From the Toronto Globe and Mail

[veblen at uwm.edu]

Grit is the colloquial term for the federal Liberal party, derived from the
"True Grits" reform movement of the 1850s. I guess it would be something like
calling the Republican party in the US the "GOP."

--
Marc V. Levine
Professor and Director
Center for Economic Development
Center for Canadian-American Policy Studies
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
tel: 414-229-6155
fax: 414-229-4370
web: www.ced.uwm.edu
web: www.ccaps.uwm.edu


Quoting "Harold F. Schiffman" <haroldfs at ccat.sas.upenn.edu>:

> Stop picking Grit leader by language, MP urges
> By BILL CURRY
>
> Tuesday, March 1, 2005
> Updated at 9:31 AM EST
>
> OTTAWA -- The Liberal party's history of alternating between anglophone
> and francophone leaders should be scrapped because it fails to recognize
> Canada's new multicultural dynamic, says Liberal MP Maurizio Bevilacqua.
> The former junior finance minister is the latest potential leadership
> candidate to wade into the topic in recent days as Liberals from across
> the country are set to meet for a policy convention this weekend in
> Ottawa.
>
> Mr. Bevilacqua says the alternating tradition could have the effect of
> ruling out candidates from other ethnic backgrounds. "Even within
> leadership politics, the new Canada needs to be reflected.  And Chinese
> Canadians, Portuguese Canadians, Greek Canadians and other Canadians who
> are first and foremost Canadians should be part of this dialogue," he said
> yesterday.
>
> The Vaughan MP said he was speaking out in response to a public spat that
> emerged over the weekend between former ministers John Manley, Martin
> Cauchon and Denis Coderre. Mr. Cauchon and Mr. Coderre, both from Quebec,
> criticized Mr. Manley for comments in a Saturday news report that appeared
> to suggest he felt the next Liberal leader should not be from Quebec. Mr.
> Manley later said the article took his words "totally out of context."
>
> Mr. Bevilacqua said his main reason for speaking out is to encourage the
> potential leadership candidates not to focus on the past. "A true Liberal
> challenges the status quo," he said.
>
>
>
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050301/LIBERALS01/TPNational/Canada
>
> [Moderator's note: what does "Grit" mean here? (hs)]
>