Quote:
Originally Posted by rubecube
I don't see it as that as all. I think it's more drawing a proverbial line in the socio-politcal stand and clearly emphasizing where he thinks the Liberals should stand. I think this is likely a move aimed to draw voters away from the NDP more than it is from the Conservatives.
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This is exactly right. This move has nothing to do with "scary Conservative boogeymen", but rather it's all about shoring up the Liberals' left flank against the NDP. When the Conservative backbenchers tried to re-open the abortion debate last year, four Liberal MPs supported the motion. Only the NDP was unanimous in their opposition (because they already have a policy to ensure that anti-abortion candidates cannot run under their banner), so this pre-emptively shuts down a potential line of attack in the next election and prevents the NDP from claiming that they -- and they alone -- are the only party that is staunchly pro-choice.
As for the mandate itself, every party does this (over a variety of issues) for a few reasons. First, it's a way of decreeing that all candidates from a particular party share a common set of core values. Secondly, the leadership wants to ensure that all candidates are "on message" during the campaign so a local MP doesn't contradict the party's platform or embarrass the leader. For a recent example of why this is necessary, you can be damn sure that when it comes time to select candidates for the next provincial election, the Wildrose Party will prevent anyone who thinks that gay people will burn in a lake of fire from seeking their party's nomination.