may very well be just politics; but i like his approach ...

Ignatieff impressed with Sask.
He came to the province to learn
The StarPhoenix, April 22, 2006

Federal Liberal leadership hopeful Michael Ignatieff, a star candidate who left the academic world for a run at politics, said Friday he came to Saskatchewan to learn, not teach. ... "The first thing I want to do is sit down with a Saskatchewan farmer for a long time and listen hard."

Ignatieff impressed with Sask. He came to the province to learn
The StarPhoenix, April 22, 2006

Federal Liberal leadership hopeful Michael Ignatieff, a star candidate who left the academic world for a run at politics, said Friday he came to Saskatchewan to learn, not teach.

Ignatieff met with members of the Liberal party and other people in the community in hopes of finding Saskatchewan delegates to back him at the leadership convention in December. He said Saskatchewan has a lot to teach the Liberal party.

"We have to invest in Saskatchewan and . . . listen to Saskatchewan . . . and learn from Saskatchewan," said Ignatieff, considered a front-runner in the race to succeed Paul Martin.

"The University (of Saskatchewan) has got a very good story to tell about how if you get good federal investment in a university, it can start to really spin the whole regional economy," he said.

Ignatieff said he's impressed that Saskatchewan has developed a successful economy with competitive tax rates next door to Alberta. He said the Liberal party must understand that Saskatchewan's message is "don't confiscate . . . Alberta's wealth, or Saskatchewan's wealth, for that matter, let's raise all the boats."

The Liberal party has not had much success in Saskatchewan, where it now holds two of the province's 14 seats.

Ignatieff said rural areas of Canada need to be included in the party. He said the Liberal party needs to change its focus so it's not seen as a "big-city" party.

"If we are a national institution, we must as a party reunite in rural and agricultural Canada. We can't be a national institution if we're only going for votes in Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax," Ignatieff said.

Chris Axworthy, a past Liberal candidate in Saskatoon and former NDP MP, said the Liberal party needs a leader who can gain support across Canada.

"It's important that the person who is chosen is a person who can spend a lot of time across the country raising awareness and in particular generating energy and enthusiasm on the part of Liberal members," Axworthy said.

Ignatieff is new to politics, though, having just been elected MP for the Ontario riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore in the last federal election. He has been criticized by some for his lack of political experience.

But others see this a potential strength.

"I think one of his important strengths is that he has not been part of the Martin-Chretien battle," said Doug Richardson, a lawyer from Saskatoon who is working on Ignatieff's campaign.

Ignatieff may be new to politics, but he has had an extensive career in journalism and academics. He has published 16 books, both fiction and non-fiction. He is an expert on human rights, democracy and international affairs.

He raised some eyebrows three years ago, though, when he supported the American decision to invade Iraq. He said he stands by his commitment to the people who were killed and tortured under Saddam Hussein, but he realizes the Americans have made mistakes.

"I don't support the Americans any more and I, in many ways, would hope they would leave sooner rather than later. But I do support Iraqi democracy," Ignatieff said.

He said Canada could help Iraq by providing advice on democracy and federalism, rather than sending in troops.

Some of Ignatieff's priorities for Canada also have an international bent, such as broadening education systems to include more opportunities for bilingualism and the study of foreign languages, and increasing trade with countries such as China.

Other priorities include environmental sustainability and supporting agriculture, but he is the first to admit agriculture is an area he knows little about.

"The first thing I want to do is sit down with a Saskatchewan farmer for a long time and listen hard."