Members of the federal Liberal party will gather in Ottawa in January and one of their tasks will be to elect a new party president. Former cabinet minister (and one-time deputy prime minister) Sheila Copps said today, she wants that job. Here's her release:
The Hon. Sheila Copps today officially announced that she is seeking the presidency of the Liberal Party of Canada. She made the announcement during a guest appearance on the popular Radio Canada television program, “Les Lionnes”.
“I am pleased to announce that I am running for President of the Liberal Party of Canada. There is much work to be done, but I am excited to join my fellow Liberals as we listen, learn and build for the future”, she said. Sheila, the first female Deputy Prime Minister and a former Minister of Environment and of Heritage, represented the riding of Hamilton East for twenty years.
Before her career in federal politics, Sheila served in the Ontario legislature. After active politics, she worked as a journalist, political commentator and author, while helping to support Liberal candidates and causes across the country. She speaks four languages, English, French, Italian and Spanish.
Sheila made the decision to return to active politics after speaking to all former Liberal leaders and consulting Canadians from coast to coast to coast. “I care deeply about the shape and nature of Canada, a country that embraces compromise and respects differences. Throughout our country's history, the Liberal Party has been at the centre of our collective identity, pragmatically finding a common path to ensure that we didn’t tear ourselves apart on ideological grounds,” says Sheila. “That bridge-building is now at risk. From a prime minister who openly boasts about his wish to destroy the Liberal Party and a newly-invigorated social democratic party that seeks to occupy the left of the political spectrum, the Liberal party must thrive again to ensure the centrist policies that have kept our country balanced and strong.”
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