Liberal Express: The story so far

I’ve now finished my third and final stint aboard the Liberal Express; Michael Ignatieff’s summer-long tour of Canada. Unless another reporter decides to spend 10 days  aboard the bus next month, I guess I can boast (?) that I’ve given it the longest look of anyone in the media. 

First of all, I should probably say why I spent so much time there.  One of my jobs at the Star is covering the Liberal Party; this was also my job at The Globe and Mail in my 16 years there and it was also among my duties at the National Post in my brief employment acquaintance with that newspaper. Michael Ignatieff was out on the road this summer, meeting Liberals. If you want to understand the Liberal Party, it seemed like this was the place to be. I’m actually surprised that no other media outlet, with the exception of Macleans magazine, thought it was worthwhile to spend more than a day or two aboard the bus.   

Beyond that, I’m working on a feature that begged for me to get out of Ottawa, see something other than the spin and noise of Parliament Hill, and this was an ideal hitchhiking opportunity. 

Anyway, 10 days on the bus gives me some licence to make some observations, I figure, and here they are, in no particular order: 

• I’m repeatedly asked whether Michael Ignatieff is “getting better.” Better than what? I usually ask. What this usually means is whether he’s better than the Conservative ads make him out to be. And yes, he is better than that.  Not once did he stand in a satanic pentagram and invoke the gods of socialism or socialist coalitions.  Nor did the bus stop at Harvard or a villa in France. 
   
• What are the crowds like? They are very young on the bus -- young, highly engaging, whip-smart, efficient people on the official tour; elderly, mainly retirement-age people in the audiences. There are probably many demographic reasons for this wide disparity in age representation, but something tells me that 30- and 40- and 50-somethings are most  absent from political-party  participation unless someone is paying them to be interested. Usually, there are about 100 people, give or take a dozen or two, at each stop. 
• Is Ignatieff talking about policy? Yes, in broad strokes, no in real specifics. Mainly the speeches are about positioning the party in opposition to the Conservatives. They are also about Ignatieff himself -- his history, his values, and how they fit with the Liberal past. The crowds like the speeches. They tend to be surprised. See the earlier point about him “getting better.” They are usually expecting a Harvard prof, just leaving for the airport, blowing air kisses goodbye to Canada.   
• What’s this whole tour about anyway? It’s not about getting front-page headlines. Mainly it seems to be a rehearsal for an election campaign, getting Liberals on the bus and off it used to the idea of the rigours of a road trip. What’s different about this tour is that it doesn’t have to contend with other tours; Ignatieff isn’t doing a whole lot of reacting to other campaigns. Harper, as we know, has been on vacation. 
• Is this tour a game-changer, in terms of federal political dynamics? Have a read of Chantal Hebert’s column in today’s Star. Like her, I remember Chretien’s bus tours of 1993 and just yesterday, was telling folks on the bus that those forays were far more modest in terms of travel and media coverage. They weren’t a big deal while Ottawa was preoccupied with the race to replace Brian Mulroney as Conservative leader and focus on the brief public-opinion honeymoon of Kim Campbell. But they did establish the Liberals as road-worthy.

 I agree with Chantal -- this tour, at about the three-quarters mark, has probably accomplished the same thing. So rather than read about the bus tour in local media or Conservative talking points, it might be a good idea for national reporters to get out there and have a look. And hey, the food’s great too. My only complaint is that there’s too much of it -- along with too many Tim Horton’s stops. 

Comments

[MyThought]

People seem to ignore the fact that in the "day" time, 30, 40 or 50 year olds are probably at work or vacation.

[David Gagnon]

The tour gives one hope - in the sense that we may someday return to civilized spontaneous debate on policy in Canada. Someday.

It is unfortunate that it is now too risky to present policy ideas specifically and in advance of elections so citizens can compare them on their merits. Maybe big ideas are no longer possible ... just silly little tweaks like "tax credits"? John Macdonald stared at the map of North America in 1855 and then it came to him: "Tax credits!" ... Trudeau was affected to his very core by the eternal divisive emnity of the English/French solitudes - "I shall cut income tax by 1%!", he bravely declared.

As you mention, it is strange how journalistic horsepower is deployed sometimes. So much time is spent by TV networks airing the "earned media" of cheap (in every sense) little attack ads. With linked soul-searching questions for Canadian citizens such as "Will this ad affect how you vote?" ... the political equivalent of "Do you want spots left on your wine glasses?!"

[jad]

"One of my jobs at the Star is covering the Liberal Party; this was also my job at The Globe and Mail in my 16 years there and it was also among my duties at the National Post in my brief employment acquaintance with that newspaper"

I didn't realize that the media in Canada officially provided someone to "cover" a political party. I assumed that journalists were supposed to be fair and unbiased, not promote one particular party. Who then is the designated person who covers the Conservative Party for the Star ?

[Gabby in QC]

"Harper, as we know, has been on vacation."

Maybe you're unaware of this, Ms. Delacourt. From the July 20th, 2010 Timestranscript.canadaeast.com:
"Stephen Harper awards first medals of games during opening ceremony [July 19]."
That means that the time between PM Harper's last public appearance and the end of his "vacation" was all of 16 days, as the PM was present at the opening of the Conservative caucus on Aug. 5.
Then, there was a series of statements issued by the PMO during that “vacation” of his, like:
• July 20, 2010
Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the death of another Canadian soldier
• July 26, 2010
Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the implementation of further sanctions against Iran through the Special Economic Measures Act
• July 30, 2010
Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the beginning of the 2010 Canada National Ukrainian Festival taking place in Dauphin, Manitoba from July 30 to August 1.
To hear the media tell it, though, he's been out of public view for weeks on end AND “on vacation.” Mind you, some of the silly comments regarding the PM's whereabouts could have been quashed by a simple statement from the PMO, saying the PM would be on vacation for x number of days. But the media could have done some simple arithmetic instead of inaccurately saying the PM has emerged from "the bubble in which he's hidden for the past several weeks" as one article put, and now you with "Harper, as we know, has been on vacation."

Mind you, I suppose that's better than reading the PM was ensconced somewhere busily devising evil schemes to destroy Canada. I guess writing stuff like that is the job of people like Errol Mendes.

[Cathy Payne]

I really like this connection to voters rather than being "spoken to" by talking stains on gas pumps.

[Frank Docherty]

With your 3rd tour of duty on the Liberal Express behind you, is there anything that they ( http://fairwhistleblower.ca/content/ombudsman-says-bureaucrats-blocking-initiatives-help-vets ) can do to help or support you in your effort to recover and contribute to the community? Aside from the too many stops at Tim Hortons, please tell us that you still have your legs and arms - and the basic fundamental freedom to write about those who sacrifice so much for your right to do so.