 | |
| Abbreviation | OYL |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1971 |
| Headquarters | 344 Bloor Street W Suite 306 Toronto, Ontario M5S 3A7 |
| Location | |
President | Huzaif Qaisar |
Parent organization | Ontario Liberal Party |
| Website | Website |
The Ontario Young Liberals (OYL) is the official youth wing of the Ontario Liberal Party. The OYL's membership includes all members of the Ontario Liberal Party who are aged 25 and under. The organization has local branches called "student clubs" (associations of members at post secondary institutions) and "riding clubs" (associations of members residing in electoral districts), though members are not required to be associated with any such clubs. It is led by a 16-member executive board.
Until the end of 2016, the OYL was also recognized by the Liberal Party of Canada as its youth wing in Ontario. In 2017, federal party ceased recognition of its element organizations that are jointly recognized provincial liberal parties. A separate Ontario "section" of the Young Liberals of Canada was created to serve as its youth organization in Ontario.
Associations of liberal partisans on university and college campus existed prior to the 1970s, and were loosely affiliated with the party each other through the Ontario Student Liberals. In 1971, the organization was formally established as the Ontario New Liberals and was known as such until the mid-1980s.
The organization has been a grooming ground for budding politicians and political organizers. Many elected officials and partisan with public prominence were active members of the OYL in their youth. 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.[1][2][3][4] The Paul Martin leadership campaign was particularly notorious for hostile take over of campus liberal associations leading up to the 1990 and 2003 contests.
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, Vice President (French), Treasurer, Riding Director, Student Director, Policy Director, Communications Director, Community Engagement Director and 8 Regional Coordinators, as well as a high school coordinator.
The current executive is as follows:[1]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Huzaif Qaisar |
| Executive Vice-President | Umaid Zahid |
| Vice President (Organization) | Noor Samiei |
| Vice President (French) | Bruce Baker |
| Treasurer | Ahmed Absiye |
| Communications Director | Ryon Dalir |
| Policy Director | TBD |
| Student Director | Tréden Roseau |
| Riding Director | Mackenzie Collings |
| Community Engagement Director | Momina Malik |
| Eastern Regional Coordinator | Ariel Burgess |
| Ottawa Regional Coordinator | Lina Maragha |
| GTA North Regional Coordinator | TBD |
| GTA East Regional Coordinator | Shyan Hayder |
| GTA Central Regional Coordinator | Saadiq Jasat |
| Golden Horseshoe Regional Coordinator | Samridhi Datta |
| North Regional Coordinator | TBD |
| Southwestern Regional Coordinator | TBD |
| High School Coordinator (1) | Stacy Kiseliouk |
| High School Coordinator (2) | Domenic Sbergio |
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 eight regions are: Northern Region, Eastern Region, Ottawa Region, Golden Horseshoe Region, GTA Central region, GTA East Region, GTA North Region, and Southwest Region.
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.
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.
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
| Year | Location | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Wilfrid Laurier University | South Western Region |
| 2003 | University of Ottawa | Eastern Region |
| 2004 | McMaster University | South Central Region |
| 2005 | University of Western Ontario | South Western Region |
| 2006 | Trent University | Central Region |
| 2007 | Nipissing University | Northern Region |
| 2008 | University of Guelph | South Western Region |
| 2009 | Brock University | South Central Region |
| 2010 | Queen's University | Eastern Region |
| 2011 | Laurentian University | Northern Region |
| 2012 | Wilfrid Laurier University | South Western Region |
| 2013 | Carleton University | Eastern Region |
| 2014 | Joint Summer Fling and AGM, held in King City | Central Region |
| 2015 | Nipissing University | Northern Region |
| 2016 | Queen's University | Eastern Region |
| 2019 | Carleton University | Ottawa Region |
| 2023 | University of Toronto | GTA Central Region |
| 2024 | Carleton University | Ottawa Region |
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Youth wings of political parties in Canada
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| Federal |
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| Ontario |
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