A year ago, the Liberal Party could not afford to respond in-kind. Now the party's coffers are in much better shape and it can begin to define the agenda before Parliament resumes. The media have been asking "where is Michael Ignatieff?" over the past few weeks and positing that he is an unknown to most Canadians, despite assuming the leadership of the Opposition about 9 months ago. Liberals know Ignatieff has been traversing the nation meeting Canadians in communities large and small from coast to coast and preparing for the upcoming campaign. Soon all Canadians will know Ignatieff better though these long-overdue advertisements and they will identify with the sentiment in the first English language commercial that international experience matters. They will not agree with the Conservatives that knowledge and skills learned abroad are worthless. The first French language commercials are a bit more substantive on policy and I expect there will be English versions with the same themes.
If an autumn election is inevitable, as it seems now, it's fortunate that the wait is over for Liberals to state their case.
New ads put Ignatieff front and centre - The Globe and Mail: "New ads put Ignatieff front and centre. The campaign-style spots, released Sunday, are the first to feature the Liberal Leader since he was confirmed as the party leader earlier this year. The Liberals have launched their pre-election campaign with new television ads positioning themselves as the party capable of leading the country on the world stage."
