Axworthy, An Essay on Liberal Renewal, December 2006 2 according to his or her own methods, some consulting exceedingly widely, others using small groups of experts. But my estimate is that between 200 300 people actively contributed to the writing of the various reports and by a factor of ten, additional interested citizens were consulted so that in the midst [...] Axworthy, An Essay on Liberal Renewal, December 2006 3 disconnect between the quality of the volunteer base and their distance from decision making has led to real and deep alienation. Such alienation is rooted not in the personality or office of any particular Leader, but is a result of the structure and ethos of the modern Liberal Party. The first step in reclaimi [...] Axworthy, An Essay on Liberal Renewal, December 2006 11 • Canada should promote India’s accession to the G 8 club of democracies, and it should support too, India’s membership on the Security Council of the United Nations. A democratic India and a democratic Japan are important counterweights to an autocratic China. Ashoka, the greatest of Indian Kings, proclaimed [...] Axworthy, An Essay on Liberal Renewal, December 2006 14 its campaign pledge not to tax income trusts. Thousands of individual Canadians made investment decisions based on the Conservative promise. Hundreds of mid sized Canadian companies had followed Canadian law only to be side swiped when huge enterprises became too greedy and decided to go down the income trust [...] Axworthy, An Essay on Liberal Renewal, December 2006 19 Lakes and to prohibit the bulk export of fresh water. The Renewal Task Force on Sustainable Development, which consulted with a large number of Canadians, has many detailed suggestions on climate change and many other environmental issues. Stéphane Dion has also released a comprehensive 50 page report on his En