Much ado about nothing... I mean Ignatieff

Last Sunday, Michael Ignatieff was officially declared leader of the Liberal Party of Canada -- unchallenged and unfettered in his quest for the job. It was a coronation, really. Someone even called it the "Seinfeld convention" -- a show about nothing.

Following a miserable performance in late 2008 by then-Liberal Party leader, Stephane Dion, in his attempts to persuade Canadians that a coalition government was a logical alternative to the tyranny of the Harper conservatives, Dion logically stepped down. The Liberals were significantly weakened and, while there was an initial rush to fill the leadership void by some very respected politicians, they bowed out in the name of 'party unity.' Ignatieff, it would seem, would have the interim leader job all to himself. My close friend Red Canuck blogged about it.

My introduction to Michael Ignatieff was in 2003 when, in the run up to (an essentially) unilateral declaration of war by the United States, Ignatieff published a massive diatribe in the New York Times magazine extolling the virtues of the need for America to take offensive action against Iraq. This Harvard professor and influential American thinker fell hook, line and sinker for the old urine-in-the-vial trick. Our 'little guy from Shawinigan,' Prime Minister Jean Chretien, had the sense to ask where was the proof? And without reasonable proof, Chretien had the sense to keep Canada out of a devastating mire.

I have no personal vendetta against Ignatieff. I read his 2007 Iraq mea culpa (also in the New York Times magazine), which I found to be a pompous, politically-expedient way to clear the air, if not redefine himself as moderate, perhaps more "Canadian" after having spent the majority of his life outside the country. Still, it was an admission of error -- after the fact and in the face of truly disgusting war crimes by American soldiers -- but still, he had the sense to try distance himself and salvage a shred of credibility. He wrote:

"Having left an academic post at Harvard in 2005 and returned home to Canada to enter political life, I keep revisiting the Iraq debacle, trying to understand exactly how the judgments I now have to make in the political arena need to improve on the ones I used to offer from the sidelines. I've learned that acquiring good judgment in politics starts with knowing when to admit your mistakes."

Too little, too late in my books. But comments on Red Canuck's blog showed that liberal, progressive Canadians remain desperate for leadership, to the point where rallying behind a less-than ideal Liberal Party candidate is seen as a step forward towards healing deep wounds. Far be it for me to criticize that approach; it's clear this is what many in the Liberal Party wanted. Even the name of Pierre Trudeau was invoked!

Let's be blunt: Ignatieff is no Trudeau. I think someone was passing out some pretty strong Kool-Aid at the Vancouver convention. The real shame is that the Liberal Party, the natural party for Canadians -- centrist, moderate -- has essentially confirmed two things in my mind. It has lost the plot in terms of where it sits in Canada's political spectrum, continuing to inch rightward, disenfranchising many centre and left-leaning Liberals. The second is that, whether Harper or Ignatieff is Prime Minister, both appear to be ideologically similar -- in the same way Chevys and Pontiacs are essentially the same cars. You can sell them as different for only so long before people wise up.

Though admittedly I sit slightly outside the fray, I see the political scene in Canada as being in deep, deep trouble. Whether it's an election-fatigued populace, terrible political choices across the spectrum, or the divisive rise of punditry that has helped fragment Canada into regional blocs with a deep-seated trench mentality. Canada needs another real Trudeau; someone who will work to break down barriers and bring all of us together based on our common values. When the Kool-Aid wears off, it will be clear that's not Ignatieff. (And, if you need a metaphoric harbinger, the Pontiac brand will cease to exist in 2010.)