Young Liberals of Canada

History & Influence

Nascent presence, 1800s

Associations of young partisan supporters of the Liberals began to form in the late 1870s. The Globe, a Toronto newspaper with strong Liberal leaning founded by key pre-confederation Liberal leader George Brown, reported in October 1877 the formation of a Young Men's Reform Association in Owen Sound, Ontario, a major port town at the time. In February 1878, a Young Men's Reform Association was formed in Ottawa in response to the Young Men's Liberal-Conservative Association which had been in existence for a number of years*.* Activities of other young reform/liberals associations were reported by the Globe later in 1878 in Toronto, Montreal, Belleville, Peterboro', Lindsay, Port Hope, London, and Stratford in the lead up of that years dominion election (which ended the Liberal government led by Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie).These associations' names reflected the name of the General Reform Association, the informal network of organizations providing organizational support to Liberal politicians before the formal establishment of party apparatus. In 1885, a convention of young liberals was held in Toronto.

Delegates from Young Liberal Clubs in Ontario met in convention in February 1895 and established the Ontario Young Liberal Federation. The convention was held with the attendance of then leader of the Opposition Wilfrid Laurier, then Ontario education minister (and future Premier) George Ross and Liberal MP William Paterson in attendance, and the Globe gave it front page promotional treatment on its Saturday edition that week. Having been a young precocious minister in the Mackenzie Ministry and assumed leadership when he was younger than most of his caucus peers, Laurier paid much attention to the young partisans. When asked by reporters about rumours of his ill health in 1897, he responded by laughing and said he was "looking forward with pleasure to the meeting of the Young Liberal Federation later that evening".

Guaranteed disproportionate clout, 1948 to 2009

In seven leadership contests over 60 years, Young Liberals collectively wield outsized sway on party affairs due to structural measures that were instituted deliberately by the party. The outsized influence was derived primarily from generous allocations of delegate accreditations to youth at Liberal Party conventions. Starting at the 1948 leadership convention, specific numbers of delegates accreditations were allocated to young liberal clubs at post-secondary campuses, These delegates were separate from and in addition to regular constituency delegates, which young liberals could also be elected as. The proportion of youth delegates would increase further in subsequent leader contests, peaking at the 2003 contest where Paul Martin, a former University of Toronto Young Liberal, succeeded his long time rival Jean Chretien, a former president of the Université Laval Young Liberals, as party leader and prime minister.

When the Liberal Party of Canada held its second leadership convention in 1948 that elected Louis St Laurent as leader, it allocated for the first time a guaranteed number of delegates to the Young Liberals. The conventions composition largely followed the composition of the 1919 convention that elected William Lyon Mackenzie King but with two significant changes, both impacting young liberals. Delegate accreditations were granted to the president and two officers of the Young Liberal Federation and the Women Liberal Federation of each of the nine provinces along with the national president of the federations. The eighteen university liberal clubs that were active at the time were also given three delegates each. The changes added 82 youth delegates to the convention delegate composition, guaranteeing the Young Liberals at minimum 6.3% among the 1302 votes present to choose the next party leader, a percentage that would rise in subsequent contest. In appreciation for the outgoing leader's granting them a place at the convention, a large crowd of Young Liberals with banners waited at the Prime Minister residence on the Thursday of the convention, broke out out in a chorus of “He’s a Jolly Good Fellow" when King stepped out much to the retiring chief delight.

In an attempt to attract Young Liberal supporters for his 1968 leadership bid, Pierre Trudeau campaigned on the promise of reserving specific number of riding delegate spots at national conventions to Young Liberals. Trudeau went on to win the party leadership, and YLC was allocated guaranteed number of delegate spots in each riding association and in addition to accredited campus Liberal clubs.

This has meant the YLC has wielded disproportionate influence in the party's leadership selection as it controls the accreditation process of campus clubs, which were fierce battlegrounds during federal leadership races from the early 1980s to 2006. Trudeau's government also lowered the voting age to 18 in 1970, further endearing him to Young Liberals.

During the 1980s, YLC members found themselves on both sides of raging intra-party debates. During the 1986 leadership review, some supported leader John Turner, such as future MP Joe Peschisolido, while others opposed him, including YLC-Quebec President and future politician Denis Coderre (who publicly called for Turner's resignation.) During the 1990 leadership race, the Paul Martin leadership campaign was particularly notorious for hostile take over of campus clubs, though many Young Liberals supported the eventual winner (and YLC alumni), Jean Chrétien.

The YLC's influence in the leadership selection process was greatly diminished in 2009 when the federal party changed its constitution to elect its future leaders by a "weighted One Member, One Vote" voting method.

Incubator for political leaders, trendsetter for progressive ideas

The Young Liberals of Canada were founded in 1936, though youth had played a role in the Liberal Party (particularly election campaigns) since its founding. During the 1950s and 60s, future Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin were both active Young Liberals. Chrétien, who joined during law school at Université Laval, was elected president of the uLaval Young Liberals in 1958 (no one else wanted the job, as everyone else was too afraid of drawing the ire of the Union Nationale.) Martin was active during his years at the University of Toronto, where future Liberal leaders Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae were also engaged in Young Liberal activities on campus.

