Present, but Not Accounted For
Posted At : March 25, 2009 8:47 AM

Michael Ignatieff really wants to be Prime Minister. Of that there is no doubt.

In fact, he is so committed to the idea of running Canada, he moved here to do it. Which I think is a good thing because as a nation I don't think we're completely comfortable with the notion of a Prime Minister living in Massachusetts.

So he's here now, he's fully committed, but I can't help but wonder: does he have any opinions on anything? Because I haven't really heard them. In fact Tory backbenchers have more to say about public policy and most of them have had their tongues removed.

It seems to me the only thing we really know about Iggy is his resume. And if you talk to any Liberals and you ask them any questions about Iggy, that's what they do, they quote his resume. You say, "what does he really think about Afghanistan?" They'll say "he wrote nineteen books."

You say, "what does he think about an auto bailout?" They'll say "he used to teach at Harvard."

You say, "does he have a plan to fight climate change?" And they'll say "he has a class five driver's license." Okay maybe that part's not true. But it might as well be, because when it comes to public policy I don't think the man has any.

And just in case you're wondering if this is just a case of a guy trying to find his feet, it's not. The Liberals have a policy convention coming up in May and they've just announced they won't be revealing any policy. It's a no-policy policy convention. Or what the rest of us might call a night out with the lads.

Michael you might be a very smart guy, but Canadians, we're not that stupid. You think you should be Prime Minister? Fine, but showing up is not good enough. Eventually you're going to have to tell us why.

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An Erratic Hand on the Tiller
Posted At : March 18, 2009 9:34 AM

I don't like to admit this but I'm starting to worry about the Prime Minister.

During the last election he said that there was no recession. The economy was strong. But we all know that, that's old news.

And we all know that the minute that election was over he came out he said "oops... turns out we are in a recession – I didn't see it coming, that's not my fault, the dog ate my homework, blah, blah, blah." But you know what? I can accept that. If a Prime Minister says something during a campaign, chances are it's not true. Governments trying to get re-elected lie. That's what they all do. But after a campaign that behaviour is supposed to stop.

But not with Harper. Oh no, a few weeks ago he flies on down to the states, he goes on Fox News, he says we could be slipping into a depression. The only world leader to use the 'D' word.

And now he's back in Canada and this past week he gives a speech saying everything is rosy and we're poised to ride a wave of prosperity. Meanwhile, the very same day he gave that speech, the government's own website crashed because so many people were logging on trying to figure out how to get unemployment benefits.

I don't know if it's the stress, or the fact that the Sens are doing badly, but it's a good thing the RCMP don't let that man drive a car because, considering his recent erratic behavior, I don't think he should be trusted with heavy machinery.

And now Tom Flanagan, a man who ran two Harper campaigns, has come out and said oh no, don't worry this is all part of a re-election strategy and it's important that Harper always say the opposite of everything every other economist on the planet is saying because it helps him stand out.

Oh he's standing out alright; he's starting to come across like some guy on the street who spends all day arguing with parking metres. Stephen, you want to stand out, wear a funny hat or get a tattoo. Other than that, stick to the truth – this is not a campaign you're running, it's a country.

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On the Offensive
Posted At : March 10, 2009 8:16 PM

So in the midst of all the gloom and doom on the economic front, some news this week that shows us some things just never change.

The Canadian Press reports that the Conservatives are getting ready to launch attack ads against Michael Ignatieff so, as one insider said, they can "poison his well."

And so the Liberals say in response they'll launch their own ads.

Well that's great news, isn't it? This is like peace on earth has broken out, that is if your idea of peace is running around and putting poison in a person's well.

So this is the state of Canadian politics right now. Every time we turn around another thousand people are thrown out of work and what's the government of the day doing? Scouring hundreds of hours of videotape, hoping Michael Ignatieff said something weird back in the eighties, when he was a late night talk show host on the BBC. Because apparently the next election, never mind the economy, is going to be defined by a 25 year old clip of Iggy interviewing the cast of Monty Python.

And how did we get here? Well it's our own fault apparently. Because if you talk to any political strategist they will tell you attack ads work. Sure Canadians don't like them, sure it means that smart people won't go into politics, but it doesn't matter to them because it works.

Well you know what? Who cares? If there's a cat stuck up in a tree and you want to get the cat down, shooting the cat works too, but that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

The only upside here is that unlike fixing the economy, getting rid of attack ads is simple. It won't even take billions of dollars. All it takes is three men, three men who run three political parties, to agree and say fine, from here on in no more attacks. The buck stops with them. Because ultimately guys, we're all drinking from the same well.

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