The highlight of the Liberal Biennial Convention for me.

Our New Leader…  I am thrilled about our new leader Stephane Dion.  Throughout the week, I’ve gained a respect for him and his stance on economic prosperity, social justice and environmental sustainability.  These are exactly what First Nations government are looking for as well.  His vision of Canada is compatible with our vision.
He is a visionary.  He can see the change coming.  That is something that I look for in a leader.
He’s going to be a great leader, alongside the “Liberal Dream Team”, Bob Rae, Michael Ignatieff, Gerard Kennedy, Scott Brison, Martha Hall-Findley, Ken Dryden, Joe Volpe.

What an exceptionally long day…  No doubt conventions are exciting, but they are truly a lot of hard work.  Spent most of the day working to fend off Ignatieff camp.  (Just kiddin’).  They wore me down eventually, I supported Iggy on the final ballot.

My Voting History…

  • First Ballot: Dryden

  • Second Ballot: Dryden

  • Third Ballot: Rae

  • Fourth Ballot: Ignatieff

Was I the jinx?…  Sure I was disappointed with my poor record.  I felt I was a jinx, as each time I voted, my guy was eliminated.  But to tell you the truth, I was excited to see Dion in the lead after the third ballot.  I cheered loudly, much to the chagrin of my Ignatieff friends surrounding me.  But I was impressed with his support as well as his message.

Top 10 Personal Moments at the Convention

  1. Sitting with Paul Martin…  My far the most exciting and memorable moment of my life.  I had just passed my resolution and The Right Honourable Paul Martin came over to sit with me during the APC meeting.

  2. Passing the Recognition as a Nation Resolution…  A short presentation, an amendment, a short debate then a vote.  It passes easily.  Miigwetch.

  3. Dion Wins!…  Announcement of results of the 4th Ballot and Speech by Dion

  4. Ken Dryden’s Speech…  It’s too bad most journalists didn’t analyze it better, but it was the best speech of the convention – bar none.

  5. Honouring Paul Martin…  What an excellent show and emotional evening.

  6. The Bear Pit with Bob Rae…  My question sparks the passion and humanity of Bob Rae.

  7. Policy Workshops and Plenary Sessions…  a chance to speak out and affect change on gender parity, semi-automatic weapons, non-voting members, and so-help-me-God, legalizing pot and pot-heads.

  8. In Line for the first Ballot…  Hedy Fry, Belinda Stronach, Andy Scott, Michael Bryant, Roger Valley, David Orchard, Ethel Blonin-Andrew, Herb Daliwahl.  Talk about networking.

  9. A Quiet Evening… The one and only hospitality event I went to, enjoyed some great conversation and company of Mr. and Mrs. Ferris from Erin, Ontario.  Smoked meat sandwich and Diet Coke courtesy of Ken Dryden.

  10. Casino Royale…  Damn fine movie.  A raw and emotional James Bond just gets his promotion to OO7.  Lots of great plot twists, and the new Bond is awesome.  Very Sean Connery-ish.

Musings on the next election…  It can’t happen soon enough.  Let’s get these Neo-Conservatives out of Ottawa.  Perhaps, some honourably good guys like Tony Clement, Michael Chong and Bruce Stanton would consider crossing the floor?