Michael Ignatieff and Liberal finance critic John McCallum take questions from reporters at the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto on Sept. 29, 2008.CHRIS YOUNG
Liberals looking to understand why their party has made no headway in the last year could do worse than to focus on why they seem to have a tiny "share of voice" on economic issues.
Some ask what it will take for Michael Ignatieff to hit 35 per cent in the polls, if a recession, two prorogations and a massive deficit aren't enough. Solid, clear ideas, in-the-moment agility and a penetrating communications style are all important. As is assembling the right talent on his front bench and making their efforts count.
Last week was another one where people around the world felt rising anxiety about the economy, as concerns about a debt crisis and global contagion spiked.
Yet, the day after stunning stock-market gyrations threatened yet again the retirement savings of many middle class Canadians, in the House of Commons the only questions asked about the economy were asked by Conservative back-benchers, and answered by the Finance Minister's parliamentary secretary. The Liberals used their time to grind on a handful of issues that, given the context, were not likely to generate column inches or TV and radio clips.
Over the weekend, the political news in Canada was about Mr. Harper's approach to the G20 meeting, his conversations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and his determination that nation-state indebtedness must be a focal point of the upcoming meeting in Canada. The coverage was straight up, there was no opposition point of view on offer, and the impression left is of a Prime Minister as a bigger-picture kind of guy, developing constructive relationships with the most important leaders in the world.
Mr.Ignatieff, for his part, was in the news for being sworn in as a Privy Councillor, and for touting the virtues of high speed broadband in rural Canada.
John McCallum, his finance critic, is rarely in the news. To be fair (I don't know him) I wanted to be sure this wasn't owing to media filters, so I took a quick tour of his website. Listed there are a handful of news releases, speeches, and questions he has asked (including a number of non-functioning links), but nothing more recent than March of 2008. I'm sure that the realitiy is he hasn't been silent for two years, but at the very least, this is not the level of promotion you might expect from someone with such a key responsibility.
It seems to me there's a fair bit of talent in the Liberal caucus, and given the importance of economic issues, Mr. McCallum is the most baffling choice Mr.Ignatieff continues to make. The economy is likely to remain at the top of the public agenda for some time, but the team of Ignatieff-McCallum seems unable or unwilling to muster an argument or a point of differentiation about it. The conclusion one might draw is that they either don't know how they would improve upon Harper economic policy, or can't articulate the difference they would make if elected.
I'd wager there are at least 10 Liberal caucus members who could do a more energetic and effective job with the finance critic role. As Mr. Ignatieff works to build the skills to be a potent opposition leader (few are perfectly cut for that role), he can't afford to ignore underperformance on his front bench. Having overhauled his office in recent months, he might usefully apply the same diligence with his shadow cabinet.
Bruce Anderson