The Liberal leadership candidates are getting ahead of themselves. Before they debate any specific policies, this party needs to figure out its grounding principles.

In this day and age, the Liberal party of Canada can hardly call itself liberal. Traditionally, there have been two definitions of the term: one relating to advancing individual rights and freedoms; and another more focused on laissez-faire economics, restricting government spending and letting the economy function with minimal state intrusion.

To say the Liberal party focuses on advancing individual autonomy is a farce. There's a reason Paul Martin didn't want a free vote on gay marriage when his party was in power. He knew that, given the option, many Liberal MPs would vote against a bill permitting same-sex couples to marry.

The party's financial record is hardly laissez-faire. Jean Chrétien did take some initiative to reduce government waste. Such policies, however, were completely reversed by his successor.

In the months leading up to the 2006 federal election was there a government body or special interest to which Martin didn't promise millions in additional spending?

Here's my recommendation for a new party name: the Potpourri party. As with similarly named Jeopardy category, when you choose potpourri you never know what you're going to get.

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