We know that there is going to be a by-election in Toronto-Danforth in the months to come to choose Jack Layton’s local successor. For the Liberal Party, this by-election is a wonderful opportunity to show we have started to change the way we do business. In so many ways, showing all Canadians we are going to be a completely different party going forward than we have been in past is as important as whether we win or lose the riding.
Traditionally, the Liberal Party would simply appoint a candidate to run in a by-election. Maybe it would be the candidate who ran there in the last general election, maybe it would be somebody close to the party leader, occasionally it would be somebody who has deep roots to the local Liberal organization. In rare cases, there is a true open nomination meeting based on the current, deeply flawed model.
Of course we could do the exact same thing in Toronto-Danforth. We likely will. A nomination meeting will get called, one candidate comes forward, he’s acclaimed, we proclaim we are poised to take the riding, life goes on. Or we could try something completely different.
Why doesn’t the Liberal Party of Canada hold an open primary in Toronto-Danforth? Here’s how it could work: an open call is made for candidates. A deadline is set for candidates to put their nomination forward. At that point, the local Liberal riding association vets the candidates and comes out with a short list of three or five nominees to be the candidate. A ballot is then sent to every single eligible voter in the riding. The riding chooses their local Liberal candidate.
Yes, there is a balance here that I think is important – local Liberals do still play a critical role in vetting potential candidates but ultimately, the selection system is busted open to all voting age citizens. This is exactly what the British Conservatives did in 2009 in Totnes, so it can easily be done in a Westminster system.
Ya, there is a financial cost involved in running this type of a primary. I would argue that if the Liberal Party is going to spend $50,000 on anything in the fourth quarter of 2011, this is the single best expense we could incur.
To be clear, it in no way ensures – or even significantly improves the odds – we take the riding from the NDP. That’s not the point at all.
The reason you run an open primary is that it is such a radical change in the way the Liberal Party – or any party in Canada, for that matter – goes about its business. It is not a magic bullet that changes everything for us, nothing is. But boy, it would be a powerful first step if the Liberal Party is serious about being anything other than exactly the same in 2015.
