Young Liberals of Canada

National youth wing of the Liberal Party of Canada

Young Liberals of Canada
Jeunes libéraux du Canada

Abbreviation| YLC / JLC
Formation| 1936
Headquarters| Constitution Square
350 Albert Street
Suite 920
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 6M8
Membership| 17 000 (2024)

Official languages

| English, French

National Chair

| Liam Olsen

Parent organization

| Liberal Party of Canada
Affiliations| International Federation of Liberal Youth
Staff| 1 (full-time)
Website| uptoyouth.ca and youngliberals.liberal.ca

The Young Liberals of Canada (YLC) (French: Jeunes libéraux du Canada) is the national youth wing of the Liberal Party of Canada. All members of the Liberal Party aged 14 to 25 are automatically members of the YLC. The Young Liberals of Canada are an official commission of the Liberal Party and the largest youth political organization in Canada.

The YLC is composed of Provincial and Territorial Boards (PTBs) in all ten provinces and clubs on almost 50 post-secondary campuses and in most of Canada's 338 ridings. The organization is led by the National Executive. Several major initiatives by Liberal governments over the years have started out as Young Liberal ideas, including same-sex marriage, marijuana legalization and medical assistance in dying.

Many Young Liberal alumni have gone on to have prominent careers in Canadian politics, including former prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin and former cabinet ministers Bardish Chagger and Karina Gould, among others.

## History

[edit]

1936–1984

The Young Liberals of Canada were founded in 1936, though youth had played a role in the Liberal Party (particularly election campaigns) since its founding. During the 1950s and 60s, future Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin were both active Young Liberals. Chrétien, who joined during law school at Université Laval, was elected president of the uLaval Young Liberals in 1958 (no one else wanted the job, as everyone else was too afraid of drawing the ire of the Union Nationale.) [1] Martin was active during his years at the University of Toronto, where future Liberal leaders Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae were also engaged in Young Liberal activities on campus.

In an attempt to attract Young Liberal supporters for his 1968 leadership bid, Pierre Trudeau campaigned on the promise of reserving specific number of delegate spots at national conventions to Young Liberals. Trudeau went on to win the party leadership, and YLC was allocated guaranteed number of delegate spots in each riding association and in accredited campus Liberal clubs. This has meant the YLC has wielded unique influence in the party's leadership selection as it controls the accreditation process of campus clubs, which were fierce battlegrounds during federal leadership races from the early 1980s to 2006. Trudeau's government also lowered the voting age to 18 in 1970, further endearing him to Young Liberals.

1984–2006

During the 1980s, YLC members found themselves on both sides of raging intra-party debates. During the 1986 leadership review, some supported leader John Turner, such as future MP Joe Peschisolido,[2] while others opposed him, including YLC-Quebec President and future politician Denis Coderre (who publicly called for Turner's resignation.) During the 1990 leadership race, the Paul Martin leadership campaign was particularly notorious for hostile take over of campus clubs, though many Young Liberals supported the eventual winner (and YLC alumni), Jean Chrétien.

Under the leadership of president (and future MP) Greg Fergus, the YLC began to push for the legalization of same-sex marriage in 1994, the first group in the Liberal Party to do so.[3] The 2003 leadership race, which saw YLC alum Paul Martin become prime minister, again featured heavy Young Liberal involvement, with intense battles for delegates on many campuses (especially by the Martin campaign.) Young Liberals mobilized against Canada's proposed entry into United States Missile Defence System in 2005, helping convince the Martin Government to say no to the Americans.

