Ontario Young Liberals


The Ontario Young Liberals 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, 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.

History

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:
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. 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.
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
YearLocationRegion
2002Wilfrid Laurier UniversitySouth Western Region
2003University of OttawaEastern Region
2004McMaster UniversitySouth Central Region
2005University of Western OntarioSouth Western Region
2006Trent UniversityCentral Region
2007Nipissing UniversityNorthern Region
2008University of GuelphSouth Western Region
2009Brock UniversitySouth Central Region
2010Queen's UniversityEastern Region
2011Laurentian UniversityNorthern Region
2012Wilfrid Laurier UniversitySouth Western Region
2013Carleton UniversityEastern Region
2014Joint Summer Fling and AGM, held in King CityCentral Region
2015Nipissing UniversityNorthern Region
2016Queen's UniversityEastern Region