Mike Crawley speaks to the delegation after becoming the new President of the Liberal Party of Canada. On the final day of the Liberal Biennial Convention in Ottawa on Jan. 15, 2011 the Liberals announced their new party President, Mike Crawley, and the weekend conference wrapped up with a speech from interim party leader, Bob Rae.
Liberals rejected going back to the past for its new president, resisting former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps and instead electing a former Ontario party official, Mike Crawley.
Mr. Crawley, 42, who had been president of the Ontario Liberals and is now a businessman involved in wind farming, was backed by younger delegates and his team consisted of many strategists, who had worked for Paul Martin. But Liberals have been quick to say that the presidential race was not a replay of the Martin/Chretien wars.
Ms. Copps, of course, served in senior positions in Jean Chretien's cabinet but had first been elected in the 1980s when John Turner was leader.
"I am very energized by all of you," Mr. Crawley said in his acceptance speech, delivered in English and his rather strained French. "The convention signals a party that is clearly focused on the future."
About his rival, Ms. Copps, Mr. Crawley said they had met earlier in the morning and that there "is no daylight between Sheila and I on the way forward of this great party."
"Sheila Copps, through the last several months of the campaign ... was a passionate voice expressing the pride that we all had in the great accomplishment of this party," he said. "For those who thought it was too early after May ... that Liberals would be at home sitting in the fetal position crying ... look at this weekend."
There were concerns from some delegates that the picture of Ms. Copps in raised arms with Interim leader Bob Rae, 63, hardly represented renewal.
Ms. Copps, 59, was conscious of the knock against her that she hardly represented renewal given her long roots in the party. In fact, she had joked Saturday that she's still vigorous – lost 25 lbs, plays a good tennis game and has a good sex life.
Convention co-chair Bonnie Crombie, meanwhile, told delegates just before the vote results were read that she had run into author Peter C. Newman Saturday and he told her that he "now believed in reincarnation."
Mr. Newman's name has come up repeatedly during the convention because of his recent book declaring the Liberals a dying party.
"I told him we're not dead, we're red hot and ready to go," said Ms. Crombie.
The contest was decided by the 3,200 delegates at the end of the party's three-day biennial convention – one aimed at rebuilding and revitalizing the party after its humiliating showing in last May's election. The party had wanted to show it can reinvent itself by becoming more open. It went some of the way by deciding to create a new class of "supporters", who do not have to pay a fee to become a party member or join a riding association, but can vote for the a new Liberal leader.
However, delegates rejected a U.S.-style primary system to elect its leader. Mr. Crawley, when asked what system he preferred during the presidential debate Friday night, was non-committal.
Delegates at the biennial policy convention voted down the controversial resolution that would have seen the new leader elected in a series of staggered votes across the country. It had required the support of two-thirds of the delegates as it is a change to the constitution.
Outgoing party president Alfred Apps has been pushing hard on this new change for several months.
Sunday morning, he urged the convention to accept the new change as a way to show the Liberals are ready to take some risks in the 21st century and engage more Canadians. The party needs to make dramatic changes after its humiliating defeat at the polls last May.
"This is going to be something that involves ... I hope millions of Canadians," he told delegates.
The rejection follows a move Saturday night by Liberal delegates to create a new class of Liberal "supporters", who without paying fees or joining riding associations will be allowed to cast ballots for the next leader. But Liberals would not take this next step.
The leadership contest is to take place between March and June 2013. The failure of the amendment means the new leader will be chosen on a single day by members and supporters of the party.
The amendment, meanwhile, provoked a passionate debate.
A Vancouver delegate argued that this primary system "makes us go places we haven't been enough." He noted that if there is a primary in Saskatchewan – where the Liberals have not fared well – "we have to go to Saskatchewan and listen."
"It opens up our leadership contest to people who may not be able to run all across the country all at once ... that's how Obama started – small and then big," he said.
The delegate noted that the system is "media and public friendly." "It's passed the elevator test," he said. "It can be explained in 30 seconds."
Indeed, Liberals at this convention are obsessed with headlines and getting into the media. Speakers on various issue have raised concerns about what the next day's headlines will read if a resolution or motion passes or does not pass.
But an Ottawa Centre delegate warned that it could destroy the party, noting GOP infighting and toll the primaries are taking on Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.
He said that in the last election the Harper Tories "destroyed our leaders before we had a chance to destroy them." He was referring to the Tory attack ads that labeled former leader Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff as "just visiting" the country. He said staggering the vote – and having some leadership candidates drop off before a vote in a certain region – could deny some members from voting for the candidate of their choice.