2006–Present

The YLC's influence in the leadership selection process was greatly diminished in 2009 when the federal party changed its constitution to elect its future leaders by a "weighted One Member, One Vote" voting method. Following this, and the Liberal Party's historic defeat in 2011, the YLC helped lead the process of party renewal by assisting youth in taking on new leadership roles and promoting new progressive policies. Most prominently, Young Liberal policies advocating for the legalization of marijuana (first passed by the YLC-British Columbia) and medical assistance in dying (passed by the Ontario Young Liberals) were overwhelmingly endorsed by the party's entire membership at the 2012 and 2014 Biennial conventions and were key planks in the 2015 election platform.[4]

The election of the youthful and energetic Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader in 2013 helped attract new Young Liberals. The younger Trudeau has proven as popular with Canadian youth as his father, helping the YLC recruit new members and ensuring youth concerns were included in the Liberals 2015 election platform. This popularity, coupled with the YLC's efforts, helped ensure a record youth turnout[5] in the 2015 election, which made the difference in securing a majority government.[6] Following the Liberals' victory, Trudeau appointed himself as his government's Minister of Youth, a move that met with approval from many Young Liberals.[7] As part of larger reforms to the Liberal Party's internal structures beginning in 2016, the YLC's Constitution was replaced by a new Charter.

YLC has also sometimes been a source of embarrassments and scandals for the party.

* In 1997, Jim MacLaren, president of the BC wing, misappropriated $30,000 from the federal party's coffers, and was later convicted of fraud.[8]
* In 1999, several drunken Young Liberal delegates attending a convention in Victoria smashed up a couple of hotel rooms. The Liberal Party was sued by the hotel and settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.[8]
* In 2000, Jesse Davidson, president of the Ontario wing, faced one count of fraud over $5,000 and 23 counts for allegedly drewing money from the party's bank account by forging the signature of a former treasurer.[9] The charges were dropped in 2011 in exchange of Davidson agreeing to repay some $7,000 that he withdrew from the party's bank account.[10]
* In 2007, a former president of the BC wing, Erik Bornmann, was implicated by the investigation following the BC Legislature Raids,[11][12][13] and served as a key witness in a trial that pertains to the scandal.[12][14]
* In 2015, YLC-BC President Linda Ching was discovered to be the daughter of Cheng Muyang, a fugitive wanted by Chinese authorities for graft. Cheng is believed to have helped his daughter secure the position of president. After Cheng's fugitive status became publicly known, Linda Ching quietly called an election, but did not resign.[15]

## Policy

[edit]

Liberal MPs, candidates and supporters participating in the Vancouver Pride Parade 2019

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Developing and promoting progressive policies is at the core of the YLC's mission. The YLC brings a slate of policies to every Liberal Biennial Convention, which are solicited, debated and voted on every two years in the lead-up to the convention. In many policy areas, Young Liberals have been more progressive than the party as a whole, taking a pro-same sex marriage position as early as 1994. During the Liberal governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin (1993-2006), the YLC successfully pushed initiatives like the long-term commitment to Africa, the Canada Post-Secondary Education Transfer, the promotion and protection of safe-injection sites and the commitment to the Kyoto Accord. The 2005 decision of the Martin Liberal government to not enter into the American missile defence program was in part credited to the opposition of the Young Liberals.

During the Harper years (2006-2015), the YLC redoubled its focus on advocacy and highlighted the government's neglect of youth issues. In response to Conservative TV and radio attack ads, the YLC launched the "Hi.im.a.liberal.ca" initiative, a spoof of the Mac/PC ads, which garnered media attention for its novelty. In May 2010, they began a campaign in opposition to Bill C-391 and in support of the federal long gun registry.[16] Other initiatives during this period included the "Red Revolution" campaign (focusing on "taking Canada back" by improving youth involvement in politics), the "Go Green, Vote Red" initiative (to appeal to environmentally-minded voters and promote the party's "Green Shift" program) and the "End the Crisis" campaign (to increase the admission of Middle Eastern refugees displaced by the Syrian Civil War).

