Federal Liberals spent the past weekend at their biennial convention in Montreal. Cardus’s Peter Stockland sat down with Scarborough-Guildwood Liberal MP John McKay to get his assessment of the last big party gathering before the 2015 federal election.

By Peter Stockland February 24, 2014

1 minute read

Cardus: My impression from watching the convention is that the federal Liberals are a lot like the Latvians—not quite ready for the gold medal hockey game but surprisingly feisty and with a lot more game than most people thought. How does that analogy strike you?

John McKay: I’m not sure we need to be ready for the gold medal game in February, 2014. Maybe by next November we should be ready. But what matters is 2015. And in that sense, we do have a lot of energy, a lot more dynamism certainly than I have seen at the last few conventions. And I’ll tell you, that is Justin Trudeau’s doing. Brian Mulroney said, “Don’t count this guy out.” And I think Mr. Harper should be watching out for him. Justin is kind of like Wayne Gretzky: you just wonder how he does it.

He has driven the debate this year.

You'll also enjoy...

This Budget’s For You

Finance Minister Bill Morneau handed down a 2018 budget today that spends billions in new money Canada doesn’t have, and raises the national debt to almost $700 billion. But no worries, writes Convivium’s Peter Stockland. It’s also got a gendered analysis. And it puts people first.

Testing Canada’s Democracy

The election results demonstrate Canada’s strength in democracy, writes Convivium’s Peter Stockland, citing an Adam Gopnik analysis in the New Yorker crediting a spectrum of parties reflecting the mood and interests of the country.

Can We Talk?

Will the strong showing of Leslyn Lewis in the Tory leadership race revitalize a socially conservative conversation in Canada? Peter Stockland isn’t placing a bet on it.