Questions for the next Prime Minister
I think I met Canada's next Prime Minister.
Micheal Ignatieff, the stiff former Harvard Professor and internationally acclaimed writer has now been magically transformed - after 30 years out of the country - into a full blown Prime Minister in waiting. It's like a fairly tale for upper crust Canadians, a class of casual snobs to which Iggy certainly belongs.
Make no mistake. Iggy has skills. Whether his particular abilities will make him a “good” Prime Minister is quite a separate matter from whether he'll actually become Canada's next leader.
I say this after finally watching him in action.
He was at UWO a while back, doing an advertised “Town Hall” meeting. But before a person was allowed in they were encouraged to sign up with their email addresses and then smiling people gave you a piece of paper with the names of local Liberal Party people. Clearly, a membership drive. The town hall meeting was followed by a more formal fundraising event at the London Convention Center.
Iggy appeared at UWO along with Glen Pearson, MP for London-North-Centre, the last Liberal left standing in Southwestern Ontario after the fall election. Pearson introduced Iggy and said the PM in waiting was suffering from a bad head cold.
Then Iggy appeared. He took a seat at the front of the auditorium, cracked a few jokes about being back at school where he was comfortable, then launched into a short speech about how he'd been hanging out with farmers in Essex county the day before. That little story led into a broader tale about how the Liberal Party needs to embrace the country and the city, farmers and PHDers. And Iggy gave this speech all while telling self-deprecating jokes about himself, his age, his academic background, making sure to take time out to say the Liberal Party was far from perfect.
Then he took questions from the crowd.
One man asked a question entirely in French, and Iggy responded in French. Other people questioned him on foreign policy. One grad student got up, demanded to know why he couldn't get a government job, and asked for all student debt to be wiped out, the sooner the better.
Iggy's answer was straightforward. He said students would have to pay for their education; otherwise someone else would have to pay for it. Iggy said he knew his answer wouldn't be popular with the university crowd, but he had to stand up for what he thought was right. He didn't bother telling the guy why he couldn't get a government job.
Iggy didn't really answer the other questions from the crowd. He would instead re-phrase the question itself, or veer off into political mumbo-jumbo and Liberal-style generalities that left all doors open going forward... typical for any politician.
He maintained that style with the media afterwards. He was asked about raising taxes. As Prime Minister, he said, he'd keep all avenues open to avoid raising taxes, but he also said that the country might have to trim spending to keep taxes low.
I asked him this: “You were boo-ed off the stage during one of your first political appearances in Canada [circa 2006] and now you have a chance at being PM. To what do you attribute your rapid success?”
Iggy answered with a small joke - Did I really get booed off the stage? Before rejecting the premise of the question and launching into how he's really been learning about the country, and politics, ever since.
It was a good answer. No stumbling, no ums and ahs. No visible anger at me for bringing up an embarrassing incident from early in his career.
But, of course, it is that speedy climb from writer and academic to potentially the next leader of the country that speaks volumes about Iggy. He may have built his academic career from the ground up, but he's not done the local and grassroots work that most politicians must perform to learn the trade and the people of their riding and country. Iggy wants to be PM, not a mere MP. And the single-mindedness and speed with which he gained his goal gives a hint into his mindset and focus. Determination is a good quality in a potential leader; cold-blooded opportunism allied to an aristocrat's self-assured sense of destiny is harder to swallow.
As I've said before, the race is on right now to see who will be in power as the recovery from the economic crisis begins. It's a great place to be, oddly enough, for a politician and a political party. People are screaming for help. The government is spending money wildly, but can still pick and choose who gets the cash. Iggy said he might have to raise taxes and cut spending. He said Canada needs to have a knowledge-based economy and that people will have to pay for the right to be educated. He assured everyone gathered that there wasn't an anti-capitalist bone in his body.
Iggy, despite his funeral director looks and nasally academic style, will stomp all over Stephen Harper in a side-by-side comparison. And if Iggy can keep gathering money and support, there will be an election before Christmas, and possibly even before fall.
