For those who followed the Canada 150 conference in Montreal last weekend, it will not come as a surprise that the event closed with a call to expand Canada’s role as a leader in world affairs and to improve the lot of Canadians at home.
The Montreal conference, which was set up as a “non-partisan” think tank, became a forum for those of us who would like to return to the Lester B. Pearson approach to foreign affairs, where Canada is an independent, compassionate voice dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights and freedoms of people around the world, rather than an appendage to NATO that marches to the drum of U.S. foreign policy.
The conference also heard from those concerned with the domestic economy, collared by a record $54 billion annual deficit that has been racked up by the Harper government and in desperate need of expenditures in the fields of health, education, and social services.
The conference painted a picture of a nation that I certainly could embrace. A nation where the rights of individuals are protected without subverting the collective interests of Canadians in terms of the equality that we enjoy under the law, regardless of our race, colour, creed, religion, gender, age or sexual orientation.
The question left unanswered was where is the leader with the passion, the vision, the ability to articulate a plan of action that is progressive and achievable? Who will ignite the tinder within the hearts of the young and old alike and start a movement toward fundamental change that will take us to this “Promised Land”?
The implication we were left with was that the answer is Michael Ignatieff, the only national leader attending this “non-partisan” gathering, so with expectations high the crowd gathered to hear his closing speech.
“Everything I heard this weekend says we need a new kind of federal leadership,” Ignatieff said, and then proceeded to tell the crowd what he would do if elected Prime Minister. The highlights were the introduction of an all-inclusive pan-Canadian approach to learning, pension reform for fiscal security for our aging population, and a freeze of the planned corporate income tax reductions to restore balanced budgets. All are worthy goals, but they are hardly new or innovative.
We can all applaud a greater commitment to education and learning, but what is it that we will be teaching our children? We can all applaud a greater emphasis on skills development and training, but what skills and what training will we advance that will prepare the next generation of Canadians to participate in the new economy? There was no vision put forward on these critical questions.
To be sure there were good ideas advanced and progressive policy on wellness as a means to reducing health care costs was discussed, but there was very little said in the way of specifics that would lead an observer to believe that tangible change is ahead.
Pension reform to provide greater financial stability for our aging population is laudable. Why not start by no longer taxing our most senior citizens. My aged, 89 year old mother, who thankfully has not put any burden upon the health care system, still has to pay income tax out of her shrinking pension!
It will come as no surprise that the media decided that the top story of the weekend was Ignatieff’s commitment to freeze further corporate income tax reductions. Having corporations pay their fare share is an old slogan, one that usually fits with the NDP, which is probably why the Liberal leader, trolling for free-swimming center-left votes, made it the highlight of his closing remarks, much to the surprise of those gathered.
Let me be clear, from my perspective Ignatieff is the best choice amongst the current crop of national leaders, but that said, I wonder where the leader is who has both the wisdom to recognize the need, and the vision to direct us to the path that will bring about the needed paradigm shift. It will take such a leader if Canada is to survive and evolve as a nation that will provide the prosperity, social justice, and happiness for our children as it has done for us.