At our upcoming AGM in Hamilton, you and hundreds of other party members will make some very important decisions that will shape our party for years to come.
One of those decisions is about picking the right person to serve as Party President. I’m running to be that person because I have a proven record of rebuilding after tough losses and am committed to transforming our party into a volunteer driven movement.
Many other important decisions will be made at the Constitutional Amendments session. The OLP Constitutional Committee has shared the list of amendments that will be put to a vote in March.
Among these proposals is an amendment calling for the adoption of a weighted-one-member-one-vote system for the upcoming leadership race.
A similar proposal was put forward in 2019 but fell just shy of the two-thirds support it needed to be adopted. Given how much support the WOMOV proposal now has, I fully expect some version of it to be adopted at the upcoming AGM.
As I’ve told many of you, I will also be personally supporting this idea with my vote. However, I can’t in good conscience prioritize my personal views on such an important issue over your constitutional right as a party member to make this decision on your own. So while I will be supporting it personally, I won’t campaign for you to do the same.
I agree that we must open up and grow our party - but I also think it should be up to the members to determine what that will look like. That’s why I’m committed to letting the membership lead the way on key decisions like WOMOV and delivering on these choices in my first actions as President.
I want to thank all of the members who put forward these ideas to improve the way we do politics as a party. I also want to thank each of you in advance for taking part in this process as voters.
The ultimate decision on which of these amendments will be adopted will come down to the votes of party members on the convention floor. Each successful amendment will need to receive the support of two-thirds of the delegates in the hall.
I encourage you to speak to as many other members as you can on behalf of the amendments you believe deserve support. This is your party and your chance to help shape it into the kind of movement you want it to be.
I look forward to following the debate on all of these amendments over the next few weeks and at the AGM. If elected as your next President, I will be proud to implement the decisions you make in Hamilton to help modernize, open up, and grow our party.
I look forward to voting alongside you at the AGM.