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Ignatieff set to announce run for Liberal leadership

JANE TABER

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Michael Ignatieff will deliver what his strategists are calling a “vision speech” Thursday in Ottawa as a prelude to his formal announcement that he is running for the Liberal leadership.

The former Harvard professor and rookie Liberal MP is expected to outline his views on national unity, the economy and his controversial support of the war in Iraq in his speech on Canada and its role in the world to University of Ottawa political-science students.

The speech will be followed, either Friday or early the next week, by a formal announcement in his Toronto riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore that he wants to succeed Paul Martin as leader of the Liberal Party.

Mr. Ignatieff, 58, is one of about 15 potential leadership candidates. But when he joins the race, he will be considered one of the front-runners.

So far only two people, Toronto lawyer Martha Hall Findlay and Toronto MP John Godfrey, have declared their intentions to run. The leadership convention will be held in early December in Montreal.

Mr. Ignatieff has the backing of some Liberal heavyweights, including Ontario Liberal Senator David Smith, a savvy organizer who was a senior strategist with both Jean Chrétien and Mr. Martin. Mr. Smith has been providing Mr. Ignatieff, who has not lived in Canada for three decades, introductions to Liberals.

There is also speculation that former Ontario premier David Peterson, who would have supported former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna had he joined the race, is now backing Mr. Ignatieff.

Last night, Mr. Ignatieff was to attend a fundraiser at a Toronto pub for Journalists for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization run by Mr. Peterson's son, Ben.

The former premier was expected at the event.

This week Mr. Ignatieff made a swing through Ontario's Niagara Region, meeting Liberals. He spoke at Brock University in St. Catharines and to a large group of Liberals in the Brantford area.

Campaign insiders say he has been developing several themes in those meetings, which he is expected to elaborate on Thursday.

On the issue of national unity, Mr. Ignatieff is looking at what it means to be a Canadian, wherever one lives in the country.

“He is big on identifying the role for the federal government,” a supporter said. “And the role for the federal government and the federal leadership is to promote the notion of the indivisibility of Canadian identity, Canadian citizenship, so that Canadians understand and feel a strong sense of connection to their country as a country.”

The Liberal familiar with his views said that Mr. Ignatieff's approach to national unity is more of a “civic concept.”

“The role of the federal government isn't really any longer about federal-provincial jurisdictional squabbles or who's got the money. [It's about whether] Canadian freedom from coast to coast has the same quality and character.”

For example, is it fair that some cancer drugs are available in certain provinces and not in others? Those are the sorts of issues that Mr. Ignatieff is exploring as he develops his national unity plank, according to those close to him.

On the economy, Mr. Ignatieff's supporters describe him as a “classic fiscally responsible Liberal,” who will speak about productivity and competitiveness.

He also believes that the role of the federal government is to not spend beyond its means but at the same time be able to advance a social agenda in the country.

On the issue of foreign policy, Mr. Ignatieff is described as a 21st-century realist, much like Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

“It's no longer a world for Boy Scouts. . . . The role for Canada continues to be a peacemaking, peace-building role but it is totally legitimate for us to be playing a role in sharing security like we are in Afghanistan,” the Ignatieff supporter said.

However, Mr. Ignatieff takes that one step further, according to the supporter, arguing that foreign and domestic policy must operate in tandem.

“If we're going to be a moral voice in the world . . . how are we going to address, for example, our aboriginal problem? How are we going to make sure that immigrants who are coming to this country are integrated effectively?”

   

Just what we need....Another frickan moron running for the Liberal leadership.....if any of these pricks win I will be done voting in federal elections....

He really comes across as an elitist know-it-all prick. Really condescending and patronizing....

   

Great new's I can wait for the next federal election if this guy's is nominated at the head of PLC (Prendre Le Ca$H) the timing will be just right.

   

From text Above

Wow I feel all Canadian already


"And the role for the federal government and the federal leadership is to promote the notion of the indivisibility of Canadian identity,"

Promoting the notion of the indivisibility of Canadian identity?!?! what does that mean?

José Legault was right when she wrote in the Gazette " that the only talent of Ignatef has is that he is capable of speeking in great lenght about subject he have no knowledge."

Peace.

   

There are some other candidates who I think would do a great job. The problem is they are sort of no-name people who don't have big money behind them.....I just hope they can pull off a good campaign...

I like the Liberal MP John Godfrey a lot. I saw an interview with him and was pretty impressed. He speaks excellent french too, i think he deals with some kind of business between Ontario and Quebec. Il peut bien respirer le francais.

   

I like the guy but he sounds more Con than Liberal.
If he gets in, it's going to be a hard sell for him to gain the loose NDP votes though.

   

Ignatieff will be in tough against front runners like Ashley MacIsaac..

   

It means he better not fucking win it.....

some people in the Liberal party might like him, but I guarantee Canadians won't.....Maybe I should buy a liberal party membership online so I can vote in this leadership race...

The idea that there is one culture in Canada is so stupid.....Even without considering Quebec, every province has its own culture.....

I mean even Nova Scotia and Newfoundland don't share the same culture..

British Columbia and Alberta don't have the same culture....Edmonton and Calgary don't have the same culture.....

This guy and bob rae can both go choke on a seal burger...

   

He will ruin canadian politics if he gets in.

Cons will HAVE to shift more to the right and NDP will prolly not shift more to the right and not capitalize much on the Liberal's shift. As long as Ignatieff is leader it will be a disastor for the NDP and Cons

Not saying that this is good or bad...

I think it was mentioned somewhere hes friendly with Alan Dershowitz which does raise my opinion of him...

   

Actually I think there is a Canadian identity but the Influences of the local identity is very strong. Just like there is a greater Anglo-American identity that we belong to.

   

What is it? Hockey and Tim Hortons? We're polite? We're funny? We say sorry too much?

I once had two good friends of mine almost get into a fist fight because one of them said if someone isn't a hockey fan they're not real Canadians...

I think culture is largely defined by arts. In Canada, art is largely regional. You have things like the Maritime Music Awards for instance, that most of Canada has never even heard of or seen.....

You have Quebec which turns out as many successful movies as Hollywood, but most of Canada has never heard of or seen them.....

You have Quebecois singers who can fill stadiums with people in Paris, but in Canada no one has heard of them.....

I mean France knows more about Canada's music scene than Canadians, what does that tell you about a national identity?

   

there is but again

its week


the regional, as well as the Anglo-American, and for quebec french influences are the strongest

   

Ahem... the East Coast Music Awards.

   

It tells me that your definition of Canada's music scene is made up wholly of the Francophone music scene.

Do I care about Roch Voisine.....nope not really. But Les Trois Accords does have some really good stuff. To each his own on music, don't be so closed off.

   

I don't think Canada's music scene is made up of Francophone music. I don't think Canada HAS a music scene....

I think Quebec has a music scene, the east coast has a music scene, Toronto has a music scene, Vancouver has a music scene, Nunavut, and pretty much every other community in Canada has a music scene.....

And largely people outside those regions don't know a whole lot about the other music scenes.......

I think every person has their own indentity, families share some more general characteristics, neighbourhoods share some, cities share some, regions share some, etc.....

By the time you get to the scale of the whole country we do share some things, but they are very few if you ask me.......

Some people consider part of our identity to be that of a "peacekeeping" nation, but most people in the Canadian Forces become highly offended if they are described as peacekeepers....

I think labelling and generalizing characteristics for a large group of people is a negative thing........

   

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