Manitoba AGM Complete and Resounding Success!!

Wow what a team !!!!

My second AGM as Chairperson and our Liberal movement is alive and thriving. A weekend complete with Liberal Blogging King presentation from Jason Cherniak and a 308 Riding Formula by Ryan Androsoff, Toronto MP's John Mac Kay and Bryon Wielfert were absolutely superb in setting the course for the Three Pillars, Manitoba's own Terry Duguid did a superb job on the environment, Don Marks put on an engaging and stimulating performance on Media, the Manitoba ERC Chairs Deb Morrison and Jane Nikkel did a profoundly inspiring performance on getting our team ready, LPC's Harry Mortemeir did a superb and thorough job on the new finances, inspiring speeches by Martha Hall Findlay, Gerrard Kennedy and our Leader Stephane Dion and a few local Policy Resolutions by Jim Millar and his team put the whole package in a stellar 21st century menu.
I have to express my HUGE THANKS to the great work by my entire AGM team and a personal thank you to each of you from me for their volunteer support, time and energy.

Every feedback received was positive and the only blip being extra tables needed for lunch and less sessions more discussion needed in the future. The crowning achievement in my view was the All Liberal Social Friday night- discussion, dialogue and camaraderie on the Liberal team. The dynamic speeches by our Leader, Gerrard and Martha put the energy and focal points on the weekend and the engaging nature of the ERC team and panellists PLUS the moving, full and complete AGM Agenda combined to make the weekend a complete and resounding success!!!!.

Team work, cooperation and commitment were our ingredients and not only have we achieved our goals - I believe in keeping with the theme of Let's Get the Party Started we have helped our party move forward towards a new and more prosperous future.

I hope to have some links for the presentations in the very near future but you can also link to Jason and Ryan on my page.

Looks like the next step on my Liberal Agenda is helping to organize a great candidate in Winnipeg South to take back that riding from the Tories. Stay tuned !!!
This new challenge brings back some great memories of 1993 and a heated, healthy 5,000 member nomination contest. Looking back on my life I have been involved in a total of 24 Liberal Nominations in riding from Ottawa to Saskatoon and have been on the loosing team only twice my dad lost to Veternarian Dan Pieroz in Rainy River Ontario Provincial in 1988 and once in 1993 we lost by 4 votes in Winnipeg South. I think with the proper positioning, bringing in all the Liberals I have spoke to this weekend and over the past year and putting together a similarly strong organizational team as the AGM (which looks like it is coming together Winnipeg South) it should be rewarding and fun. One recent real big Nomination win was in 2002-03 as part of the Ken Boschoff team in Thunder Bay Rainy River the folksy popular Mayor took down the well financed, Martin backed Donald Patterson team. That nomination was all about work and organizing and Winnipeg South looks to much the same thing.

On a personal note a lot of retro on my agenda this year which I have found really neat. Kind of exhilarating and therapeutic to be back "at her" for the Liberal cause after a few years of ground level roles such as door knocking as opposed to planning, strategizing and organizing. I find today my spiritual and personal outlook or more clear and less confined and as person I am a lot wiser and more focused on getting things done and finding achievable versus futile accomplishments. My challenge as it was in 1993 is I have to learn to temper how I deal with the "princesses" or "talk-a-lot-do-nothings" in the party. I do know I am far more effective at seeing people for who they are and lowering my expectations for those who are duplicitous and less "real". I also must learn to be more reserved and less passionate about how I undertake the task of organizing and enjoying my liberal activity.