High Pass

Perhaps because of the difficulties the Liberals experienced over their Child and Maternal Health motion in the House (which they lost), the media, competing parties, and the blogosphere itself have taken to ridiculing the party’s “Thinkers Conference” taking place this weekend in Montreal.  For some reason, an attempt to engage academics and experts in assessments of public policy is seen as a dubious exercise.The main criticism swirls around the belief that the party should be embracing the grassroots, expanding its base, as opposed to examining the present state of the country from “up there.” Yet this has been taking place for months now, often in high profile and public settings.  Over 30 public round tables occurred in February and March, most in Ottawa under the media glare, and some taking place in various venues across the country. These were serious public engagement venues that actually led to concrete policy development. I was in charge of a couple of these roundtables that were filled to overflowing, had media present, promoted through the Internet, and resulted in Mr. Ignatieff making policy priorities as a result.  With little else taking place in Ottawa due to prorogation, the Liberals had the rink to themselves and undertook creative work in the full glare of the media and the public.There are numerous days when the PM isn’t in the House, yet virtually nothing is said of his absence.  But when the Liberal leader spent last week crisscrossing the country for public town hall meetings, further roundtables, interviews, engagement with students in both universities and high schools, and generally meeting with interested citizens, he was accused of being AWOL.  This double standard obscures Mr. Ignatieff’s dedicated efforts to engage citizens at the community level.  Ottawa is enough of a bubble as it is.  The movement of any political leader working at the grassroots level throughout such a large country deserves more merit than it receives.The policy that is now going into the Liberal platform as a result of all the engagements covers everything from political reform to pensions, and from gender equity to economic vitality.  I spent some 20 years working at the local riding level before getting elected, and in all that time I’ve never witnessed anything like this. Serious work is being undertaken with citizens and groups themselves, and it’s worrying to see it belittled.And then there’s the Thinkers Conference itself. If this was all the Liberals undertook, then criticism would be warranted, but it’s undertaken as a companion piece to all the grassroots work undertaken in the last number of months.  What is wrong with dialoguing with the best minds of the age?  Furthermore, it is undertaken in full media spotlight, streamed over the live video in an exercise that covers most ridings in the country through local town hall sessions, and is covered live over the Internet.  This won’t be the practice of closeting academics in secret enclaves picking and choose policy as they like.  They will be front and centre in full public display and will be asked questions live from the venues across the country.After months of dedicated public engagement, the Liberal Party will spend one weekend with the best and the brightest.  When similar undertakings took place in Aylmer and Kingston years ago, the efforts were examined and applauded.  There are two differences this time, however.  This occasion has been preceded and will be followed up by hundreds of ongoing public engagements.  The other difference is perhaps more troubling. Many in the media and the present government have taken to belittling what is clearly an importance exercise.  The “high pass” experience of policy undertaking this weekend culminates from the “grassroots” input of the past three months – a commendable plan that received short shrift by observers more interested in negativity than imagination.