Ignatieff’s Challenge

Perhaps expecting a prime minister who heads a minority government to bravely brush aside political constraints would be romantic. What better word than romantic, though, to describe Martin’s own statements on foreign policy, delivered when he won the Liberal leadership in 2003? “It is a time when destiny is ours to hold,” he said then. “We must ensure a place of influence and pride for Canada in the world.” Ignatieff’s appeal at the convention illuminates the unhappy contrast between the two sides of Martin. “The Liberal Party is more than a machine for winning elections,” said Ignatieff bluntly. There was a time when Martin, speaking of a bold Canada striving for the international good, seemed to sense this. Ignatieff’s challenge to the prime minister is to remember it again.