Update On Cap Convention And Dinner For Paul Hellyer

There are several options to be considered. The most urgent, by far, is whether or not we should make an all-out effort to run 50 or more candidates in an early election in order to maintain our registered party status. How many of you would be willing to join the fray? How many of your friends and acquaintances do you think would be interested?

We know from our e-mails that there are different opinions on this subject. Many of you think it is important to keep the dream of a new, broadly-based, progressive pro-Canada party alive. And there have been a few subtle hints that this is more likely to happen after the election than it ever was before. A few, however, think it is a lost cause and not deserving of further effort.

The question has been raised as to who will carry the banner for an independent Canada if CAP doesn’t. The Liberals and Conservatives have lined up on the side of deeper economic and military integration with the U.S. and the NDP has not yet called for the abrogation of NAFTA. Se we could have the whole field to ourselves.

Finally there is the question of our administrative and financial limits. Exactly what are we capable of achieving?

You can see how critically important these issues are so if you are interested in what happens to Canada, as well as CAP, you have an obligation to participate in the debate and the decision. Remember, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

Orchard Spurns CAP Leadership
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In the run-up to the Canadian Action Party Leadership Convention David Orchard was approached to see if he would be interested in taking the helm. He seemed like a natural for the post when he has been a long-time defender of Canadian sovereignty who now finds himself, like thousands of others, without a political home. It was pointed out that he would have widespread support from CAPers.

It was even suggested that there would be no objection to a name change to Progressive Canadian Party (PC Party) if that would provide comfort to those who are distressed that the word “progressive” has been removed from the Conservative lexicon. Our objective has been and remains to see that there is a progressive, pro-Canada party for voters to support and also one that is committed to a more intelligent use of the Bank of Canada on behalf of all its shareholders.

David’s final answer? No answer at all – which is to say “no.” Instead, he appears to be committed to the attempt to raise a new Progressive Conservative Party like a phoenix from the ashes of the old one. This appears to be “mission impossible” and a tremendous waste of time and energy when a vehicle for the policies he espouses already exists.

Under the circumstances we appeal to the more than a thousand CAPers who left to support David in his pursuit of the PC leadership to come back and support a cause which is clear and unambiguous. Come back and give Connie Fogal the political clout she needs to pull an electoral rabbit out of the proverbial hat.

*** Candidates Wanted! ***
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CAP finds itself in the same position as many Canadian nationalists. Do we give up? Or do we fight on in the hope of ultimate victory? To facilitate a debate on this most fundamental of questions the following resolution will be proposed.

* Resolution #1

Be it resolved that the Canadian Action Party make an all-out effort to field fifty or more candidates in the federal general election expected this spring, in order to maintain our "registered" party status, so that we can continue the fight for a big new mainline progressive pro-Canada party to offer Canadian voters a real alternative.

We have reason to believe that the odds of achieving this dream may improve after the election if no single party achieves an absolute majority of the seats. At least it is worth a try.

Constitutional Amendment (as passed)
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The amendment to the Constitution adding a new Subsection (h) to Section 9, which reads as follows,

h) Notwithstanding Subsections (b), (d) and (e) above, when a leader’s death, incapacity to act, or public announcement of his/her intention to resign occurs when a federal general election appears to be imminent the Executive may either,
i) appoint an interim leader, or
ii) call a leadership convention with notice given and other rules appropriate to the time constraints deemed applicable to the then existing circumstances,

has been adopted almost unanimously – just one dissenting vote. Consequently the Leadership Convention being held March 26th and 27th is properly constituted in accordance with the above Subsection (h) of Section 9.

Convention Will Pay Tribute to Founding Leader
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The Friday evening reception and dinner will be in honour of CAP's founding leader, Hon. Paul Hellyer. It was his concern about the negative effects of neo-classical economics which led to the coalition of concerned Canadians who launched the party. Former supporters of five or six different parties got together in common purpose - to let Canadians know there is a better way.

CAP's founders were all disenchanted with Paul Martin's cut and slash method of balancing the books which had such disastrous effects on our health care system, universal access to post-secondary education, the environment, the arts, the armed forces, and just about every aspect of Canada's amazing post-World War II achievements. To see that progress all go down the drain was too much to accept. So they joined forces to fight for more excellent solutions that they know to be possible.

Paul Hellyer was well qualified for the role of leader. He first entered federal politics at age 25. After serving an apprenticeship of 8 years he was appointed to the cabinet of Rt. Hon. Louis St. Laurent just before the election of 1957, when the Liberals were defeated by John Diefenbaker.

Hellyer spent the next two years working full time as president of his house building business which had been one of his passions from the days when veterans returning from overseas couldn't find places to live. Ironically, this was the issue which led to his resignation from the Trudeau cabinet many years later - a little more then a decade after being re-elected in a 1958 by-election.

The two issues at the top of Hellyer's agenda are Canadian independence and macro economics. The former has only become an issue in recent years since Prime Minister Brian Mulroney sold Canada down the river, first with the Free Trade Agreement and then NAFTA; and his successor, Jean Chrétien, carried on where he left off. Paul is convinced that only a complete reversal of policy will prevent Canada's ultimate annexation by the U.S.

Hellyer's life-long concern has been economics. He wants Canada to return to a system more like the one we had in the early post-war years when the Bank of Canada played a more active role on behalf of its shareholders, the people of Canada. Paul says there is no other solution to the myriad problems facing Canada and the world today.

Hellyer's experience has not been limited to public life. He was raised on a farm where his father pioneered the ginseng business in Canada. He studied aeronautics in California, served a couple of years in the armed forces, married in 1945 and graduated from the University of Toronto in May 1949, just a month before being elected to the House of Commons for the first time.

Paul's extensive business experience includes manufacturing, retailing, house building, land development, journalism, tourism and publishing. In addition to extensive involvement in community affairs, he has been a long-time patron of the arts, partly as a result of studying voice at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

Paul lives in Toronto with his wife Ellen. They have three children and five grandchildren. Tickets for the Friday evening testimonial dinner are included in your registration package. For anyone not attending the convention, tickets will be available for $25.00 each but must be ordered in advance.

[ Invitation and order form for just this evening is available here. ]

[Membership form and convention registration form are available in PDF version of this document.

http://www.canadianactionparty.ca/Downloads/NEWSL-032004.pdf ]

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