Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff tries to rekindle the magic of 1993 campaign
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is trying to demonstrate that he has more in common with former prime minister Jean Chretien than Ignatieff's predecessor, Stephane Dion.
Tomorrow, Ignatieff will release the Liberal party platform, called "The Family Pack", in the same hotel where Chretien released his famous Red Book platform in 1993.
The Family Pack will also be released live online, with the leader taking questions from the public.
Ignatieff's program is expected to include a tax credit for low- and middle-income people who are looking after a family member who needs care.
Like Chretien in 1993, Ignatieff entered this federal-election campaign with low public expectations.
The Conservative attack ads on him left him so low in the polls that his personal popularity had nowhere to go but up.
The decision to replicate Chretien's announcement is a way for Iggy to convince the media—and through them, the public—that he is being underestimated.
So far, most pundits have assumed that the Conservatives will coast to their third consecutive victory, with the only question being if it will be a majority or a minority.
But if the Greens are kept out of the leaders' debates and if the public perceives that voting Liberal is the only way to stop Stephen Harper, this election could turn out to be a lot closer than most people expect.
Comments
12 Comments
kenn
Apr 2, 2011 at 9:09am
go iggs, hit 'em where it hurts.
avu
Apr 2, 2011 at 9:45am
hypocrites have no place in our society. if the conservatives win i would say it was thru hypocrisy.
chuck farley
Apr 2, 2011 at 9:45am
The lib's are history.liers do not prove success.
The blue boys will probably win??
hopefully the NDP will kick the lib's butt....and show there is another way to keep Canada Canadian!!
Scott L.
Apr 2, 2011 at 10:59am
I am disapointed with all the ads in all the parties campaign ads. They are all negative. No-one ever tells all the truth, only their slant on it in a sound bite trying to convince voters that their opponent is the one in the black hat. The rule holds true that if they only aired positive ads, no-one would know there is an election going on.
G. B.
Apr 2, 2011 at 11:20am
How can the conservatives give money to UBC to build tennis courts when they will be charging the taxpayers @$25/hr to play on them???? Part of the Economic recovery(sign on the blvd) - what a double burden on the taxpayers.
glen p robbins
Apr 2, 2011 at 2:11pm
We will find out - but the game changer and the TV sets in Canada will be all tuned in to Ignatieff vs Harper debate, its hockey season and the people want high drama - and this is high drama. The people following politics know both Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff are packing the big IQ's and the big egos that go with the territory.
This election will turn on that debate. Ignatieff wins big he's PM - Harper's down the road. Harper wins big he gets majority government - Iggy goes down the road - whoever plays for the tie the most is the loser.
Layton should welcome this - not fight it. People already like him - the 2 in the debate if they are both boring - will compel the public to vote elsewhere - just for the joy of feeling good about their vote.
Chet
Apr 2, 2011 at 3:36pm
I can't imagine Magic & Politics in the same sentence. See ? it don't sound right
Magic is pulling a Steven Harper Prorogue
Just disgusted
Apr 2, 2011 at 8:10pm
When will the people of Canada see through the federal Liberal lies.
Were they not the ones that in the last 2 or 3 elections were screaming mad about the waste of money for pushing an election early???
Did they not scream for legislation to standardize the election time frame?
Are they not the ones along with the federal NDP that are doing everything possible so government cannot work and therefore cause the failure of government to work for the people?!?!?!
It is time for the people of Canada to see through the Liberal and NDP crap and vote a majority government in that is willing to do the best for the people of Canada.
That being said the only party that is truly going to do that is the federal Conservative party.
Liberals and NDP want to blow all the money on social systems while taxng big business to death. Over taxing and over spending on socialistic programs kills a government (it is called communism) and it always fails!!!
I am sure we can all agree The Bloc are idiots and it is time to force federal parties to run a candidate in 80% of all the ridings in Canada or they cannot be considered a federal party and therefore cannot screwup the federal government with a provincial based party.
Terry J. Nanaimo
Apr 3, 2011 at 12:41am
@ Just disgusted....
Here we go again... "socialism is communism"... blah, blah, blah...
These Harper apologists are just plain nuts.
Vote for Change. Trust Jack.
Rolf_Auer
Apr 3, 2011 at 1:41am
Ig will do better on the economy than Harper.
"Why The Harper Government Mismanages The Economy" (article) and more..
My federal politics blog: clearpolitics.wordpress dot com
(Click "About" re reading posts, or on my picture.)
@Rolf_Auer