Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff rode into Perth-Wellington over the weekend delivering the message that his party represents a compassionate and responsible alternative to the Harper government.  
Ignatieff’s stop in Stratford Sunday afternoon was only one of many he’s making as part of his six-week Liberal Express summer tour across Canada. It’s part of how he intends to “do politics differently,” he said, and in doing so, earn people’s trust.
“We’re getting on this bus and taking politics out of Ottawa, out of the bubble. I’m here to listen and I’m here to listen with respect,” he told supporters who gathered in the city’s downtown in front of the new office for the Stratford Institute digital media campus, draped in red with Liberal apparel.
“I’m here talking to people. Sometimes they’re critical, sometimes they praise you. This is the way to do politics. You have to earn it,” he added.
Perth-Wellington Federal Liberal Riding Association president Brendan Knight praised Ignatieff for his accessibility, and said the comments he hears along the tour will help to shape the party’s platform.  
He said the riding, which has elected a conservative since 2003, is ready for a change.  
“As we’re here today in front of the Stratford Institute, the future, we need a fresh perspective to keep up to the changing world and economy that we’re facing.”
Ignatieff said the Liberals will win back conservative ridings with their commitment to rural Canada and to closing the rural/urban divide that exists in the county. Full Internet access across Canada, improved rural health services and tax breaks for volunteer firefighters are just some of the his promises if elected.
“We’re the party taking rural Canada seriously,” he said.
Ignatieff called agriculture a major issue, and said that more needs to be done at the federal level to support Canadian farmers and producers. The government must work with the provinces and consumer groups to promote local markets and improve labeling, he added.
“We need more Canadian food on Canadian plates.”
Ignatieff attacked the prime minister over his plans to scrap the long-form mandatory census, asserting the government “prefers ignorance to knowledge.”
According to an Angus Reid public opinion poll released Monday, 58 per cent of respondents believe the census yields data that is important to make policy decisions in all areas of public service, and should remain mandatory.
“How did we get a government that doesn’t understand what we need to have to have good government? I believe we need more information about Canada, not less information — that makes us a stronger country,” Ignatieff said.
He also criticized the Harper government over its review of the federal affirmative action hiring practices and policies.
“We’re a big country, a diverse country, and I want a federal public service that represents the full diversity of the country I see in front of me now,” he said.
Ignatieff said the real issue come the next election is whether people want a prime minister who respects democracy, the institutions of the country, the courts, parliament, and who allows for limitations on their power – something he said he’d welcome.
“I’m the kind of guy who would like to be a prime minister who accepts limitations on my power, because that’s what a democracy is. Mr. Harper is one of these people who wants to sweep obstacles aside.”
Ignatieff said he’s heard from many people on his tour who say they are angry with the current government.
“That’s a good sign, but we still need to earn (their trust), and that’s what I’m doing this summer.”
The Liberal stop was reminiscent of then-Liberal leader John Turner’s visit to Stratford in the early 1980s. Adam Mair, a past president of the riding association, said he would have liked to have seen a similar turnout for this past weekend’s visit.
“When Mr. Turner came through and landed in this very same spot it was wall-to-wall people,” he noted.
If the Liberals hope to retake control, Mair said, the party must present strong ideas that interest and are important to the public. Following Ignatieff and his tour, he said he has been impressed with the Liberal leader more each day.
“I think the people in the various ridings are accepting him more and more.”
A nomination meeting to select Perth-Wellington’s candidate in the next federal election will likely be held this fall or early winter, unless an election is called prior to 2011. Knight said the riding association will be ready with a strong candidate whenever an election is called.
In the last federal election, in 2008, Liberal candidate Sandra Gardiner finished second behind incumbent Gary Schellenberger with 23.7 per cent of the vote.
- The Stratford Gazette