The podium awaits Michael Ignatieff at the Liberal leader's election-night headquarters in Toronto on May 2, 2011.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail
As Grits gather in mid-January to elect a new president, the delegates will be mostly male and bloggers will have to dig deep into their pockets to attend.
The two issues have emerged as potential irritants as Liberals prepare for their Ottawa policy convention, which begins on Friday the 13th.
The gathering will not only elect a new president but also look at ways of moving forward and rebuilding after the devastation of the May 2 election that saw the Liberals reduced to third party status.
Two women are running for the top executive job – Shelia Copps, the former deputy prime minister, and Alexandra Mendes, a former MP from Quebec. Michael Crawley, the former president of the Ontario Liberals, is also running.
"The Liberal constitution requires equality in all delegate selection processes," Ms. Copps told The Globe. "However, as in society, more men are signing up to fill their spots in every riding, hence more men than women. We are still running at one-third women, which is better than the current makeup of Parliament."
Sarah Bain, a spokeswoman for the Liberal Party of Canada, would not comment on the number of delegates expected or the fact that men could end up dominating the convention. And outgoing president Alfred Apps said the breakdowns will not be known in advance since registration occurs right up to the convention.
Leadership conventions are usually more competitive than policy conventions. At the 2006 gathering in Montreal that elected Stéphane Dion to replace Paul Martin, there were more than 4,000 delegates; in Vancouver in 2009, when Michael Ignatieff was essentially acclaimed, there were about 2,500 delegates.
Mr. Apps predicted attendance at this one will "exceed any non-leadership convention for several decades." And he suggested it will be higher than Tory or NDP conventions.
It seemed, however, that previous Liberal conventions encouraged or even guaranteed more participation by women delegates. Ms. Copps noted, too, that the Quebec Liberal women's commission is hoping to hold a "presidential debate" in Montreal.
"They want to explore specific strategies on how to encourage more women's involvement in the party," Ms. Copps said.
She added that there has not been a female party president since Senator Marie Poulin served from 2006 to 2008, when a stroke cut her term short. Before that, the only other woman was Iona Campagnolo, who became president in 1982 and served until 1986.
Meanwhile, the issue of bloggers at the convention has provoked a stir in the Twitter-verse.
Only bloggers who are officially associated with a news organization can be accredited. But others will have to pay an $1,100 observer fee.
Ms. Bain, the party spokeswoman, argues there will nevertheless be ample accommodation for bloggers. For example, a riser will be setup in the middle of the convention floor.
She explained that there are many ways to attend the convention: "As a delegate, an observer , or media (including freelance and social media representatives who are sponsored by a recognized news organization.)"
"There is no rule or ban against bloggers, there never has been," she wrote in an email. "Quite the contrary, we consulted with a group of bloggers and other social media users to discuss the options available to them as delegates. To my knowledge, no delegate or observer who has submitted a registration to our Convention has been denied access because they are a blogger."
This appears to be counter to what many bloggers want. Tory scribe Stephen Taylor has led the charge, kicking off the controversy when he tweeted this week: "Liberal convention will be the first modern political convention that doesn't accredit bloggers. #cdnpoli"
He's pursued the issue on his blog. And he's even garnered support from Liberal bloggers like Jeff Jedras, who argues his party is " foolishly retreating from social media and blogging."
Ms. Copps's team also appears unsatisfied. Henry Wright, her campaign chairman, sent an email to Liberal headquarters criticizing the move.
"It is my understanding that the Party has ruled against Bloggers at the Convention," he wrote. "... We strongly object and would ask that the decision be revisited. We believe that for a Party that wants to rebuild and reach out ... this ruling appears to be counterproductive."
But Ms. Copps herself told The Globe that "like other media members, bloggers need some sort of accreditation to ensure they are actually media."