Michael Ignatieff bought a power screwdriver, work gloves and a $25 vest at a local co-op before he accused Stephen Harper of trying to play wedge politics between rural and urban Canada.
What the Liberal Leader will do with that screwdriver and work gloves at his Yorkville condo remains a mystery – but he is hoping his rural policy does not.
“Equality is the key word in the Liberal campaign ... equality between regions,” he said.
“I don’t want Canada with two speeds – rural and urban,” he added, noting that rural Canadians should have as good quality health care, access to the Internet and education as urban Canadians.
And he gave a strong defence of supporting the long-gun registry, which the Conservative Leader has promised to scrap if he forms government again.
“We have reached out to rural Canada,” Mr. Ignatieff said of his policy to reform the registry if elected. “Mr. Harper has made this into an attempt to divide rural and urban Canada. We have stood firm behind the gun registry in the House of Commons, Jack Layton didn’t, but we have because we think this is crucial to effective public safety in our country.”
He accused Mr. Harper of running Canadian politics “wedge issue by wedge issue, divide and split, divide and rule.”
Last fall Mr. Ignatieff whipped his caucus, demanding that all MPs vote to save the gun registry. Not all of them were happy with the decision but Mr. Ignatieff was able to partly satisfy them by promising that a Liberal government would no longer make it a criminal offence for the first time gun owners fail to register their firearms. The Liberals would also streamline paperwork in an effort to make registration as simple as possible.
Still, several of his MPs – those in rural ridings who supported the registry – may have hurt their chances at re-election, given the Harper vow.
Over the past few elections Liberals have gradually been bleeding rural seats, making theirs a party of urban Canada.
The last straw for the Liberals was in 2008 election when then leader Stéphane Dion campaigned on the Green Shift – essentially a carbon tax. It turned off farmers and fishermen across Canada, concerned about potentially rising fuel prices and cost the party votes in rural Canada.
The Ignatieff platform, released Sunday, offers several planks aimed at winning back rural Canadian voters, including a commitment that a Liberal government would provide $500-million to ensure “100 per cent high-speed internet connectivity for all Canadian communities” within three years of forming government.
In addition there is a promise to forgive student loans for rural doctors and nurses, a $3,000 refundable tax credit for volunteer firefighters and protection for rural postal services.
The party has also put forward a National Food Policy aimed at helping Canadian farmers. Liberal officials also argue that their learning package, including a $1-billion program to help high school students get into university or college, is also meant to help not just urban dwellers but also those in rural communities.
