Michael Ignatieff says the mood surrounding his ascension to the Liberal helm reminds him of the excitement that prevailed when Grit icon Pierre Trudeau was elected leader in 1968.

"You have to indulge an old guy like me, but this is the feeling that I felt in 1968 at the great convention that chose Pierre Elliott Trudeau as our prime minister," Ignatieff told cheering youth delegates Friday at the convention that will formally acclaim him as leader.

"I had a feeling for the first time in my life that I wasn't a spectator, that I wasn't a bystander, that I was there, in my tiny way, making the history of my country. And this is what the Liberal party offers you, that sense, that belief, that faith, that together we make the history of this great country."

Liberals are undoubtedly feeling upbeat about their party's prospects these days. They've improved considerably since Ignatieff took over in December from Stephane Dion, who had led the party to one of its worst-ever showings in electoral history two months earlier.

And some do liken Ignatieff, a public intellectual, to the brainy, exotic Trudeau.

But the convention itself is a far cry from the rollicking, suspense-filled spectacle that elected Trudeau after four gruelling ballots.

With Ignatieff to be acclaimed Saturday without a contest, some Liberals are privately calling the current gathering the "Seinfeld convention," after the 1990s TV sitcom famously dubbed a show about nothing.

And if Ignatieff has his way, there will never be another brokered, delegate convention like the one that elected Trudeau. He is championing a move to a one-member, one-vote process for electing leaders in future.

"This change . . . is crucial to the future of our party," he told the Liberal youth wing.

"It's crucial for our capacity to say, 'Come in, join us, join this adventure and when you join it, you — not a delegate — you get to choose the leadership of your country.'"

Ignatieff made a "passionate request" to young Liberals to support the proposal, an unusual step since leaders ordinarily don't weigh in on policy or constitutional proposals at conventions.

"I put myself on the line to get it done," he said later.

The youth wing of the party is the most resistant to the proposed change, which would diminish the influence young Liberals currently enjoy in the delegate system. They have proposed an amendment which would guarantee them 25 per cent of the votes, which other Liberals contend undermines the whole concept.

Ignatieff also paid personal tribute Friday to his predecessor, hours before the party was to give Dion an official send-off.

He told reporters Dion will be "remembered very kindly" by Liberals for his "absolutely unshakeable commitment to bringing more women into the party" and for putting environmental sustainability "at the centre of what the party stands for."

Ignatieff said he admired Dion's courage in facing sometimes "brutal" times in politics. And he credited Dion with helping to save the country after the near-death experience in the 1995 referendum on Quebec independence.

"I don't think Canadians should ever forget that. This is a man who fought for his country and he's entitled to the honour and respect of our party."

Still, Ignatieff has distanced himself from Dion's legacy on a number of fronts. Since taking over, he's nixed the idea of a carbon tax, dropped a non-compete agreement with Green Leader Elizabeth May and scotched all thought of forming a coalition government with the NDP and Bloc Quebecois.

Joan Bryden reports for The Canadian Press.