Ontario Young Liberals

The Ontario Young Liberals (OYL) is the official youth wing of the Ontario Liberal Party, and until 2017, of Liberal Party of Canada in Ontario. In 2017, the Liberal Party of Canada created the Young Liberals of Canada (Ontario), effectively ending the federal Liberal Party's role in the OYL. The OYL's membership includes all members of the Ontario Liberal Party aged 25 and under. The organization is divided into campus and riding clubs and led by a 16-member executive board. The OYL is the largest youth political organization in Ontario, and the largest provincial Young Liberal organization in Canada.

Ontario Young Liberals
AbbreviationOYL
Formation1971
Headquarters10 St. Mary Street,
Toronto, ON
Location
President
Ian Hall
Parent organization
Ontario Liberal Party
Websiteoyl.org

History
OYL logo, 2003-2009

Founded in 1971, the OYL was known as the Ontario New Liberals until the mid-1980s. The organization has consistently proven itself be a training ground for budding politicians and political organizers. Many prominent politicians and staffers are OYL alumni, some of whom have made significant contributions to the organization. These include:

Influence
OYL logo, 2000-2003

Since the Liberal Party allocates specific number of delegate spots for campus liberal associations at its national convention, key players of the OYL wielded unique influence in the party’s leadership selection as it has the largest number of campus associations under its jurisdiction. OYL had been a fierce battleground during federal leadership races from the early 80s to 2006.[1][2][3][4] The Paul Martin leadership campaign was particularly notorious for hostile take over of campus liberal associations leading up to the 1990 and 2003 contests.

Structure

The OYL executive is made up of 17 OYL members elected to one-year terms by the membership at the OYL Annual General Meeting. The structure of the Executive consists of a President, Executive Vice-President, Vice-President, Organization, Treasurer, Riding Director, Student Director, Policy Director, Communications Director, Community Engagement Director and 8 Regional Coordinators.

Executive

The current executive was acclaimed at the 2018 AGM held in Toronto, Ontario.

  • President: Francesca Cesario
  • Vice-President, Organization: Gazal Amin
  • Treasurer: Aqsa Naveed
  • Communications Director: Will Wuehr
  • Policy Director: Rachel Campbell
  • Riding Director: Kaitlin Salole
  • Student Director: Aidan Meffe
  • Community Engagement Director: Robert Zhu
  • Northern Regional Coordinator: Nathan Gravelle
  • Eastern Regional Coordinator: Nirmit Shah
  • Ottawa Regional Coordinator: Fatema Abdalla
  • Golden Horseshoe Regional Coordinator Aiman Akmal
  • GTA Central Regional Coordinator: Noor Samiei
  • GTA East Regional Coordinator: Carter Brownlee
  • GTA North Regional Coordinator: Cynthia Antony
  • Southwest Regional Coordinator: Josh Monk

Regions

The OYL recognizes eight distinct regions of the province. Each region is represented by a Regional Coordinator. Each region is further broken down by areas, although these area divisions are seldom used. The six regions are: Northern Region, Eastern Region, Ottawa Region, Golden Horseshoe Region, GTA Central region, GTA East Region, GTA North Region, and Southwest Region.

Affiliated clubs

The OYL is composed of riding and student clubs. Riding clubs are based in each provincial electoral district. Student clubs are located at universities and colleges in Ontario.

Each club has a constitution, which must agree with the constitutions of the Ontario Liberal Party and the OYL. Each club has an executive, and conducts activities such as community outreach, social events, policy meetings and assists in campaigns during federal or provincial elections.

OYL Annual General Meeting

The executive of the OYL is elected to a one-year term at the Annual General Meeting of the OYL. The AGM is never held in the same region twice in a row.

OYL Summer Fling

In the summer of 2002, the OYL created a new signature event called Summer Fling, which was held at Wilfrid Laurier University the inaugural year. OYL Summer Fling includes a volunteer appreciation dinner, the annual policy conference and many guest speakers. It has quickly become the flagship event of the OYL.

Summer Fling locations

Year Location Region
2002 Wilfrid Laurier University South Western Region
2003 University of Ottawa Eastern Region
2004 McMaster University South Central Region
2005 University of Western Ontario South Western Region
2006 Trent University Central Region
2007 Nipissing University Northern Region
2008 University of Guelph South Western Region
2009 Brock University South Central Region
2010 Queen's University Eastern Region
2011 Laurentian University Northern Region
2012 Wilfrid Laurier University South Western Region
2013 Carleton University Eastern Region
2014 Joint Summer Fling and AGM, held in King City Central Region
2015 Nipissing University Northern Region
2016 Queen's University Eastern Region
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References
  1. Martin, Paul (2008). Hell Or High Water: My Life in and Out of Politics. McClelland & Stewart, 2008. pp. 86. ISBN 9780771056925.
  2. "No single candidate getting Young Libs' support". CTV Globe Media. 2006-03-26.
  3. "Adult supervision required". Public Eye Mediaworks. 2006-03-09.
  4. "ACampus Liberals split on leadership race, Youth campaigns picking up speed". The Queen's Journal. 2006-09-12.
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