leave out members aged 26 to 64 in all other regions of the province who want to participate in our movement but lack the funds to do so. Many of these individuals work full-time but earn minimum wages. Others are a part of the disability community and may not be able to work.

This amendment would build on the carve out already established in the Constitution for youths, students, and seniors by adding an additional group to the list of members eligible for a reduced registration rate: those with low-incomes.

1 in 10 Ontarians live below the poverty line. To understand their needs, we need them among our ranks and to play a role in our decision-making processes so they are reflected in our party. Only then will we live up to our founding values of fairness and inclusion.

We also need to understand that people of all income levels vote and that we can’t afford to push away any voters. The NDP already has a low-income rate in their Constitution that acts as a competitive advantage over our party in attracting new supporters.

Remembering this is especially important ahead of elections, like the current by-election in Hamilton Centre. As our candidate Deirdre Pike once pointed out, “There are enough people living in poverty in Hamilton to fill Copps Coliseum five times.” All of them are eligible to vote on Election Day.

While I believe that most members will be in favour of this amendment, I expect there will be questions about how it should be implemented in practice. Rather than be prescriptive, I think it’s best to follow precedent and leave implementation up to our Elected Executive Council.

The youth and senior carve out is enforced through online registration forms that require the registrant to enter a birthdate. The student carve out is enforced by matching their name to a OYL student club membership list. Both these measures were arrived at by our Executive Council with the help of our party office staff.

My advice to the incoming Executive Council would be to offer the reduced rate and simply trust that registrants making use of it are applying because they need to in order to attend at all. It’s the right thing to do, protects the dignity of our members, and most importantly, helps create a party culture that is welcoming by default.

Here’s the text of the amendment:

Enforcement of the Workplace Discrimination, Harassment and Violence Prevention Policy and Code of Conduct

Just as we should be welcoming anyone who wants to join our party, we should also create a safe environment within the party for everyone who commits to our cause. If we don’t, we will continue to allow young people to be pushed out of our movement as a result of abuse.

For years, discipline in the party has been carried out under the Code of Conduct, a document that makes little reference to workplace abuse. But in February 2018, the party adopted a new Workplace Discrimination, Harassment and Violence Prevention Policy in the immediate wake of Ontario PC Party Leader Patrick Brown’s resignation.

There was a huge wave of realization in staffers of my vintage during this time that some of our earlier experiences in politics may have been inappropriate and abusive. Many of us committed to creating a better safety net for the next generation so they might never have to go through the same experiences.

Despite our efforts, I don’t believe we’ve made enough headway. The ‘Discipline’ section of the Constitution still provides exemptions from discipline to specific members of our party, including the:

· Immediate Past President

· Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party or a designate

· President of the Ontario Young Liberals or a designate

· President of the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission or a designate

· Caucus Liaison designated by the Liberal Caucus

Eliminating exemptions, especially for those who hold some of the highest positions in our organization, is crucial. Despite some progress, it is clear these problems will not go away on their own. After yet another example of sexual abuse of power exploded onto Canada’s political scene recently, Kathleen Wynne powerfully wrote: “Can we acknowledge that if we let our affection for this individual cloud our assessment of the situation, we risk putting more young people at risk?”

No one should be ‘above the law’ in politics when it comes to discrimination, harassment, and violence. A safe party culture can’t make exceptions for anyone who breaks the rules. The amendment would scrap these exceptions and hold every member equally to account for their actions within the party.

With these exemptions removed, the Policy will apply to everyone. But it will still not be mentioned in our current Constitution which puts it at risk of going unenforced or being rescinded. Codifying it into the ‘Discipline’ section of the Constitution will give more power to our disciplinary systems and provide clearer guidance to those who might need their protections. It will also require the support of two-thirds of those gathered at a Constitutional Amendment session to ever scrap it.

There is more work to be done so that the Policy truly protects those it intends to rather than those who would cause harm to others in our party. But by elevating its importance to the constitutional level, we can create a culture that welcomes further progress.

Here’s the text of the amendment:

Health issues will prevent me from attending the upcoming AGM personally, but I believe both of these amendments are necessary and warrant support.

If you would like to support either of these amendments, please add your voice on social media and in your conversations with other party members. Most importantly, make sure to speak and vote for these amendments at the AGM.

There are many other amendments that have been proposed by party members. I’ve created a summary document to help attendees navigate all of them in order to make informed choices from the floor.

You can view the amendment summary chart here.

Theresa has served as a former Communications Coordinator of the Ontario Liberal Party and as a Director of Communications to several cabinet ministers, including the Minister Responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy. She previously served as the Vice-President Communications of the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission and recently launched a podcast focused on getting more women involved in politics called the PersistersCAN Podcast.