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Meanwhile, some Liberals have been privately bristling over what they saw as heavy-handed efforts to get members to back proposed changes to the party’s constitution. Others say the changes go too far in concentrating power at the top.

The changes would get rid of the traditional idea of membership so that any Canadian could sign up as a “registered Liberal” without paying a fee. But critics say it doesn’t include any indication on what kinds of bylaws will be introduced by the leadership, meaning members are asking to approve the changes on faith.

“There’s a power grab at the top and the grassroots are being ignored,” said delegate Elizabeth Wood McDonald, who also supported Robbins’ call for a debate on C-14. “The irony is they want to increase the grassroots with no membership and no Liberal status.”

In her speech, Gainey suggested Liberals can’t sit back and relax, and that the 2019 campaign is already underway. She said the new constitution “is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernize, strengthen and open up our party, which 21st-century politics demands of us.”

Many MPs as well as Liberal members said they haven’t felt pressure from the party, and that they wholeheartedly support the constitutional amendments, which delegates will vote on Saturday. They say the changes are necessary for all the reasons Gainey and the party have stated.

One MP said Trudeau has jokingly said that this is “my constitution,” and it only makes sense the party would be “nudging” delegates to make sure it passes. Others have gone farther, labelling opponents as resistant to change — or worse.