SUDBURY, Ont. – Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff urged Canadians to “rise up” to stop the federal Conservatives as he wrapped up a day of campaigning in northern Ontario.
As he closed a town hall meeting with hundreds of supporters at a local hotel, he noted that Conservative leader Stephen Harper had shut down Parliament twice, been found in contempt of Parliament, scrapped the long-form census among other things without a reaction from the population.
He urged them to draw inspiration from The Rising, a song by Bruce Springsteen’s song.
“Rise up, Canada,” he yelled to the crowd. “We have got to stand and fight here. This is not about me. This is not about the Liberal party. This is about the kind of democracy we have….This is about the country you love. So rise up.”
During the hour-long event, Ignatieff also took a shot at Conservatives for criticizing him about spending time abroad.
He said Canada would have been more respected on the world stage if Harper had also travelled abroad. He added that the Conservative message also discourages Canadians from wanting to travel have international success outside of the country.
In the wide-ranging question and answer session, Ignatieff also said that the future of the economy depends on going green and developing sustainable jobs in emerging sectors.
He also blasted Harper for taking credit for creating jobs and putting Canada among the top performing countries through the government’s economic policies.
He said that the Conservatives inherited a strong economy because of strong fiscal management by the previous Liberal government.
But he said that Harper’s government turned surpluses into deficits with policies designed to help them get elected rather than advance the national interests.
Ignatieff was heading west for the weekend with events scheduled in Regina and Edmonton on Saturday.
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