Liberals gathered together at the leadership convention Thursday to pay tribute to Paul Martin, who urged members to combat Conservative ideologies with compassion.

"Let us decide here this weekend to send a message to the Conservatives. Our goals for a progressive society will not disappear, nor will our resolve to see them through," said Martin.

"Though progress and fairness may be delayed, they will not be denied."

Martin also thanked former prime minister Jean Chretien, a long-time rival he had to battle for leadership.

"I am proud to have served in his cabinet," he said, although Chretien was absent from the crowd.

Former Olympic athlete Mark Tewksbury hosted the two-hour event, that featured high-profile Liberal speakers and live entertainment.

Retired general Romeo Dallaire, now a senator, took the stage and praised Martin for tackling international issues -- including the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

"This man sees beyond the borders of our country," and knows that we have a responsibility to protect humanity throughout the world, said Dallaire.

Musical guests included blues guitarist Colin James and East Coast fiddler Natalie MacMaster.

But the lingering fallout from the sponsorship scandal -- that precipitated the downfall of Martin's government -- remained an issue for some.

Jean Lapierre, who left the Liberals to help form the Bloc Quebecois but returned under Martin's leadership, had predicted the event would be bitter-sweet.

"(Martin) must be sad, and I think we're all sad, because we know he could have contributed much more as prime minister," he told CTV's Mike Duffy Live from Montreal's Palais des Congres.

"He was a hit by a Mack Truck, frankly, with the sponsorship stuff. And after that, even when he tried to communicate with the public, this thing was like a filter on everything else he did. It was pretty unfair."

Tim Murphy, Martin's former chief of staff, defended the decision to tackle the scandal head on, by calling on Quebec Justice John Gomery to head an inquiry into the multimillion-dollar sponsorship program.

"There were a lot of people saying sweep it under the carpet, hide, run away from it," said Murphy. "But he said no, the right thing to do is to face up to it, because over the long run, the system and Canadians will be better for it. And frankly, it was a courageous decision and the right one."

But the decision came at a high political cost.

"In Quebec especially, we got defeated not on policy, not on Paul Martin's personality, but on integrity," said Lapierre. "And we're still paying a high price.

Analysts said the continued fallout from the sponsorship scandal -- and Martin's call for an inquiry -- may have led to a decision to honour Martin in a low-key fashion.

"You can't imagine the bitterness that exists towards Mr. Martin on behalf of many Liberals," said CTV's Chief Political Correspondent Craig Oliver. "And that's why some senior Liberals have said to me that this is the most reluctant tribute in the history of the party to an outgoing leader."

Melanie Gruer, Martin's former press secretary, told The Canadian Press that organizers didn't want "a big showy event, but a simple evening."

In one odd opening segment, a comedic singer performed two opera pieces, and at one point drank wine to gargle through an aria.

Martin took charge of the party three years ago, after a successful stretch as the finance minister beginning in 1997. During that time he helped eliminate the deficit.

"He was very focused," said Don Drummond, former deputy finance minister. "Obviously he started in the midst of a fiscal crisis and fairly quickly figured out that something had to be done with it, and took bold action -- certainly bolder action than anyone had done before."