OTTAWA—The federal Liberals have elected Mike Crawley as the party’s new president, rejecting Sheila Copps.

Earlier, members rejected a proposal calling for Canadians to consider cutting this country’s ties to the monarchy

But they’ve thrown overwhelming support behind another calling for the legalization and regulation of marijuana.

The proposals were among of a handful of controversial resolutions at the Liberals’ renewal convention.

They were put forward by the party’s youth wing, which argued that the Liberal party, reduced to rubble in last May’s election, needs to advance bold ideas if it is to revive.

Delegates have also thrown their support behind adopting preferential balloting in federal elections, rather than the current first-past-the-post system.

Preferential ballots would ensure that only candidates who receive more than 50 per cent of the vote in their ridings would be elected to the House of Commons.