Ignatieff's Speech at Brock

I had the opportunity to attend Ignatieff's speech at Brock University this morning. As for an overall impression, he is unlike any politician I have ever heard speak (and I've heard a few). I'm not the first to observe this, nor will I be the last. He will answer any question, and he has the depth of intellect to mountaineer some pretty steep issues. There's no question that if he gets on that second ballot (and he will), he is going to turn some heads.

I'll report some of the most interesting moments, as faithfully as I can based on sparse notes and memory.

He structured his speech around 3 fundamental elements of governance that liberalism needs to address. These are unity, citizenship and prosperity.

- UNITY: He argued that "unity must be reframed as a much bigger task." We should not conceive it to refer only to the English-French chasm, but also divisions of race, class, religion, and ethnicity.
-He identified reinvesting in multiculturalism as an issue of unity, saying that "we are creating a hope of citizenship that in reality we disappoint... We need to ask 'why are we,
as a people, less than the sum of our parts?"
- He also identified something that seemed to approach a national Pharmacare project!
He suggested that all residents of all provinces needed to face the same medication options, and that these options should be avaiable to all. He admitted that this would be an expensive project. This was an important moment, and there was a buzz in the room.

- CITIZENSHIP: Here he presented a strong federal vision - one of the Federal government's responsibility to enforce common ground. He was very critical of the Conservatives, who he says "give up and admit that Canada is a deeply balkanized nation - so [they] make a virtue of it, say [they] love decentralization. He argued that there needed to be a "reassertion of a common spine of National citizenship... The Federal gov't is a guarantor of the national experience of our people... we need to deepen and expand the nat'l experience... or in 25 years no one is going to care enough to fight for Canada."

- PROSPERITY: He said... things about business and I shut my airy fairy social issues mind off. He did mention later that Canadians should come to understand our prosperity in a global context. He doesn't think we realize how extraordinarily rich we are, and that it is farcicle that we have been unable to meet Mike Pearson's goal of .7% GDP going to Foreign Aid.

That is the skeleton of his speech, as succinctly as possible. He then opened the floor up to questions (something he seemed genuinely to be looking forward to). The subjects of some of those questions are noted.

- How does being out of the country so long effect your outlook?: Ignatieff replied that he didn't think that was necessarily true. He had lectured at every university, was a prof at two, a constant presence in every op-ed section, the Massey lectures, etc. etc.

- Elected senate?: "If I were a wise politician I would leave it alone..." but he feels uncomfortable with it. He calls it the largest and most extensive patronage system in the liberal democratic world. Is willing to look at reform options, but doesn't want to "gum up" Ottawa any further, and create a scenario where federal legislation is massively delayed. He was particularly "steamed" about the appointment of Michael Fortier, and delivered Fortier's justification for not running in the election ("I don't really want to, it seems like an awful lot of work") in an over-the-top Fortier accent. It was a funny moment, and the audience was appreciative.

- Israel/Palestine?: This was where Ignatieff faced some heat. He answered with what would be characterized a "pro-Israel" stance, although that is somewhat misleading. He argued that based on his knowledge of the doctrine of self-determination and his time lecturing and living in Israel, he believes both parties have equal "symmetrical" claims on the land. He went a step further, noting that he did not think Canada should have any dealins with Hamas - "Shouldn't touch Hamas with a 10-foot pole." This engendered quite a reaction. Some audience members applauded quitely, others called out that "hadn't Israel been founded on political violence?" Ignatieff ultimately concluded that Canadian politicians shouldn't tell either Israelies or Palestinians how to run their show, as long as human rights, etc. are recognized.

- Where are we on Aboriginal self-government (my question)?: Suggested that one of the terms upon which this country is built is that First Nations are self-governing entities. Said Trudeau was wrong in trying to construe the First Nations people as citizens in sameness. Key is world class post-secondary education. Justice should not be the purview of a self-governing First Nation. Needs to be accountability, etc.

- What to do about health care?: "This is where I approach heresy." Ignatieff believes the Canada Health Act is a fundamental aspect of our national citizenship spine. However, he tentatively feels that Jean Charest's suggested model (of having a few privately administered clinics for very specific types or treatments) is not an affront to the Act. He thinks that any project like this has to be heavily regulated. He was basically talking two-tier health care in the European rather than American sense.

- What PMs do you model yourself after?: Iggy has made love for Laurier. He is also "proud to call himself a Trudeau Liberal." He remembered witnessing the St. Jean Baptiste Parade (during which Trudeau's viewing stand was bombarded with bottles). In a strong moment, Ignatieff said "The RCMP were trying to get him to leave or sit down. You don't sit down in front of that. You stand in front of that. That's what I learned from Trudeau."

I think I've covered any notable moments. The bottom line is that most everyone left feeling that this guy is something special.