## Prominent former members

[edit]

Many elected officials played prominent roles at the party's youth wing, including: (youth wing involvement in brackets)

### National party leaders

[edit]

Name | Term | Office held | Known roles as Young Liberal

|
|
|

Jean Chrétien | 1990 - 2003 | Prime Minister 1993-2003, Deputy Prime Minister 1984
cabinet minister 1968-79 & 80-84
MP for Saint-Maurice 1968-86 and 1993-2004
MP for Beauséjour 1990-93 | President of the Université Laval Young Liberals
Paul Martin | 2003 - 2006 | Prime Minister 2003-06
Minister of Finance 1993-2002
MP for of LaSalle—Émard 1984-2008 | member of the University of Toronto Liberals
Michael Ignatieff | 2008 – 2011 | MP for Etobicoke—Lakeshore 2006-11 | National Youth Organizer of Pierre Trudeau's 1968 Liberal leadership campaign
Bob Rae | 2011 – 2013
interim | MP for Toronto Centre 2008-13
as member of the NDP: Premier of Ontario 1990-95, leader of the Ontario NDP 1982-96
MP for Broadview-Greenwood 1978-82 | Youth volunteer on Pierre Trudeau's 1968 Liberal leadership campaign, and long time MP Charles Caccia's first local campaign in 1968

### Provincial Leaders

[edit]

Name | Term | Office held | Known roles as Young Liberal

|
|
|

Ralph Goodale | 1981 - 1988
Saskatchewan | Federal cabinet minister 1993-2006 & 2015-19
MP for Regina-Wascana 1993-2019 & for Assiniboia 1974-79
MLA for Assiniboia-Gravelbourg 1986-88 | President of the Saskatchewan Young Liberals
First elected MP at age 24[17]
Christy Clark | 2011 - 2017
British Columbia | Premier of British Columbia 2011-17, Deputy Premier 2001-04
MLA 1996-2005, 2011-2017 | National director of YLC
President of Simon Fraser University Young Liberals[18]
Steven Del Duca | 2020 - 2022
Ontario | Mayor of Vaughan since 2022
Ontario provincial minister 2014-18
MPP for Vaughan 2012-18 | President of the University of Toronto Liberals
Bonnie Crombie | 2023 - present
Ontario | Mayor of Mississauga 2012-23
MP for Mississauga—Streetsville 2008-11 | Student Director of Ontario New Liberals[19]

### Federal politicians

[edit]

#### Current

[edit]

Name | Terms | Offices held | Known roles as Young Liberal

|
|
|

Mark Holland | 2004 - 2011
2015 - present  | MP for Ajax
Cabinet Minister since 2021 | Started volunteering on local liberal campaign at age 12, youth organizer in Gerrard Kennedy 1996 Ontario Liberal Leadership campaign[20]
Rob Oliphant | 2008 - 2011
2015 - present  | MP for Don Valley West | President of the University of Toronto Liberals
Youth chair of David Peterson's 1976 Ontario leadership campaign
Executive of Ontario New Liberals in the 1970s
Bardish Chagger | 2015  | MP for Waterloo
Cabinet minister 2015-21 | Started volunteering on local liberal campaign age 13
President of the University of Waterloo Young Liberals[21]
Pam Damoff | 2015  | MP for Oakville North-Burlington |
Francis Drouin | 2015  | MP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell | President of local young liberals club
Ali Ehsassi | 2015  | MP for Willowdale | President of the University of Toronto Liberals[22]
Greg Fergus | 2015  | Speaker of the House of Commons, MP for Hull-Aylmer | YLC National President 1994-96[3]
Karina Gould | 2015  | MP for Burlington
Cabinet Minister since 2017
Youngest woman even appointed to federal cabinet (age 29), first sitting federal cabinet minister to give birth while in office or to take maternity leave | [23]
Steven MacKinnon | 2015  | MP for Gatineau | [24]
Bryan May | 2015  | MP for Cambridge |
Anita Vandenbeld | 2015  | MP for Ottawa West—Nepean | President of the University of Calgary Young Liberals[25]
Yvan Baker | 2019  | MP for Etobicoke Centre
MPP for Etobicoke Centre (ON) 2014-18 |
Michael Coteau | 2021  | MP for Don Valley East
Ontario cabinet minister 2013-18
MPP for Don Valley East 2011-21
Runner-up for Ontario Liberal leadership in 2020 | President of the Carleton Liberals[26]

#### Former

[edit]

