A senior official with the PMO’s office says Richard Diamond, newly-elected president of the Young Liberals of Canada, is “the best young Liberal president in a generation.” Diamond is likely to be in the middle of the news this weekend at the first-ever convention of the Conservative party of Canada.
Because it’s a new party, the Conservatives have not yet had a chance to establish a youth wing. Some Conservatives, particularly some under-30 Conservative MPs, are suggesting that youth wing, ghettoizes young people and makes them feel as if they are second-class citizens.
Diamond picked up on this tension today to poke some fun at political opponents, saying in a press release:
“The Young Liberals challenge the Conservative Party to take the muzzle
off their own youth. This weekend the party will debate a motion to form an
independent youth commission. Yet the Conservative Party leadership has made
it clear that they believe young people are to be seen and not heard,” said
Richard Diamond, President of the Young Liberals of Canada. “This kind of
attitude is typical of Stephen 'Mr. Muzzle' Harper's attempt to silence anyone
that might actually give voice to the truth of his party's extreme views.”
To remind the Conservative Party of innovative 'new' ways that young
people like to communicate in this country, the Young Liberals have launched a
website on something called 'The Internet'. (“Mr. Muzzle” and his supporters
should check out 'The Internet' – it's all the rage with kids these days). The
new site – www.muzzlegate.ca – chronicles Stephen Harper's efforts to keep
opinions within his party well hidden from public view