fin

"[Stephane Dion] is a man who is, if I may say so across the partisan divide, distinct from his principal opponents in being a committed Canadian and a man of principle and conviction.

And therefore almost certain not to be elected leader of the Liberal party."

- Jack Layton

Surely I'm not the only one to dig up that quote, but I'm mentally exhausted and not feeling clever.

Final thoughts on the convention? I'm afraid that if I start I'll never stop. But quickly, nevertheless:

- Am I happy? Yes, absolutely. Today I've stepped away from the race itself and put everything back in context. This is a better party than it was when the marathon began. I felt three days ago that Kennedy or Ignatieff would've meant more radical renewal and progressiveness. I haven't changed my mind. But I am happy, nevertheless.

- It unfolded exactly, as far as I'm concerned, as it was most likely to. I was given the impression that there would be some intangible convention quality that could send it in any direction. Ultimately, though, the result was near-mathematically logical. The only surprise was how uniform Kennedy supporters moved. I went from Kennedy to Ignatieff but I was in a tiny minority. 91% delivered!

- I end this journey only more concerned with the Convention process. Not to be a Debby Downer - it's just absurd. People who voted for Kennedy (during Super Weekend) didn't vote for Dion, but that was the result. We lost the motion to move to a one member, one vote system. This is funny onto itself: we posit that party decisions are made by a small elite and that should change, then look for our mandate for change from that same small elite. They said no. Democracy in action, eh?

- Notwithstanding the above, what an amazing time I had! To share a room with 3 prime ministers, one future prime minister, the son of our greatest prime minister - not to mention the Romeo Dallaires, Mark Lalondes, etc. etc. Chretien's speech made the party feel invincible. Justin Trudeau made us feel that we can only get better.

- Visit www.climateliberal.ca . This is exactly what I wanted to see emerge. This is why the Liberal party is the national institution that has presided over every major challenge in this country's history. No one seems to notice that we said an angry 'no' to the candidate with infinitely the most ambitious environmental platform. Regardless, by the 4th ballot the environment had won either way. We are the Red Green party.