Name | Terms | Offices held | Known roles as Young Liberal

|
|
|

Marcel Prud'homme | 1964 - 1993
1993 – 2009  | MP for Saint-Denis
Independent senator | Elected YLC president in 1958[27]
Jean Lapierre | 1979 - 1993
2004 - 2007  | MP for Shefford (left LPC in 1990, as Bloc Québécois MP 1992-93)
MP for Outremont, Minister of Transport 2004-06 | First elected MP at age 23
Mauril Bélanger | 1995 - 2016  | MP for Ottawa-Vanier
Cabinet minister 2004-06 |
Denis Coderre | 1997 - 2013  | MP for Bourassa
Cabinet minister 1999-2004
Mayor of Montreal 2013-17 | As president of YLC's Quebec wing called for the resignation of Leader John Turner)[28]
Joe Peschisolido | 2000 - 2004
2015 - 2019  | MP for Steveston-Richmond East
as member of the Canadian Alliance: MP for Richmond 2000-04 | President of the University of Toronto Liberals
Member of the YLC's National Executive in the 1980s
youth organizer for Jean Chretien 1984 and 1990 leadership bid[2]
Ruby Dhalla | 2004 - 2011  | MP for Brampton-Springdale | Member of the YLC's national executive
Borys Wrzesnewskyj | 2004 - 2011  | MP for Etobicoke Centre
Scott Andrews | 2008 - 2015  | MP for Avalon | YLC vice president
Contested YLC's presidency at the 1998 convention
Arnold Chan | 2014 - 2017  | MP for Scarborough-Agincourt |
Matt DeCourcey | 2015 - 2019  | MP for Fredericton | Youth organizer in Paul Martin 2003  and Michael Igantieff 2006 leadership bids
Gagan Sikand | 2015 - 2019  | MP for Mississauga-Streetsville

Provincial and municipal politicians

* Patricia Arab, MLA for Fairview-Clayton Park (NS) and Minister or Communications and Internal Services
* Mitchell Brownstein, Mayor of Côte St. Luc, Quebec[29]
* Dwight Duncan, former Ontario Finance Minister (worked as aide to Herb Gray, contested the presidency of YLC's Ontario wing)
* Cindy Lamoureux, Manitoba MLA for Burrows
* Deb Matthews, deputy premier of Ontario 2013-18, provincial minister 2007-18, MPP for London North Centre 2003-18, president of Ontario Liberal Party 2003-06 (while in her 20s, managed local campaign of her brother-in-law David Peterson)
* Todd Stone, British Columbia MLA for Kamloops-South Thompson and former Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure[30]

### Elected MPs as members of other parties

[edit]

* Stephen Harper, Conservative Prime Minister 2006-15 (a Young Liberal before joining the Conservatives)[31]
* Jason Kenney, Conservative Premier of Alberta 2019–22, leader of the United Conservative Party 2017-22, federal cabinet minister 2007-15, Conservative, Alliance and Reform MP for Calgary Midnapore 1997-2016
(aide to Saskatchewan Liberal leader Ralph Goodale)

## Notable executives

[edit]

Past Presidents:

* Greg Fergus (1994–96)

Past National Directors:

* Christy Clark

## International

[edit]

