News

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff will start the New Year with a cross-Canada campus tour to meet with young Canadians in the lead-up to Canada at 150: Rising to the Challenge - a non-partisan conference being held in Montreal in March 2010. Between January 11th and 18th he will be going across Canada, and on the 14th he will be in Calgary at the University of Calgary conversing with students in a townhall. The event will be in the Ballroom at the MacEwan Conference & Event Centre in MacHall between 3:00pm and 4:00pm.

There is no charge for attendance. It is completely free to attend.

Feel free to sign up on the Facebook event page @ http://go.liberal.ca/ucalgary.

“We’re starting a national conversation about the Canada we can be on our country’s 150th birthday,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “We’ll be talking about the kind of Canada we want in 2017—and what we need to do today and tomorrow to get there.”

“We’re starting out on college and university campuses because in terms of our future, young people have the most at stake— it will fall to them to continue and complete the work ahead,” added Dr. Ignatieff. “The Canada we want to imagine and create is for them - Canada’s young people must and will be the true authors of our national ambition.”

“Our country’s future is being shaped on our college and university campuses, by the energy and ingenuity of our young people. Their potential is Canada’s potential, and so there’s no better place to begin a national conversation about the Canada we can be in 2017.”

• New poll as of December 11th has youth support for the Liberals in Alberta pegged at 36%. More information about the poll is at the Angus Reid Strategies website. On that very same poll, if you are over 55 the likelihood of voting Wildrose Alliance is an astounding 51%. It really puts things in perspective.

• The University of Calgary Liberal Association has been noted by the Young Liberals of Canada as one of the most female friendly organizations in Alberta. The executive, as you probably already know, is comprised of 6 females out of a total of 10 positions. That's a whopping 60%. Compare that to the paltry 22% in seats in Ottawa and, well, we can see how amazing the executive here really is.

--Vincent St. Pierre
Promotional Director

We have just wrapped up our first day at the UN Conference on Climate Change. The experience has already exceeded my expectations. With over 35 000 registered participants and 110 heads of states attending, COP-15 is being called the largest and most important climate change conference in history. The Bella Convention Centre’s halls are animated by conversations between representatives from different governments, businesses, and sectors of society. The youth presence is particularly impressive. We have each had an opportunity to meet dozens of young, articulate, and passionate participants from all corners of the globe. I personally intend to become more involved in YOUNGO – the UNFCCC’s youth constituency – as there is much that we can accomplish if we combine our resources and expertise. The entire city of Copenhagen has also mobilized behind this conference. Its streets are filled with banners and festivities. All express the same hope that COP15 will result in a fair, binding and ambitious successor treaty to the Kyoto Protocol. By connecting with other youth groups, engaging in discussions, and lobbying government officials, we Young Liberals are determined to help bring about such an outcome.

We will certainly keep you updated on our progress,

--Mateusz Trybowski
COP-15 Delegate
Vice President - External

I have just gotten home after another successful UCLA event! This afternoon we held a roundtable with Dr. David Swann (leader of the official opposition) at Bistro Alma on campus. We had some delicious food (flatbreads, yum!), caught up with some old and new friends, and had a nice chat with Dr. Swann about the state of Alberta politics, health care, and his hopes for the province. All in all a very nice afternoon, at a great location! Bistro Alma, for those of you who don't know, is located in the new "Hotel Alma/Global Village/International House" Building on campus near the Olympic Oval and residence. It's small, but was a great spot for our group, and I highly reccomend checking it out at least once =).

A few of the club members, myself included, also attended the Alberta Liberal Party Leader's Dinner last night (Friday, November 5) at the Thorncliff Greenview Community Association. Also a very nice event... a great dinner with LOTS of delicious food, a keynote address by Dr. David Swann, and some entertainment by the Canadian Actor/Political Commedian Don Harron.

Now, I must however devote myself to some reading, of course, but I have had a nice beginning of the weekend.

--Vicki Ferguson
Vice President - Events

The University of Calgary's clubs week occurred from September 15th to the 18th. The UCLA had an awesome booth set up, where we promoted the club, recruited new members, renewed old memberships, spoke with students interested in both the club and the party and promoted our kick off BBQ! Avril and Brendan who work for David Swann were also there to give us a hand and promote the Alberta Liberal party. It was a successful week, as we collected many people on our mailing list and required many new members!

The kick off BBQ which occurred on September 20th was also a success. We were fortune to have great weather and an awesome turnout. Kim and Vicky did an awesome job on the grill making veggie burgers, hamburgers and hot dogs. This successful event shows that the UCLA is going to have a great year!

-- Jennifer Abbott
Promotional Director

The University of Calgary Liberal Association would like to welcome the incoming Young Liberals of Canada National Executive.

The National Executive was elected at the Liberal Party of Canada and Young Liberals of Canada Biennial Convention in Vancouver, BC.

The UCLA looks forward to the great work that this executive will produce and will work closely with these individuals to expand our base, rejuvenate Young Liberals, and build our movement.

The University of Calgary Liberal Association (UCLA) has always been an integral presence within the Young Liberals of Canada (YLC) and the Liberal Party of Canada. From the groundbreaking progressive policies to the engagement of grassroots Liberals, the UCLA has been a proud leading force and we will continue to be exactly that.

I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to reinvigorate this historic institution as we lift our club and our party to new levels of success. This is a responsibility I welcome but it is one that will be shared with my uniquely capable executive; the success that this club has will not be my success but will instead be our success. The UCLA, YLC, and ultimately the Liberal Party of Canada cannot succeed without the hard work of its members and organizers, so we will strive to fulfill that. I and the executive cannot do this alone and it is only with the support of our passionate members, like you, that we can accomplish all that we set out to do, and I sincerely hope you will engage yourself with us as we help shape the future of the party.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank some people who helped get me where I am right now. As I mentioned, the President can only be as successful as the rest of the executive so I would like to thank each and every one of them as I look forward to the work they will produce. For their extensive support and engagement, I’d also like to thank Shoaib Rasheed, Abed Harb and especially Jessie Chahal, who made all of this possible by giving me my start. For fellow youth supporters, I’d like to express my gratitude to Inder Sapal, Bryce Dudley, Tim Smith, and particularly Past-President Sean Sutherland for all his organizational help and valuable guidance throughout this process. There are many more that I have not mentioned, but rest assured that your support and contributions have not been forgotten nor overlooked, I sincerely thank you all.

As we moved forward, the University of Calgary Liberal Association will always be a club that opens its doors to new people, new ideas, and most importantly, new energy. We are the strength of the Liberal Party of Canada, and let us not forget what we can do and what we have done. This is only the beginning of what shall be a lasting legacy within this party, the party of Laurier, the party of Mackenzie King, the party of Pearson, the party of Trudeau, and the party of Chretien; the Liberal Party of Canada.

So please, please do consider coming to our events, please do consider getting involved, please do give us ideas about future events, please bring your friends and families, please do become engaged, because the strength of this club and the strength of this party does not start with me, it starts with each and every one of you.