They look the same. Rhetorically, they sound the same, and they are all lacking what Canada has been lacking throughout its short history - a big idea..
Pictured on the top left-hand side of the picture is Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Compared to the others, he is practically a kid at age 51. After presiding over a minority-led Conservative coalition for the last few years, his government fell last month as the other parties withdrew their support due to charges of misappropriation of public funds in his administration. Although possibly untrue or exaggerated, the accusations have forced Canada into an election on 2 May as a referendum on Mr. Harper. What does his campaign revolve around? His common refrain goes something like this, 'Raising taxes on corporations would sap the economy, slow hiring and stunt economic growth.' Sound familiar? Sounds like a typical political conservative.
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To his right in the picture is New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton (age 60). His contribution to the civic debate of his nation has been significant - and nothing has been more impressive than his commitment to ending homelessness and his book Homelessness: The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis (reprint 2000). In politics, however, Layton has been unable to energize the electorate around a clear, core program of constructive and positive action.
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On the bottom right is Gilles Duceppe (age 63). Politically, he is yesterday's man. As the head of the once combatant Bloc Quebecois, his ultimate stance is to secede from Canada and take Quebec into nation-state status. That fight, however, was fought in vitriolic campaigns between Ottawa and Quebec City in the 1990s with the latter losing by a razor-thin percentage. As support for Bloc Quebecois is fading, it is time for the party to redefine its agenda.
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Finally, Michael Ignatieff, also age 63 and the leader of the Liberal Party pictured at the bottom left, is one of the most formidable candidates for any office in the world. While Layton does have a PhD from York University (Toronto) in political science, Ignatieff took his PhD in history from Harvard after being mentored by the renowned philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin at the University of Oxford. Almost immediately, he established himself as a leading scholar and has taken posts at the University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto, Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge over his career. Aside from history, Ignatieff is also an expert on human rights and international relations. One of his more recent books, Virtual War: Kosovo and Beyond (2001), is not only a trenchant analysis of world politics but also is the product of original thinking.
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Speaking of original thinking, these four accomplished and talented candidates have one more thing aside from being white, male and middle aged - they have little to no talent in the way of calling their nation to a greater purpose. While finding solutions to homelessness, empowering the middle class and advancing an environmentalist agenda are necessary and laudable pursuits, what does Canada ultimately stand for in North America and in the world?
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Mr. Ignatieff has the answer but may not be the one to carry his own message. It is human rights. As a country with significant diversity in its cities and a plan to accept 250,000 immigrants a year, Canada, despite being a nation of only 35 million, is now well-positioned to come from out of the American shadow and become the leading voice for equality of race, class and gender from Accra to Abu Dhabi.
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Message to Generation X and Y in Canada (especially women and minorities): Get ready to take the world stage. Your leadership in achieving a Canadian nation and a world devoid of poverty, racism, sexism and greed is not only needed - it is expected.
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(Photo: The four leaders of the four major parties of Canada. The next PM will be determined by the results of the parliamentary election on 2 May)
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To watch the closing statements of the four candidates in the recently televised Canadian television debate, click onto the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UioReyyeqO8 Are you inspired?
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J Roquen
J Roquen