The organization is a member of the International Federation of Liberal Youth, and at one time sent delegates to international gatherings of youth from Liberal parties around the world.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Jean Chrétien | CBC News".
2. ^ a b Peter O'Neil (2016-10-13). "Who is Joe Peschisolido? B.C. Liberal MP's ambitions often on display". vancouversun. Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
3. ^ a b Norman Provencher (2016-01-04). "Greg Fergus, MP: A wonk in a candy shop". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
4. ^ "Liberal Party Convention: Delegates vote yes to legalizing marijuana, no to cutting off monarchy". National Post. 2012-01-15. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
5. ^ Éric Grenier (2016-06-15). "2015 federal election saw youth vote in unprecedented numbers - Politics - CBC News". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
6. ^ Althia Raj (2016-04-19). "Liberals Won Majority Thanks To Young Voters, Poll Suggests". Huffingtonpost.ca. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
7. ^ Cristina Bacalso (2015-11-24). "Prime Minister of Youth: Canada's head of state is also the country's new youth minister". Youthpolicy.org. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
8. ^ a b Paterson, Jody (January 9, 2004). "Liberals will have to wear fallout from raids". Times Colonist. Victoria: Postmedia Network. section A, p. 3.
9. ^ Di Matteo, Enzo (September 21, 2000). "Forgery charges dog Grit". Now toronto. Toronto.
10. ^ Di Matteo, Enzo (March 15, 2001). "Jesse Davidson walked away". Now toronto. Toronto.
11. ^ "More warrant information released in B.C. Leg. raid". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2007.
12. ^ a b "Former B.C. lobbyist Erik Bornmann to seek adjournment at law society hearing". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2007.
13. ^ "Aide sold BC Rail data: RCMP allege". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 2012-01-18. Retrieved January 5, 2007.
14. ^ "Two former government aides charged". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. December 22, 2004. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2007.
15. ^ "Daughter of mysterious developer on way out as president of Liberal party group". Archived from the original on 2015-05-05. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
16. ^ Crawford, Alison (May 21, 2010). "Liberals fire shots at NDP over long-gun registry". Inside Politics Blog. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
17. ^ Tiffany Cassidy. "Ralph Goodale only MP to serve under both Trudeau prime ministers - Saskatchewan - CBC News". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
18. ^ Judi Tyabji (2016-12-04). "Book excerpt: The political rise of Christy Clark". Timescolonist.com. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
19. ^ Donovan Vincent (2016-12-18). "Hazel who? It's Bonnie Crombie's Mississauga | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
20. ^ Geddes, John. "Mark Holland (Profile)". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 16 December 2013, Historica Canada. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mark-holland-profile
21. ^ "Bardish Chagger adds government House leader to small business, tourism duties - Politics - CBC News". Cbc.ca. 2016-08-19. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
22. ^ Chignall, Selina (2015-08-27). "Liberal candidate Ali Ehsassi: a life lived around the world - iPolitics". Ipolitics.ca. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
23. ^ "Karina Gould's trial by fire". Macleans.ca. 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
24. ^ "Jean Lapierre loved 'big debates and big discussions' | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
25. ^ "Catholic school board recognized as leader in creating 'digital ecosystems'". Archived from the original on 2015-10-01.
26. ^ Denise Hansen (2017-11-22). "Ontario Minister Michael Coteau wants to level the playing field for Canadians of all races | Canadian Immigrant". Canadianimmigrant.ca. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
27. ^ Fitterman, Lisa (22 February 2017). "Marcel Prud'homme: Underdog defender fought to right wrongs". The Globe and Mail.
28. ^ "Gusto, guts, glory-seeking: The Denis Coderre treatment". Macleans.ca. 2014-09-14. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
29. ^ "An interview with Côte St. Luc's new Jewish mayor". Cjnews.com. 2016-03-28. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
30. ^ Cam Fortems (2015-08-07). "T&T: Two years with Todd Stone and Terry Lake in positions of cabinet power". Kamloops This Week. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
31. ^ Ryan, Carolyn. "Stephen Harper and the road to power". Canada Votes 2006. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on August 24, 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2011. "Trudeau was one of the young Stephen Harper's earliest political inspirations, in fact. Admiration for the then-prime minister led him to join the Liberal student club a friend founded in the mid-1970s at Richview Collegiate in Etobicoke, Ont."

## External links

[edit]

* Official Web site of the Young Liberals of Canada
* Official Web site of the Ontario Young Liberals
* Official Web site of the Nova Scotia Young Liberals

* v
* t
* e

Youth wings of political parties in Canada

Federal|

* Forum jeunesse du Bloc Québécois
* New Democratic Youth of Canada
* Young Greens of Canada
* Young Liberals of Canada
* Young Communist League of Canada

Ontario|

* Ontario New Democratic Youth
* Ontario PC Youth Association
* Ontario Young Liberals
* Young Greens of Ontario

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