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(Posted 1:30
p.m., March 27)
Liberal Party initiative promotes open and frank dialogue
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
It's
been a long time since a political party of any stripe promoted a nonpartisan
initiative and meant it. "Canada
at 150: Rising to the challenge" is an ambitious project which has been organized
by the Liberal Party of Canada as a way to reach out to ordinary Canadians and
encourage them to take part in a meaningful discussion of the key issues facing
the country as it approaches it's 150th birthday. The
forum is being held in Montreal and simulcast across the Internet at http://can150.ca.
Anyone can listen and watch the panel discussions which are being led by some
of the leading experts in their fields. The
discussion of the Future of Health and Health is being led by Dr. Alan Bernstein,
Executive Director, Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise and former President of the
Canadian Institutes for Health Research; Dr. Marie-France Raynault, former Director,
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the Université de Montréal
and Dr. William Reichman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Baycrest and
Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. In
an effort to be as inclusive as possible, the Liberal Party has thrown the doors
open to anyone who wants to participate regardless of their political affiliation.
It was left to be seen whether or not people with a Conservative, Bloc Quebecois
or NDP affiliation would take them up on their offer. Local
residents will have a chance to take part in the forum at Garneau High School
on Sunday. The Ottawa-Orléans Liberal Riding Association has organized
the event during which participants will be able to watch the proceedings in Montreal
and add their two cents worth via the Internet. The
event will begin at 12:30 p.m. and run until 3 p.m. Anyone is invited to attended
the session although it is suggested you pre-register by calling 613-837-5422
or e-mailing info@oofla.ca to give them an idea of the numbers they can expect. Ottawa-Orleans
Liberal candidate David Bertschi is hosting the event which he promises will be
totally nonpartisan. "Everyone
and anybody is welcome to attend," says Bertschi. "The idea is to engage
Canadians and experts in their field in addressing the issues facing Canada as
we approach our 150th birthday." One
of the things the Liberals are hoping to get out of the exercise is a feel for
what issues are important to Canadians and why. "We
want to be able to take what's been presented and use it to come up with forward-thinking,
practical policies that will address the concerns of Canadians leading into the
150th anniversary." The
Canada 150 website has a blog where people can exchange ideas and a live chat
line. Some of the guest speakers include former Bank of Canada governor David
Dodge, former Conservative Party strategist Derek Burney and Canadian diplomat
Robert Fowler. (This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local
business partners.) Return
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