Both Liberal and Conservative parties tackled big issues at their respective conventions over the weekend, signalling renewal and optimism.

For the Liberals, it was all about an “enthusiastic” embrace of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership, said Scott Reid, a CTV political analyst who served as an adviser to former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin.

“It’s his institution now,” Reid said of the Liberal Party in an interview with CTV’s Canada AM on Monday.

Over the weekend, the Liberals voted in favour of Trudeau’s plan for a new party constitution that eliminates the traditional notion of membership.  Under the proposal, anyone willing to register as a Liberal, for free, will be entitled to vote in leadership and nomination contests, attend conventions and take part in policy development.

Reid said he suspects that other parties will eventually imitate the Liberals’ approach.

There was also some controversy at the Liberal gathering, after the party’s former interim leader, Bob Rae, was caught on video pretending to gag while Trudeau thanked his predecessor, Stephen Harper, for his many years of public service. Rae later apologized for what he called a “thoughtless gesture.”

On the Conservative side, the party voted to eliminate its policy of opposing same-sex marriage, a move that former cabinet minister Peter MacKay called a “demonstration of the maturation of our party.”

Reid said the vote could create a divide between social conservatives and those who supported the policy change – a rift that could play out in the Conservative leadership race next year.

But Conservative MP Jason Kenney told CTV’s Question Period on Sunday, that the overwhelming feeling at the Tory convention was one of unity.

“The Conservative Party has never been more united after an election defeat than it is now, which is remarkable given the history of internal conflict,” Kenney said.

With files from The Canadian Press