General

“Why do you want to be prime minister?”

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff struggles to define his vision

In his year-end sit-down with Radio-Canada reporter Emmanuelle Latraverse, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff was asked point-blank, “Why do you want to be prime minister?” After hesitating for a moment, Ignatieff began by saying his vision is “moderate, centrist, [and] practical.” Based on the rest of his answer, it’s arguably ill-defined as well. After briefly musing about the “jobs of tomorrow,” Canada’s competitiveness, and the country’s economic relationship with China and India, Ignatieff finally settled on insisting the Liberals “are the party of the future.” Conservatives are already circulating the clip (posted below) and eagerly comparing it to Ted Kennedy’s non-answer to the question, “Why do you want to be president?” which interviewer Roger Mudd devastatingly described as “stilted” and “elliptical.”

[wpvideo hJywFZV2]

Radio-Canada

YouTube

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