Dear X,
Over the past few weeks, there have been many reports of talks between myself and Maxime Bernier to merge the Libertarian Party of Canada and the People’s Party of Canada. As a result, speculation has filled our social media pages and left our membership feeling like they have been shut out of the conversation. Today, I would like to address these concerns.
I want to assure our members that there are no backroom deals in the works between Maxime and myself. While we have spoken over the phone a few times since Maxime left the Conservative party, we have not made any decisions on our own. Interest from both parties to consider joining together changes day-to-day. If it is still on the table next week, the LPoC board will be meeting September 30th to discuss options and possible outcomes for both parties.
The benefit of a merger for Maxime is that he can issue tax receipts immediately and raise funds. Right now he may be 6 months away from being able to do that. The benefit to us is that it raises our profile, gives us a bigger platform to preach from, and gives us a leader that has the time/resources/profile to lead effectively. There are obviously risks as well. These risks could be mitigated by protecting the name “Libertarian Party of Canada” and having a new party ready to launch should the PPC prove to be a dud.
If we get to a point where joining both parties becomes a real possibility, a clearly stated motion will be presented to voting members, and we will follow Article 9 Section 3 of our constitution (https://www.libertarian.ca/constitution). You will notice that this type of constitutional amendment would NOT allow a change in The Statement of Principles or The Statement of Policies. So despite the spin from Bernier's people, a merge from my perspective would mean a libertarian takeover of the PPC. It’s our party, our principles, our policies even if we change the name and the leader.
In the event of a vote, I would like to remind members to make sure their contact information is up to date in our database. You can send any changes through the Contact Us link on the website (https://www.libertarian.ca/contact_us).
I understand the frustration many of you have felt over the past few weeks. I have felt those same frustrations, and would like to move forward as soon as possible. We are only about a year away from the next election, and I would like to focus our energy on the things that will help spread our message of liberty. I will be sticking with the LPoC regardless of whether our members vote to change our name to “the PPC” and replace me with Max or whether our members choose to stay the course. We need to be a united team to mobilize and prepare for the next twelve months of hard work ahead of us. I hope my message today puts to rest at least some of your concerns, and assures you that I only have the best interests of the Libertarian Party of Canada at heart.
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