Thomas Axworthy's Article in Today's Toronto Star

Quick! Those of you who have a Toronto Star in danger of hitting the recycling bin with sections unread, because it's a busy holiday, rescue it and set aside page A17, until you have time to read it at your leisure.

There's a piece by Thomas Axworthy, chair of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Queen's University, that's a must read. (Sadly, it's not available online, so you may have to rely on the kindness of friends and relatives in T.O. to send you a copy, if you don't have access to The Star in your part of the world.) [Updated 1/2: Here it is after all! ]

In his article, Axworthy reminds the Liberals that they must return to their progressive roots and be truly inclusive of women and young people if they expect to do well in the next election. He also urges Dion to take a stand on behalf of Elizabeth May and the Green party by "announcing that the official opposition will not participate in any televised debates that do not include the leader of the Greens. The exclusion of the Greens, who run candidates in every riding in the country, while including the Bloc, who run only in one province, is an insult and an outrage. Dion's new broom should sweep this particular barnacle into the trash can."

Axworthy concludes with this rousing statement: "In 2007, the Liberal party has the opportunity to become a progressive force united behind the new core principal of sustainability which promotes, in turn, the triple bottom line of economic progress, social justice, and environmental protection. Such a party will certainly be a contender. It might even be a winner."