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Ignatieff ignites Liberals with Obama-like thunder
VANCOUVER — Michael Ignatieff formally claimed the Liberal crown Saturday and wasted little time throwing down the gauntlet to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Ignatieff was short on details about the kind of government he’d lead, but he was precise in his critique of Harper’s Tories, bluntly accusing the prime minister of failing to unite the country.
"I want to speak directly to Stephen Harper," he told about 3,000 cheering Liberals moments after being acclaimed leader.
"For three years you have played province against province, group against group, region against region and individual against individual. When your power was threatened last November, you unleashed a national unity crisis and you saved yourself only by sending Parliament home.
"You have failed to understand that a prime minister has one job and only one job, which is to unite the people of this country. Mr. Harper you have failed us."
Ignatieff added with a flourish: "If you can’t unite Canadians, if you can’t appeal to the best in all of us, we can."
He repeated the "we can" refrain several times, borrowing heavily from Barack Obama’s wildly successful U.S. presidential campaign, whose slogan was "Yes, we can."
A video tribute that was shown just moments before Ignatieff took the stage to claim his prize featured plenty of photos of the Liberal leader with Obama. They generated thunderous applause.
Like Obama, Ignatieff vowed to take a new, more civil approach to politics. He said Canadians are "longing for a new politics that replaces spite and spin with civility and common purpose."
Although he’s been under mounting pressure to start spelling out his vision for the country, Ignatieff did not stake out any precise policy turf.
He repeated his commitment to a national standard for Employment Insurance eligibility.
More broadly, however, the former Harvard professor did signal that one of his overriding priorities will be to develop a strategy for lifelong learning, which he said is essential if the country is to climb out of the economic cellar.
— The Canadian Press
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9 Comments
Posted by: Mr. Reader
May 5, 2009 at 11:09 AM
I would agree with some of what Gerdy is saying.. but I'll call you out on Harper being the biggest "kissyface" player of all. I'm positive that if it was allowed by US law Harper would run for president haha, he is completely enamoured with the American right.
Posted by: flying.jay
May 5, 2009 at 9:51 AM
Couldn't agree more with HailEris. All I see is someone trying to build hype and not provide us with any substance. And wasn't it fairly clear in the polls that the majority of Canadians were against the coalition? How then would that option have been uniting Canadians? This seems to me like one giant contradiction. Can't the new Liberal leader actually cover some real issues affecting Canadians? What a farce!
Posted by: HailEris
May 4, 2009 at 4:14 PM
"You have failed to understand that a prime minister has one job and only one job, which is to unite the people of this country. Mr. Harper you have failed us."
That is the only job of the prime minister? Who is this simplified nonsense appealing to? Ignatieff can't attack Harper for any real legislative issues, so he drums up a boogey man of national unity? It appears he is in fact the one creating a unity crisis, claiming the current government is failing to keep the country together. His non-senseical rhetoric is guilty of precisely the charged he is laying. Unbelievable.
Posted by:
May 4, 2009 at 1:36 PM
Economist in name only. Never worked as an actual economist. Harper dos not come close to Ignatief in terms of intellect, and real worl experience. It's going to be interesting to see the Conservative alliance with the Bloc and the NDP, unless of course Harper decides on another porougement of parliament. Harper is done. I am sure he will enjoy some golf with Bush when the time comes.
Posted by: A ?
May 4, 2009 at 1:19 PM
None of the Political candidates are worth a salt to this country. The issues are never properly addressed.
Has nayone ever been to a federal or provincial debate in the house of commons? It is like watching little 5 year old kids fighting for toys in a sandbox. IT IS EMBARRASSING.
We are light years behind the European countries, we have an inconsistancy to our own policies, and a dictator "with the keys of power" leading a nation blindly.
Whose is to lead this nation? We should be leading by world example but we are kept in the 19th century.
Posted by: Fred McTaggart
May 4, 2009 at 8:01 AM
I vote in favour of mamapeggie separating.
Posted by: Gerdy
May 4, 2009 at 7:04 AM
Unlike the US, our democracy wasn't hijacked by the Bush Administration--Canada doesn't long for an Obama-wannabe. When all the other feds in Ottawa were acting like Chicken Little, Harper told people to chill and assured them that our economic system had the integrity to weather the global economic storm--he was right. Canada is the only G-20 economy not to go into a recession or lose a bank. This crisis is far from over. Do you want an economist at the helm (Harper), or a lawyer (Ignatieff) that wants to play kissyface with the US? I'll take Harper, thanks.
Posted by:
May 3, 2009 at 10:55 AM
Lots of hype and no substance in Mr. Ignatifff's speach. Where does he stand on climate change, healthcare, daycare, aboriginal rights, poverty, affordable housing, Afghanistan, etc? Despite his unpopularity, Mr. Dion stood on his principles and had Mr. Harper on his knees.
joe
Posted by: mamapeggie
May 3, 2009 at 10:35 AM
The Liberals have done their best to destroy this country, now the interloper is going to chance all that , in the same breath as raising taxes and bringing in a carbon tax. Time for West to Separate. If this guy gets elected - we're screwed