In many ways, Joyce Murray resembles a former Liberal leadership aspirant, Stéphane Dion, with her sustainable society policy reminiscent of Dion's "...

The talk about Justin Trudeau taking the Liberal leadership always comes down to the same points: It's not his time, he's too young, his last name is poison in parts of the country, he hasn't run a successful business, he hasn't accomplished anything noteworthy. If any of these arguments sound familiar, it's because they were the same things said about senator Obama back in 2008. Can Trudeau, like Obama, incite some excitement into Canadian politics?

Canadian women won equality rights 27 years ago when the gender equality clause in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms took effect. Yet, several times since the turn of the 21st century, parliament has seen fit to debate whether women's rights should be restricted. How can this happen?

It may still be true that changes to voting structures and constitutional changes may not cause millions of Canadians to beat a path to our door -- but for the people here, the enthusiasm is palpable. And it is the enthusiasm of Liberal activists which will garner the enthusiasm and support for liberalism in Canada.

At this week's Liberal Party convention, my fellow delegates need to confront the uncomfortable causes of our party's steady decline over the past decade. We must acknowledge that we have a serious, self-inflicted credibility problem.

There are obvious potential caveats to the open primary system, but right now, with a party backed up against a wall with no place else to go, there aren't really a multitude of options. I applaud Mr. Rae for having the bold initiative to think outside the proverbial box.

I can safely assert that the Liberal Party is as good as dead. In all their history, the Liberals have never had to face an opponent like Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He is intelligent, ruthless and calculating. And right now Harper is using all his power and all his skills to exploit to the fullest every Liberal weakness.

There is good reason why most prime ministers avoid Senate reform: it is contentious and divisive. A reformed Senate could provide a check on the Prime Minister's Office, though there is also the potential for gridlock with feuding houses, something seen in the United States system of divided government.