Under the leadership of president (and future MP) Greg Fergus, the YLC began to push for the legalization of same-sex marriage in 1994, the first group in the Liberal Party to do so. The 2003 leadership race, which saw YLC alum Paul Martin become prime minister, again featured heavy Young Liberal involvement, with intense battles for delegates on many campuses (especially by the Martin campaign.) Young Liberals mobilized against Canada's proposed entry into United States Missile Defence System in 2005, helping convince the Martin Government to say no to the Americans.

Following the Liberal Party's historic defeat in 2011, the YLC helped lead the process of party renewal by assisting youth in taking on new leadership roles and promoting new progressive policies. Most prominently, Young Liberal policies advocating for the legalization of marijuana (first passed by the YLC-British Columbia) and medical assistance in dying (passed by the Ontario Young Liberals) were overwhelmingly endorsed by the party's entire membership at the 2012 and 2014 Biennial conventions and were key planks in the 2015 election platform.

The election of the youthful and energetic Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader in 2013 helped attract new Young Liberals. The younger Trudeau has proven as popular with Canadian youth as his father, helping the YLC recruit new members and ensuring youth concerns were included in the Liberals 2015 election platform. This popularity, coupled with the YLC's efforts, helped ensure a record youth turnout in the 2015 election, which made the difference in securing a majority government. Following the Liberals' victory, Trudeau appointed himself as his government's Minister of Youth, a move that met with approval from many Young Liberals. As part of larger reforms to the Liberal Party's internal structures beginning in 2016, the YLC's Constitution was replaced by a new Charter.

YLC has also sometimes been a source of embarrassments and scandals for the party.

• In 1997, Jim MacLaren, president of the BC wing, misappropriated $30,000 from the federal party's coffers, and was later convicted of fraud.
• In 1999, several drunken Young Liberal delegates attending a convention in Victoria smashed up a couple of hotel rooms. The Liberal Party was sued by the hotel and settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
• In 2000, Jesse Davidson, president of the Ontario wing, faced one count of fraud over $5,000 and 23 counts for allegedly drewing money from the party's bank account by forging the signature of a former treasurer. The charges were dropped in 2011 in exchange of Davidson agreeing to repay some $7,000 that he withdrew from the party's bank account.
• In 2007, a former president of the BC wing, Erik Bornmann, was implicated by the investigation following the BC Legislature Raids, and served as a key witness in a trial that pertains to the scandal.
• In 2015, YLC-BC President Linda Ching was discovered to be the daughter of Cheng Muyang, a fugitive wanted by Chinese authorities for graft. Cheng is believed to have helped his daughter secure the position of president. After Cheng's fugitive status became publicly known, Linda Ching quietly called an election, but did not resign.

Policy

Developing and promoting progressive policies is at the core of the YLC's mission. The YLC brings a slate of policies to every Liberal Biennial Convention, which are solicited, debated and voted on every two years in the lead-up to the convention. In many policy areas, Young Liberals have been more progressive than the party as a whole, taking a pro-same sex marriage position as early as 1994. During the Liberal governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin (1993-2006), the YLC successfully pushed initiatives like the long-term commitment to Africa, the Canada Post-Secondary Education Transfer, the promotion and protection of safe-injection sites and the commitment to the Kyoto Accord. The 2005 decision of the Martin Liberal government to not enter into the American missile defence program was in part credited to the opposition of the Young Liberals.

During the Harper years (2006-2015), the YLC redoubled its focus on advocacy and highlighted the government's neglect of youth issues. In response to Conservative TV and radio attack ads, the YLC launched the "Hi.im.a.liberal.ca" initiative, a spoof of the Mac/PC ads, which garnered media attention for its novelty. In May 2010, they began a campaign in opposition to Bill C-391 and in support of the federal long gun registry. Other initiatives during this period included the "Red Revolution" campaign (focusing on "taking Canada back" by improving youth involvement in politics), the "Go Green, Vote Red" initiative (to appeal to environmentally-minded voters and promote the party's "Green Shift" program) and the "End the Crisis" campaign (to increase the admission of Middle Eastern refugees displaced by the Syrian Civil War).

Former members in elected office

The Young Liberal of Canada has served as training ground for budding political leader for over a century. Numerous young liberals went on to become elected official. Three permanent leaders of the party, including two Prime Ministers, had formal involvement as young liberals. The organizations also produced a number provincial leaders, and at least two provincial premiers.

List of elected office holders who were involved as young liberals

(Ordered within category by date first elected to public office)

Currently in public office

Other politicians

• Mitchell Brownstein, Mayor of Côte St. Luc, Quebec

Elected MPs as members of other parties

• Stephen Harper, Conservative Prime Minister 2006-15 (a Young Liberal before joining the Conservatives)
• Jason Kenney, Conservative Premier of Alberta 2019–22, leader of the United Conservative Party 2017-22, federal cabinet minister 2007-15, Conservative, Alliance and Reform MP for Calgary Midnapore 1997-2016 (aide to Saskatchewan Liberal leader Ralph Goodale)

Notable executives

Past Presidents:

• Greg Fergus (1994–96)

Past National Directors:

• Christy Clark

International

The organization is a member of the International Federation of Liberal Youth, and at one time sent delegates to international gatherings of youth from Liberal parties around the world.

References

References

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