Iggy, no doubt, relishes the chance to take us all back to school and grade out the winners and losers according to the agenda he creates.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Micheal Ignatieff, the stiff former Harvard Professor and internationally acclaimed writer has now been magically transformed - after 30 years out of the country - into a full blown Prime Minister in waiting. It's like a fairly tale for upper crust Canadians, a class of casual snobs to which Iggy certainly belongs.
Make no mistake. Iggy has skills. Whether his particular abilities will make him a “good” Prime Minister is quite a separate matter from whether he'll actually become Canada's next leader.
I say this after finally watching him in action.
He was at UWO a while back, doing an advertised “Town Hall” meeting. But before a person was allowed in they were encouraged to sign up with their email addresses and then smiling people gave you a piece of paper with the names of local Liberal Party people. Clearly, a membership drive. The town hall meeting was followed by a more formal fundraising event at the London Convention Center.
Iggy appeared at UWO along with Glen Pearson, MP for London-North-Centre, the last Liberal left standing in Southwestern Ontario after the fall election. Pearson introduced Iggy and said the PM in waiting was suffering from a bad head cold.
Then Iggy appeared. He took a seat at the front of the auditorium, cracked a few jokes about being back at school where he was comfortable, then launched into a short speech about how he'd been hanging out with farmers in Essex county the day before. That little story led into a broader tale about how the Liberal Party needs to embrace the country and the city, farmers and PHDers. And Iggy gave this speech all while telling self-deprecating jokes about himself, his age, his academic background, making sure to take time out to say the Liberal Party was far from perfect.
Then he took questions from the crowd.
One man asked a question entirely in French, and Iggy responded in French. Other people questioned him on foreign policy. One grad student got up, demanded to know why he couldn't get a government job, and asked for all student debt to be wiped out, the sooner the better.
Iggy's answer was straightforward. He said students would have to pay for their education; otherwise someone else would have to pay for it. Iggy said he knew his answer wouldn't be popular with the university crowd, but he had to stand up for what he thought was right. He didn't bother telling the guy why he couldn't get a government job.
Iggy didn't really answer the other questions from the crowd. He would instead re-phrase the question itself, or veer off into political mumbo-jumbo and Liberal-style generalities that left all doors open going forward... typical for any politician.
He maintained that style with the media afterwards. He was asked about raising taxes. As Prime Minister, he said, he'd keep all avenues open to avoid raising taxes, but he also said that the country might have to trim spending to keep taxes low.
I asked him this: “You were boo-ed off the stage during one of your first political appearances in Canada [circa 2006] and now you have a chance at being PM. To what do you attribute your rapid success?”
Iggy answered with a small joke - Did I really get booed off the stage? Before rejecting the premise of the question and launching into how he's really been learning about the country, and politics, ever since.
It was a good answer. No stumbling, no ums and ahs. No visible anger at me for bringing up an embarrassing incident from early in his career.
But, of course, it is that speedy climb from writer and academic to potentially the next leader of the country that speaks volumes about Iggy. He may have built his academic career from the ground up, but he's not done the local and grassroots work that most politicians must perform to learn the trade and the people of their riding and country. Iggy wants to be PM, not a mere MP. And the single-mindedness and speed with which he gained his goal gives a hint into his mindset and focus. Determination is a good quality in a potential leader; cold-blooded opportunism allied to an aristocrat's self-assured sense of destiny is harder to swallow.
As I've said before, the race is on right now to see who will be in power as the recovery from the economic crisis begins. It's a great place to be, oddly enough, for a politician and a political party. People are screaming for help. The government is spending money wildly, but can still pick and choose who gets the cash. Iggy said he might have to raise taxes and cut spending. He said Canada needs to have a knowledge-based economy and that people will have to pay for the right to be educated. He assured everyone gathered that there wasn't an anti-capitalist bone in his body.
Iggy, despite his funeral director looks and nasally academic style, will stomp all over Stephen Harper in a side-by-side comparison. And if Iggy can keep gathering money and support, there will be an election before Christmas, and possibly even before fall.
Iggy, no doubt, relishes the chance to take us all back to school and grade out the winners and losers according to the agenda he creates.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
