How to Fix Canada's Political Parties: The Liberals

By protecting incumbent MPs, the Liberals have disempowered the grassroots.

It’s hard to pick just one way the Liberal party could improve – there being so many areas where improvement is painfully necessary – but I think there is one key area that would help fix many others: nominations.

The party nomination process needs a dramatic overhaul. Protecting incumbent MPs disempowers the grassroots, and it prevents the renewal, new blood, and fresh ideas that the party desperately needs. Competition is good for everyone. Every MP should be required to re-earn their nomination each election.

To prevent single-issue takeovers, I’d also lengthen the minimum amount of time someone has be a member of the party in order to vote at a nomination meeting – let’s say to six months. This will help ensure it’s longer-term members making the decision, not people who will show up for just one meeting and split, and it may encourage people to get involved on a longer-term basis.

Finally, I’d sharply restrict the rights of the leader to appoint a candidate. So-called star candidates should have to fight for their nominations like anyone else. The leader’s veto should be used only in extreme circumstances.

If we really wanted to get ambitious about reforming nominations, I’m of the increasing belief that a primary system à la the U.S. is the way to go. There, everyone declares themselves as a party supporter or an independent, no memberships required, and can vote in their local primary.

That, however, would be a system-wide change involving all parties. There are many other places the Liberals can start in the meantime.