Kennedy hammers immoral Conservative fundraising

When Public Eye Online's Sean Holman broke the story of the Conservative party exploiting the current Middle Eastern conflict in for partisan gain through their email fundraising, many of us in BC were appalled that the Prime Minister and/or his party would sink to such lows.

Many of us were also pleasantly surprised though to see such a strong and speedy response from Gerard Kennedy, who made it very clear he thought Harper had crossed a very serious line.

We have people dying and families being displaced on both sides of this conflict and meanwhile, Stephen Harper is allowing his foreign policy to be used as a partisan fundraising tool," Kennedy said.

Clearly, the Canadian mainstream media had a similar level of interest, placing Gerard's no-nonsense comments and views in over 21 major newspapers across the country.

Here are links to some of those stories, and Gerard's full statement is included below:

"Tories seek donations to defend Ottawa's stand on Middle East"
"Tories draw on Mideast crisis to raise money"

"Tories milk war for cash"

KENNEDY CONDEMNS IMMORAL CONSERVATIVE FUNDRASING TACTICS

Toronto, ON -- Liberal leadership candidate Gerard Kennedy today condemned the Conservative Party of Canada for using the recent conflict in the Middle East as a partisan fundraising tool in reaction to an appeal sent out last night from Conservative Party executive director Michael Donison.

“We have people dying and families being displaced on both sides of this conflict and meanwhile, Stephen Harper is allowing his foreign policy to be used as a partisan fundraising tool. This crosses the line.”

Under the heading, Finally - A Leader who's willing to stand up and take a tough stand, Conservative Party Executive Director Michael Donison emailed party supporters asking for "a special contribution now of $150 or $75" in response to Harper's "principled stand on the new turmoil in the Mid-East".

Kennedy called on the Prime Minister to denounce the email and state clearly that Canada’s foreign policy is not a partisan political tool to be wielded crassly for the sake of Conservative Party gain.

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"Young volunteers" key to the successful Kennedy campaign: Toronto Star

There is still so much work to be done, but at this point the Gerard Kennedy youth campaign is on a bit of a roll! In an article entitled "Gerard Kennedy suddenly on everyone's radar screen," Today's Toronto Star (Canada's most widely-circulated newspaper) credits Kennedy's young volunteers with putting his campaign on the map in this leadership race in a very significant and successful way.

Here are two quotes from the article:

"Young volunteers key to his team's success so far." - Linda Diebel, Toronto Star

"With the new membership breakdowns obtained by the Toronto Star last week, it's as if Kennedy came out of nowhere to score the most new recruits in British Columbia and a position near the top in all other provinces, except Quebec. How did he do it? In a simple answer, youth. He has an impressive network of volunteers — the majority under 25 and many associated with campus clubs — who signed up new members. " - Linda Diebel, Toronto Star

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Our thanks go out to the young Kennedy volunteers in BC and across Canada who have put so much time, effort, and talent into making Gerard our new leader. This recognition is definitely a testament to the enthusiastic, diverse, and effective youth team Gerard has been building across the nation, and the hard work we've done to reach out to Liberals everywhere.

Having worked as Education Minister in Ontario and with disadvantaged youth throughout his earlier adult life, Gerard understands the problems that face Canadian young people today and has both the experience and ideas necessary to help them develop and fulfill their potential.

The campaign is no where close to finished though, and we need your new and continued help and involvement to make this happen.

Now is the time to help Gerard realize the Liberal Party's potential as an inclusive party committed to practically-minded progress.

Get involved today!

Be a part of it!
Join Gerard's growing BC Youth Team!

Gerard on the Middle East Conflict

This website is usually dedicated exclusively to the BC youth aspect of Gerard Kennedy's Liberal leadership campaign, but one of the most intensely and frequently discussed topics at Camp Wanna Be Free amongst BC and Western youth supporting a variety of Liberal leadership candidates was that of the current conflict in Northern Israel and Lebanon. For the benefit of the many of you who were and are interested in what Gerard has to say on such a crucial issue, his official statement (released early yesterday) is attached below. We extend our most sincere sympathies and condolences to the families of all those affected by this crisis.

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STATEMENT RE: CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST

by the Hon. Gerard Kennedy, candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada:

I extend my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the Canadian victims of the bombings in Lebanon.

All of the civilian casualties in the latest escalation of conflict are tragic and highly regrettable and should give rise to a ceasefire by all parties.

The safety of remaining Canadian citizens in the region should receive the Canadian government's highest priority.

I agree with the G8 call for "utmost restraint" on the part of Israel as it exercises its right of self-defense and I deplore the fact that extremists from Hezbollah and Hamas have once again hijacked the agenda in the Middle East.

The situation calls for urgent diplomatic initiatives to help change the predictable dynamics for further escalation now in place. As such, I welcome the G8 communique and I urge the Prime Minister to maintain the balanced viewpoint reflected in it, and exercise a constructive voice for Canada in this regard.

In particular, I call upon Prime Minister Harper to use Canadian diplomatic resources to dialogue with all legitimate parties in the region to establish conditions to defuse the current situation.

Canada can and should play a leadership role in working with the international community to find a peaceful resolution. I encourage the Harper government to do everything possible to act quickly and with purpose in this regard.

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Generation Kennedy at Camp Wanna Be Free

Last weekend's "Camp Wanna Be Free" near Peachland in British Columbia was a resounding success, largely due to the smooth preparation and organization by Oz Jungic, LPCBC's Provincial Youth Director. With participants coming from as far away as the Yukon and Toronto, it was a remarkable coming-together of varied Liberal backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, and was the perfect setting for some lively Young Liberal good times.

The Kennedy contingent was surprisingly and noticably strong, and was certainly representative of the large, diverse, and enthusiastic team he has been building among youth across the country. In the photo above of some of the Generation Kennedy team, you can find Gerard supporters Dan Arnold, President of the Alberta Young Liberals; Kyle Carruthers, President of the Yukon Young Liberals; Coco Lefoka, President of the Young Liberals here in BC; Zach Jeffries, President of the Saskatchewan Young Liberal Organization; and BC Youth 4 Kennedy Campaign Co-Chairs Shelby Caravetta, Scott Ross, and Braeden Caley, along with many other hardworking and dedicated (and apparently fun-loving!) Young Liberals supporting Gerard, and one supporting Scott Brison.

For more information about Gerard's candidacy or how to get involved on his growing campaign, please don't hesitate to contact us at bc.kennedy.youth@gmail .com, or get directly involved in Gerard's policy dialogue by clicking here.

For a more detailed account (and more pictures!) of Camp Wanna Be Free, visit Saskatchewan Youth Campaign Co-Chair Sarah Turnbull's blog at Gerard's Online Community!

Kennedy leads in the west!

From today's Edmonton Sun:

OTTAWA -- Former Ontario education minister Gerard Kennedy's campaign to lead the federal Liberals is boasting the top spot in Alberta and British Columbia at the end of the party's membership drive.

READ MORE!

To get involved in this critical next phase of our campaign to make Gerard our leader, contact us at bc.kennedy.youth@gmail.com!

M DAY

Today is M Day, the membership cutoff day to join the Liberal Party and support Gerard at September's delegate selection meetings. Take this great opportunity to change your party and your nation for the better. Join today!

Also, a big thanks to the countless young volunteers working hard on the ground for Gerard, and to the hardworking party staff working to receive the paper work for the party's thousands of new members.