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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

THE HUB: Is there room for two separate progressive parties in Canada?


If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement that he will step down after a new Liberal Party leader is selected has set off a ton of speculation about who might succeed him, there’s been far less attention paid to the more fundamental question: should the Liberal Party exist at all?

You can argue that his press conference provided one answer. Trudeau’s appeal to “progressive across the country” rather than the Liberal Party itself suggests that he sees himself as much the leader of a left-wing movement as a big-tent political party.

There are no doubt other Liberals who would give a different answer. They see themselves as institutionalists—as the inheritors of the party of Laurier, King, and St. Laurent. Their political identity is as Liberals, not progressives.

This in fact may be the right way to think about the future of the Liberal Party: a contest between institutionalists and progressives ...

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