Sarah Palin did more for environment than the Tories - Ignatieff
Published Saturday November 14th, 2009
Federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff vowed Friday night to attack the policies of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, saying the Conservative leader's four years in power gives him lots of political ammunition.
"You want me to attack Stephen Harper," Ignatieff told a standing-room-only crowd at the biannual convention of the New Brunswick Liberal Association in Fredericton.
"You expect me to attack Stephen Harper ... But I am not going to attack him as a person.
"I am not going to attack his career. I am not going to attack his past."
He said Harper's legacy after four years in power is his attack ads and the politics of spite.
"This man Harper believes in politics 24/7 and as nasty as he can make it," said Ignatieff.
He said Harper broke his promises on not taxing income trusts, not running a deficit and not appointing senators.
The Conservatives spent 10 times more on promoting their economic plan than they did on H1N1 preparedness, he said.
Ignatieff said U.S. President Barack Obama is spending six times more per capita on clean energy than Canada.
The Conservatives are spending less per capita on renewable energy than Alaska, he said.
"You know who comes from Alaska, don't you," said Igantieff, drawing a laugh. "So when it comes to clean energy, Stephen Harper isn't just behind Barack Obama, he's behind Sarah Palin."
He said Harper doesn't believe in the positive power of government, only power.
"We don't believe in big government," said Ignatieff. "But we do believe in that we can't move into this new economy, this new world without the leadership of a strong and compassionate federal government."
He said what the country is going through isn't just a recession, but a restructuring of the global economy.
In the new world, fossil fuels will be expensive, carbon will have a price and the growth markets will be in China and India, not the United States, said Ignatieff.
Brain power and intellectual property, not natural resources, will drive the new world, he said.
"Canadians are ready for this world," he said. "They are excited by this world.
"They are ready to innovate. But they are looking for leadership."
The Conservatives say Canadians have to choose between jobs and the environment, said Ignatieff. But Liberals reject that as a false choice, he said.
A Liberal government will make Canada the greenest, most energy efficient economy in the world, he said.
The convention continues today.
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Comments (16)
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We saw what many years of lieberal Govt did to us and just how corrupt and self serving your party really is, if you want to move ahead think of our Country first for a change.
But in the real world Mr.Ignatieff,the real world that Canadians live in,we need jobs so we can pay our mortgages and feed our children.
Your new world of brain power and intellectual property won't do that.
Your new world of growth markets in China and India won't put food on our table,it will put it on theirs.
These pie in the sky ideas won't help the Canadian who is struggling today to make ends meet.
Canada is a natural resource base country and that is what the world comes to our door to get.
Brain power and intellectual property can be found in every country that has a human being living in it.
Natural resources cannot.
While Canada only produces 2% of the carbon problem,your message should go to those growth countries you mention,India and China,they"re the real culprits in environmental issues.
Give Canadians real policies that they can grasp for today,not pie in the sky dreams.
1) Canada is a net scrubber of that "evil poison" CO2. Based on Environment Canada's own numbers, Canada consumes more CO2 than we emit. The reality though is that CO2 has absolutely no effect on climate change!!! You have all been fed a massive, and expensive, LIE!
2) Iggy's statement: "The Conservatives spent 10 times more on promoting their economic plan than they did on H1N1 preparedness" is entirely misleading since it was Jean Chretien who signed and EXCLUSIVE production deal with a company for all Canadian flu vaccinations. That means we have only 1 supplier! No wonder there is a shortage of the vaccination. Oh, and shortly after Chretien signed the deal there was a large donation to the Liberal party from the pharmaceutical company.
We need to look at who the real culprits are for the worlds problems. In almost every case it is a back-room dealing liberal!!
BTW, Sarah Palin is the best thing that could happen to America
What's interesting is that all of the corruption of the former Liberal government is now residing in the Conservative government. They use past Liberal dirty deeds to justify their own. Rather ironic since they vowed things would be different.
But we do need an infusion of intelliegence to open up new markets which will create jobs. It's simply not happening and won't happen by dragging our heels.
A couple more quick comments. A sitting Prime Minsiter should have a much higher approval rating and you can't blame Mr. Ignatieff for any past scandals. He was "just visiting", remember?
I've voted Progressive Conservative most of life but since we no longer have a PC Party I see a lot of promise in the new Liberal leader. In 2005 Harper was at 11% at one time and his party at 23%. Things change.
Mr. Ignatieff has a strange way of NOT attacking Mr. Harper personally, accusing him of being "nasty", of breaking his promises, of promoting government policies rather than Canadians' health and well-being, of being power hungry ... and a final touch ... using a foreign personality, Sarah Palin, as a means of mocking the PM's performance on the environment file. How elegant of Mr. Ignatieff! One would think that someone who once ranked 37th on a list of top public intellectuals would know the difference between criticizing the man and criticizing his policies.
By not attacking his career, he means not bringing up Harper's past, in the way that Paul Martin did. That was a mistake and I didn't vote for Paul Martin because of it.
Mr. Ignatieff is going after Harper's 4 years as PM and what he has failed to accomplish. As Leader of the Opposition, we pay him to oppose the government, hence his title, and since he has already earned an international reputation, he has a much better chance of promoting our interests on the world stage. (Even Pres. Obama has read several of his books). We can't rely on the U.S. to get us back on our feet. Protectionism is preventing that. We need to think bigger. Michael Ignatieff thinks big. Stephen Harper's thinking is too narrow and he's far too reliant on the Americans.
In Ignatieff's world, Canada's economic growth will be choked off by artificially raising the price of energy and all goods and services that consume it, making all Canadians poorer as a result. All because he has swallowed the unproven belief that man-made CO2 (plant food) is causing global warming, even though the world has been cooling for the last 10 years and is expected to continue on that trend for years to come.
Canadians should run away from this misguided bloviator and his silly party.
Like them or not there is a lot of potential in the Alberta oilsands, but only if we can clean them up. When Mr. Ignatieff was in Alberta he spoke of the potential for growth in that market but that we needed an aggressive carbon capture plan, to let the world know we are taking this seriously. If the world markets start to reject Alberta oil it won't do anyone any good.
But let's say on the offchance that you're right and we do nothing. We would be the only country devoted to doing nothing. Who would want to trade with us?
If you want advice on the stock market go to a stockbroker? If you want advice on climate change go to climate scientist. They all agree that global warming is very real. We can't ignore it or Canada will soon be ignored as a result.