OTTAWA - Federal Liberals are being asked to dramatically redefine -- and constrain -- the role of party leader.
Party brass are proposing to strip the leader's power to unilaterally determine the contents of campaign platforms, to protect incumbent MPs from nomination challenges and to appoint candidates.
Rank and file party members would be given much more say in all those matters.
The proposals are among those to be voted on next week at a crucial Liberal convention, intended to kick start the process of rebuilding the party after it was reduced to rubble in last May's election.
In an era of increasingly leader-driven politics, the proposals for reining in the leader's power to determine party policy are arguably the most significant -- and potentially risky.
And they're a particular departure for the traditionally top-down Liberals, who've tended to give their leaders carte blanche to determine what the party stands for.
