Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Ignatieff Express on its way
OTTAWA -- After nearly five weeks on the road, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says he is sensing a "tipping point" coming in Canadian politics.
Ignatieff and the Liberal Express tour will roll into Manitoba Friday, having just passed the half-way point in the nine-week trek.
Ignatieff’s itinerary in Winnipeg
Friday, August 13
11 a.m. Visit to Red River College
12:30 p.m. Lunch with women entrepreneurs
2 p.m. Visit to Canadian Wheat Board
5:15 p.m. Folklorama pavilions
Saturday, August 14
9 a.m. Kevin Lamoureux campaign office visit
11 a.m. Dim Sum at North Garden Restaurant
12:15 p.m. Liberal barbecue, Norwood Community Centre
Ignatieff on the tour so far:
“It’s been probably the best fun I’ve had in politics.”
On Jean Chrétien’s recovery from emergency brain surgery:
“He’s a force of nature.”
On Afghanistan:
“Canadians are proud of what we’ve accomplished but they’re worried about walking out and pretending it never happened.”
On the census:
“Who is ever scared about filling out the census? It’s big-footed government nonsense.”
The Grit leader says he's hearing loud and clear from Canadians that they aren't impressed in what they've seen from the Harper Tories.
"There is something going on this summer," Ignatieff says. "People are discovering what this government in really like. There may be a tipping point going on."
From the decision to cancel the long-form census to proroguing Parliament, to the billion-dollar security bill for the G8 and G20 summits, to the decision to sell the nuclear power division of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Ignatieff says Canadians are raising the same concerns.
"The dominant issue is the way Harper governs," Ignatieff told the Free Press Tuesday.
"It is his lack of respect for democratic institutions. Canadians are wondering, 'Do we trust this guy? Do we trust him to respect Parliament, to respect the courts, to respect Statistics Canada? Do we trust him with the public's money?' "
The Liberal tour has Ignatieff decked out in jeans, plaid shirt and baseball hat taking unscripted questions at town halls and community centres.
He is swigging beer from cans, paddling canoes at summer camps, wandering through farmers markets and generally trying to prove he is as Canadian as the rest of us.
The Liberals are trying to position their policies as alternatives to the Conservatives.
"Canadians want their government to be well-informed," said Ignatieff. "This is a government that will not listen. What we want to provide is an alternative type of politics, evidence-based politics. I'm spending hours listening."
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 11, 2010 B2
-
WFP Hockey
Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
-
Winnipeg Jets
All things NHL on our Jets landing page
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
-
News Cafe
Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
-
Facebook Fanpage
Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
Poll
Most Popular
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- Search is on for man seen leaving the scene where two Alberta Mounties were shot
- City family donates $1 million for endowed research chair in cardiology
- Province rules out reports of cougar in Transcona
- Slain woman appears before jury on video
- Census 2011 : Immigrant influx boosts Manitoban population
- Should the federal government be spending $7.5 million on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee?
- LeAnn Rimes in pain following 'minor surgery'
- US teen gets life in prison for killing 9-year-old; called the murder "pretty enjoyable"
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Three winning tickets sold for Friday's $50 million Lotto Max jackpot
- Woman sexually assaulted during noon-hour in Exchange District
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Eleven people killed after truck hits van in southwestern Ontario
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Tactical squad storms St. Vital house
- Restaurant Dubrovnik may be closed for good
- Do you smoke marijuana?
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- George Clooney's prank could end Pitt's career
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Tina Maze strips down to her sports bra to send out underwear message: 'Not your business'
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Two children, two women die in fire
- Kate Beckinsale's weight fears over Underworld catsuit
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Province rules out reports of cougar in Transcona
- Census 2011 : Immigrant influx boosts Manitoban population
- OMG! Candy kings back at it
- Original Joe's, Elephant & Castle expanding
- Easy, economical, healthy soup
- Task force to review 2011 flood
- Winnipeg software company ranked top employer
- Lesson about war, power told with Shaw's comic touch
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Northern fishing lodge destroyed by fire
- Police target drivers talking on cellphones, texting
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Time, it appears, is on Assad's side
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Paddler Starkell was modern-day voyageur
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Local shooting spoofed on SNL
- Canadian woman 'badly injured' in Mexico, local media report apparent beating
- Winnipeg mother watches as car stolen with child inside
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- The cost of calories: It's expensive to eat healthily
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.