MICHAEL ARE YOU GOING TO ROW THIS BOAT ASHORE?

In the latest issue of Maclean's magazine Michael Ignatieff delivers the IGNATIEFF MANIFESTO which reveals how he'd change the country.

Now let me see if I understand this. In the Gospel according to Michael he would;

• implement a nation building agenda by unifying us as a people through four basic priorities; strengthening a sustaibable economy, strengthening the spine of our citizenship (what the hell does that mean?), strengthening our unity as a people, and strengthening our place in the world.

• reduce child poverty, gaps in Aboriginal health and education, clean up our lakes and rivers, generate jobs jn Canada's regions.

• create a national infrastructure to help Canadians to make their economic performance world-class and develop a national prosperity strategy.

• work with provinces to eliminate all remaining barriers of income and family circumstance to post secondary education, especially for Aboriginal Canadians, new immigrants, visible minorities and Canadians living outside large urban centres.

• provide income security for farmers, enviromrntal and energy policies, a national food policy, draw welfare dependents back into the labour force, income security for all Canadians, immigrants are more successfully integrated into our society, a strong federation, to recognize Quebec and Aboriginal peoples as nations within the fabric of Canada, access to public health care, increase foreign assistance.

• We should make ourselves the governance specialists of the emerging international order. (David, are you alluding to a New World Order ... tsk, tsk, tsk

Phew .... 'dem's a lot of promises and there were still more in the MACLEANS article which I didn't post because, quite frankly, my fingers were getting tired.

Did you miss anyone or anything David?

Mr. Ignatieff, I must say that I'm disappointed in you. For someone who has been away from Canada for as long as you have, your vision for our GREAT COUNTRY is the same old tired, "a chicken in every pot" rhetoric which the Liberals have been foisting upon Canada for as long as I remember.

Most of the issues which you have identified as needing change are broken down and dysfunctional in the first place because of the Liberals .... not so?

History shows that Canada has had a federal Liberal government for 83 years out of the 139 years since Confederation. You folks have had 83 years to get it right!

Michael, it's time to row the Liberal boat ashore for repairs before you ask Canadians to ride in it once more. Perhaps Canada Steamship Lines will offer a deal of some kind!