Liberals Reject Balanced Budget and Mandatory Voting as Official Policy

OTTAWA — The federal Liberal party embraced an expansion of affordable housing, building high-speed rail between Ontario and Quebec, and a basic guaranteed income as their three-day policy convention wrapped up in Ottawa Saturday.

But they rejected the ideas of campaigning on a promise to balance the budget or making voting mandatory.

The event was the first in-person convention for the party since 2018 and is likely the last before the next election. While that campaign doesn’t have to happen until the fall of 2025, it’s a minority Parliament and an election could come earlier if the NDP-Liberal supply and confidence agreement ever fails.

Many Liberals saw the convention as their chance to re-energize as they move into pre-campaign mode.

“This is where it starts,” said Sachit Mehra, who defeated Mira Ahmad to become the Liberal’s new national party president after voting ended Saturday.

“In order to send more Liberal MPs here (to Ottawa), we’ve got to go back into communities and begin working now.”

He noted there are five byelections coming up soon, only two of them seats won by Liberals in 2021.

There are 24 new policies to guide the party ahead of the next campaign, though none of them are binding on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

He missed half of the convention attending the coronation of King Charles in London, but reiterated in his keynote address Thursday that he has every intention to lead the Liberals into the next campaign…Read More!!!