Today Michael ignatieff in his first official press conference of the campaign spoke glowingly about his political idol former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. However they might have disagreed on one element of Pearson’s legacy at least in a previous life.
Before ignatieff entered politics he had some pretty harsh words to say about one of Pearson’s most proud achievements peacekeeping.
From Maclean’s
Following a 2005 lecture at the University of Dublin’s Trinity College, Ignatieff excoriated Canadians for trading on Canada’s “entirely bogus reputation as peacekeepers” for 40 years and for favouring “hospitals and schools and roads” over international citizenship. “If you are a human rights defender and you want something done to stop [a] massacre, you have to go to the Pentagon, because no one else is serious,” Ignatieff said.
In all fairness ignatieff by now is probably changed his position and his tune on the subject but it is a perfect example of how flexible you have to be with your ideas when entering public life.
