Auspicious Beginnings

Ah, those plans. It's going to be a long, hot, steamy summer. Has been thus far, and will continue. So we are informed by Environment Canada. Fancy a different kind of vacation? Well, why not see Canada? No, really. Plan to travel all over the country, seeing it with fresh eyes, re-acquainting yourself with the varied splendour of its geography, the honest appeal of its people, and savour the tastes of regional cooking.

Good planning. And off you go. How? Good question. How many will be accompanying you? Wife, check. Several MPs - oh, sure. Party staff, all right! Newspaper reporters - no kidding. Hey, with that kind of retinue you'd need to hire a - let's see, a bus? right, a bus. And while you're at it, personalize it, let everyone know who you are and you're a-comin'. Emblazon the thing "Liberal Express". Like the sound of that?

Ignatieff kicks off his summer bus tour of Canada on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday July 13, 2010.">

Feeling pretty good about it, aren't you? And why not? There's an air of triumphalism about it, this trip, going face-to-face with the voters, travelling the length and breadth of this land, this wonderful country that looks so good now that you've had the opportunity to have another gander. But you know that old saying, the best laid plans of moose and politicians, right? That other one; whatever can go wrong, will?

Good thing you're so unflappable, huh? EH? How Canadian can you get? Gee whiz, we're off! Not so fast, eh? The transmission just fell off its platform. You'll have to walk the rest of the way. No? The thought of a summer-long walking tour across this great and wonderful land doesn't have the appeal a bus tour does? What kind of Canajun adventurer are you, anyway?

Listen, if you got yourself a good pair of hiking boots from Mountain Equipment Co-Op or Bushtukah, a nice waterproof tent, some snuggy undies and rainproof gear, you could just hoof it. Think of the adulation and acclaim you'd garner, a Canadian original. You want to be thought of as authentically Canadian, don't you? You're imbued with a sense of adventure, aren't you? Why else venture out on this kind of journey, if you aren't?

Well, take it away. Take it the whole way. Do it the Canadian way, chum. Hoof it. See the country in a more genuine way. Want peoples' respect? That's the way to do it. Trust me. Because, auld sod, that's the way to "do politics differently".