There’s increasing chatter in the back channels that, because the upcoming Liberal policy convention has been turned into a leadership one, the convention itself might relocate from Vancouver to Toronto, Montreal, or Ottawa.

Even though a Vancouver convention means a more expensive plane ticket for me, I think a move to central Canada would send all the wrong signals. Western Canada, particularly Vancouver, is the most promising growth area for the Liberal Party, and the road to eventual Liberal majority runs west.

There are certainly many more important and many more concrete things the LPC should be doing to make itself a player in Western Canada. But symbolism is important. You don’t want to slap Western Liberals in the face after they fought a series of losing battles for the party during the last campaign. And with the Canucks surely out of the playoffs by the time May rolls in,
maybe a few locals will pay attention to the Liberal convention if it’s taking place in their own backyard.