File this one under: “Big steps in the right direction”.
Today Stephen Harper announced the formation of the “Young Conservative Caucus” which consists of the 20 MPs 40 and under.
I’ve always noticed how youthful the Conservative MPs are in comparison to the old and tired Liberal caucus and to the self-proclaimed “party of youth” NDP. The party has always hinted that they have the youngest members and the most multicultural caucus. Now it’s official internal policy. Bravo to the staffers (and to Stephen Harper) who made this decision to make the Youth Caucus official.
The chair of the Young Conservative Caucus is Rona Ambrose who said “The Conservative Party of Canada has been extremely successful in the past at attracting younger Members of Parliament and part of the reason for establishing this team is to build on that success”. Rona’s star in the party has been rising in the party at an incredible rate and I’m certain that she’ll make a run at the party leadership sometime in the future (maybe not next time, but perhaps after that).
The vice-chair of the YCC is Andrew Scheer whom I interviewed last week. Andrew has shown his talents in building campaigns from the ground-up and will contribute significantly to representing youth interests in this country.
The YCC is getting together over the summer recess at a summer retreat to discuss and develop policy that will both appeal to and be beneficial to young Canadians.
This creation of a Youth Caucus is a great step and will help the Conservative Party differentiate itself from the Liberal party.