Garneau launches attack

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This article was published 14/02/2013 (4666 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Marc Garneau shook up the heretofore genteel Liberal leadership race on Wednesday, launching the first direct, sustained attack on front-runner Justin Trudeau.

The astronaut-turned-politician held a news conference to accuse Trudeau of offering only “vague generalities” and empty platitudes during the contest so far.

He challenged his fellow Montreal MP to set out a detailed policy platform, arguing Trudeau’s failure to do so thus far “is the same as asking Canadians to buy a new car without test-driving it.”

“He has told Canadians that we need a ‘bold plan’ and a ‘clear vision’ without defining either,” Garneau said. “On Justin’s two clear priorities — the middle class and youth engagement — he has said nothing. We have to know what we’re voting for, not just who we’re voting for.”

Garneau’s broadside met with a mixed reaction from his caucus colleagues, with some seeing it as a normal sign of a vigorous contest and others seeing it as a sign of desperation in the face of the apparent Trudeau juggernaut.

For his own part, Garneau appeared frustrated the allegedly insubstantial Trudeau, eldest son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, appears to be coasting to victory on little more than his celebrity and his pedigree.

Garneau’s voice shook with emotion as he appealed to Liberals not to allow another coronation.

“We made the mistake last time of saying, ‘All we have to do is choose a leader and everything will work out,’ ” he said, referring to the uncontested crowning of Michael Ignatieff.

“We did not define ourselves; the Conservatives ended up defining us. They’ll do it again this time unless we know where each of the candidates stands.

“I am doing the Liberal party a big favour by bringing this up. It’s a difficult question but it’s one that needs to be asked.”

Trudeau has in fact disclosed where he stands on a number of policy fronts, including foreign investment in the oilsands, proposed pipelines from Alberta to the British Columbia coast, the “failed” long-gun registry, legalization of marijuana, Senate reform and electoral reform.

He recently released a detailed set of proposals for empowering backbenchers and diluting the concentration of power in the Prime Minister’s Office.

But Garneau dismissed such policy forays as simply responding to “the topic of the day,” as all nine leadership contenders have done.

“What I’m talking about is a very different thing. What I’m talking about is a coherent vision that comes from deep inside as to what the Liberal party stands for and how it will address the future,” he said.

In contrast to Trudeau, Garneau boasted he has unveiled policy planks on “serious, big-time” issues such as the knowledge economy, trade, telecommunications, Western Canada, electoral reform, student debt and youth employment.

Trudeau, who was attending a Liberal caucus meeting during Garneau’s news conference, did not respond immediately.

— The Canadian Press