Published Thursday, April 8, 2021 7:26PM EDT OTTAWA - Thousands of federal Liberals gathered online Thursday night for the start of a three-day national convention that promises to be downright dull compared to similar events held by the Conservative and New Democratic parties. And that suits Liberals just fine. They hope Canadians will see a governing party focused on the serious policy issues of the day - the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy, climate change, the social safety net, systemic racism - without any of the infighting or controversy that beset the Conservatives' convention last month and that threatens to similarly dominate the NDP's convention this weekend.