The FedNor promise

Michael Ignatieff said if elected prime minister, he would ensure FedNor returns to standalone ministry status.
 
The federal Liberal leader, speaking to a subdued audience Monday at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, said he’s prepared to make a strong commitment to the regional economic development agency.

“I’m a champion of FedNor,” said Ignatieff, making a brief stop in the city to kick off the final week of the federal election campaign. “You need a strong FedNor that’s close, that’s local, that’s dug in, that understands the Northern economy, that wants to work with the provinces, that wants to work with local MPs, with chambers of commerce to get things done.

“It has to have a standalone capacity. It has to have sustained investment. The Conservatives have bled it and cut it and reduced it because I don’t think they believe in regional economic development and we do.”

The NDP have promised to double the budget to $100 million, while Conservative Leader Stephen Harper last week said he sees no reason to make it a standalone ministry, despite similar status for other economic development agencies elsewhere in Canada.

Ignatieff, who also hosted a coffee break at a local hotel with local party enthusiasts, also committed the Liberals to spending $4million for a cyclotron, a promise found in the Conservative budget that died when Parliament was dissolved.

The machine aids researchers in early cancer detection, and was also supported by NDP Leader Jack Layton during his stop in Thunder Bay last week.

“It’s a commitment we would honour,” Ignatieff said. “I would just point out the government’s record on isotope reduction has been lamentable. This government has allowed two global shutdowns of isotope production on their watch.

“It won’t happen under the Liberals. We strongly believe a cyclotron here is essential to the production of isotopes that are saving lives not 100 metres from here.”

The Liberal leader, flanked by local candidates Ken Boshcoff and Yves Fricot, also acknowledged the tough economic times Northwestern Ontario has faced with the collapse of the forest sector. He pointed to a $1.5 billion 2005 forestry package put forth by the Liberals that was killed by the 2006 election that swept Harper into power as an example of what his party has tried to do to help the industry.

“We’ve had a strong record of faith and belief in the forestry sector,” Ignatieff said, using the presence of Ontario Mines Minister Michael Gravelle to swing the conversation to mining.

“You need someone to say let’s get the Ring of Fire to happen. This will take time, but you need a federal partner that believes that the federal government has an active role. You’ve got to have a federal government that actually believes in FedNor, as opposed to shutting it down,” he said.

Ignatieff also suggested he’d like to spend $500-million to connect the entire country to the world wide web.

“You’ve got to have a federal government that believes you need to have 100 per cent connectivity in the North. How are we going to improve and build out telemedicine across Canada, especially in northern, remote communities, unless we make the investments in the Internet.”

Of course, national issues were also at the forefront in the dying days of the latest campaign, one that has seen Ignatieff and the Liberals losing ground to the surging NDP, if some polls are to be believed.

Ignatieff brushed aside any worries, when asked if a heavier rotation of negative ads aimed at both the Conservatives and NDP meant he was running scared.

“I don’t feel squeezed. I feel I’ve got running room either way,” he said, stressing the party’s centre of the political spectrum leanings.

Ignatieff, under fire from the Conservatives for presenting a national platform and no way to pay for it, said his plan offers practical help for Canadian families, without raising taxes. The NDP, and the Conservatives in particular, can’t make those same claims, he said, promising increases to home care and assurances of college and university educations to the country’s youth.

“The other two parties are not serious. They’re not talking to Canadians like adults and here’s how we would do it. There’s a hole in the Layton platform. There’s a hole in the Harper platform. This thing holds water,” said Ignatieff, holding up his own vision for Canada’s future.”

Ignatieff left Thunder Bay for a pair of campaign stops in Vancouver.