Michael Ignatieff Three Minute Culture 1989 

@mikefastener I wasn't aware that being across a different border prohibits knowledge of another country's issues. He's a professor, journalist, author, director of human rights. You don't have to be constantly pushing yourself through elections to be an expert. He has built himself a foundation of knowledge that can greatly assist Canada in breaking away from its traditional ideas of how to resolve problems. IMO

@mikefastener you called him that a fair while back, and does he hold Canadian citizenship if so he's Canadian,

@irishgodfatherchris and much to people's surprise 10 months is not the shortest time an MP has gone from being Opposition Leader to PM, Robert Hawke was Opposition Leader for 25 days before winning the 1983 election when just hours before Malcolm Fraser called the election, then Opposition Leader William Hayden resigned and Fraser's planning went out the window as his campaign relied on Billy Hayden being his opponent

Hello Micheal Ignatieff. I'm impressed you were on TV before your entrance into politics.

@ryan84160 if that were the case, then you would not have commented on this page (for what is a trifling compared to the issues you claim to care about) -- btw, does "respecting democracy" include a party leader actually being elected by his own delegates?

@shanewb88 yep, he didn't say "in canada", or "in north america", or even "in western culture" -- he said "the states" -- you bet that's a reference to his familiarity with the u.s.a.

@paulfornasier when Howard lost we were ecstatic, he even lost his own seat of Bennelong

And what do you think exactly? This guy's got more Canadian background than most Canadians. I think it's great that he's lived overseas (and been so successful while doing so). Your spin here is probably what the Conservatives will be using too in their anti-Liberal comments next election. Kudos to those he see beyond it.

Well, it would be great to have a prime minister who thinks deeply about things. It would be a nice change from Harper - war, following the American foreign policies and big business were all he worried about. Maybe time for a fresh thinker. Maybe we can be Canadian again?

@mikefastener is Ignatieff Canadian the answer is yes, regardless of how long he lived outside of Canada he's still Canadian, I know the Liberals lost very badly and fair enough and Mr. Ignatieff lost his seat and so did Mr. Duceppe, but just because he lived overseas that should not leave him open to attack even the fact that our former PM Kevin Rudd lived for a long time in China, even the Liberals were smart enough to leave that alone and instead did some muckraking which backfired quite bad

@lukafafrenz If we're discussing the leadership convention. Yes, one took place and Dion won, with Ignatieff as a close second. Soon after there was an election and many Liberals didn't even vote bc of their dislike for him. Post-election, what happens? Another convention so close after the last? There was no money, so the runner-up got the leadership. There's your history lesson.

The United States refers to itself as American, as do its citizens.

@paulfornasier of course, the Conservatives do it in every country, even mine, and most of them have no idea how to Govern, the Premier of my state Edward "Ted" Ballieu in six months has already crippled the public service, increased debt vs. GDP, slashed funding for everything and has essentially set up an Opposition-in-Exile because all he does is criticise the Labor Party when he's present in the chamber even though his Coalition with the National Party has a majority in both houses.

@paulfornasier currently here in Australia, we have a minority Labor Govt. who are making a clear effort to bring us back into surplus after PM Howard left us with a really bad economy, we are know projected under Treasurer Swann to be in surplus before the next election which is in 2013 (we have elections every 3 years federally and every 4 years in each state and territory). The fact that the right misleads the public every time just sickens me, that one of the reasons why I belong to the left

Like the liberals have become distinguishable from the Tories at this point. Vote NDP.

@ryan84160 i don't understand why you're still going on about this clip, when you've already professed your concern for issues that "ACTUALLY" have an effect on you -- my words are mine; not yours (& yes, i think a familiarity with "the states"; not canada is shown) -- on the next point about democracy (& hypocrisy) all the party leaders except one were elected by their respective party delegates -- liberal delegates elected stephane dion -- power brokers in back rooms parachuted iggy to power

freemanson propanga

He said "people in the states change channels every three minutes". He did not say that he was an American. You are putting a spin on what he said. That is not fair of you.

@mikefastener but once again you've turned this into because he hasn't been in Canada for a long time he must be disqualified, which is just dumb, also if you were a Liberal here (Conservative) would you have a go at PM Gillard and the fact that she is not Australian born.

@mikefastener soon enough he'll be back at harvard anyway -- it just kills me how everything he says is accepted by the party faithful w/o question -- he's spent 6 wks. telling everyone how unpopular harper is in parliament -- meanwhile, he's the one that ppl. care less & less about -- "60% of canadians didn't vote for the PM" -- that's a great argument iggy; 80% won't vote for you

My opinion of Ignatieff and Harper have changed. Now, I don't Ignatieff anymore. I think he's a fake. I have come to like Harper to some extent. I think he's good for the economy, like his position on Arctic sovereignty and against the Vancouver "safe drug" den. I don't like Harper for his proroging the parliament (twice) softness on the war in Afghanistan, dependence on Amercian foreign policy or his position on the environment. Basically, I think neither is any good.

@mikefastener true but he's still Canadian, you on more than one occasion have called him a foreigner and he isn't, I know Canada is complicated which country isn't but you need to be more accepting of people who aren't like you. For example here the Prime Minister is not Australian born neither is the Leader of the Opposition hell the leader of the Greens (arguably the most powerful party in the country as they hold the balance of power in the Senate and the House of Reps.) is openly gay.

@lukafafrenz US is the biggest superpower. That's the end of the story. Every country is compared to it. Canada does it every day.

@makinawdandy6699 Ignatieff was as big a supporter of the Iraq war as Harper.....Ignatieff and Harper policy, at the time of the war, was no different.....not that that's bad mind you....it's nice to have someone stand up for security, but now that he's a Liberal politican, he has suddenly become a Pacifist. He would make an absolutely horrible PM.....academics always do.

@mikefastener I addressed just not in the way you want it, also the fact that that you support what is right for Canada and yet you vote Conservative, shows your hypocrisy, is it not true that under Harper not only did the budget go into deficit, does Canada not have the highest level of debt vs. GDP of any Western country