Beyond The Commons

Beyond The Commons

Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Idea alert

by Aaron Wherry on Thursday, July 15, 2010 1:50pm - 0 Comments

Michael Ignatieff throws out a suggestion.

On the second day of his summer-long cross-country tour, Ignatieff told people at a town hall meeting in Kingston that international experience is not something that should be frowned upon. It’s a direct rebuttal to the Conservative party’s efforts to paint Ignatieff — who spent more than two decades living and working in Britain and the United States — as someone who’s just visiting Canada.

“I don’t want Canadians to think the only good Canadian is someone who’s never left these shores,” Ignatieff said. He envisions a program in which the federal government would provide subsidized placements with Canadian institutions or partners overseas to “internationalize” an entire generation of young people.

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  • wilson

    http://www.acdi-cida.gc (.ca/internships)
    The International Youth Internship Program (IYIP) is an employment program for young Canadians between the ages of 19
    and 30. If you’re a post-secondary graduate, you could be eligible for this chance of a lifetime to work in a developing country
    and contribute to Canada’s international development goals.

  • wilson

    There are already 14 organizations in Canada that match companies/govt agency with Canadians 15-30 years, for overseas jobs.
    Maybe Iffy should check out what is already available before he announces another great idea. http://www.sass.uottawa.ca/careers/tools/examples…

  • chet

    Narcissistic, dishonest AND counter productive, that's quite the combination.

    1) Is there any doubt this grand "idea" is a defensive reaction to the attacks on his extensive absences from Canada? So now national policy is going to depend on the sensitivities towards personal attacks on him? Narcissism anyone?

    2) So to question is startlingly lengthy absences from Canada (virtually his entire adult life) in the context of him wanting to be leader of a country he apparantly abandoned, is to suggest that spending ANY time away from Canada is a bad thing? Not only is it dishonest, it is absurdly dishonest such that the average Canadian must be left shaking their head at this suggestion.

    3) Canadians travel abroad, routinely and extensively, as part of their personal, professional and educational development. Now we are to set up a national program to co-opt this? What's next, a national program to foster…Candians spending more time at summer cottages?

  • chet

    Iggy should go back to base insults.

    This "idea" thing doesn't seem to work for him.

  • Kelly

    Oh dear, Iggy. Remember Trudeau? Remember Jacques Hébert? They came up with Canada World Youth (like the American Peace Corps), funded through CIDA. Check it out: canadaworldyouth.org

  • Mr. Irrelevant

    Well the idea itself is getting a good batting around with 180 comments. So what about the crass politics of it? It seems to play right into the way the Tories want to frame the Libs, and especially Mr. Ignatieff. "We want to keep your taxes low and the streets safe. He wants to take your money and pay kids to spend the summer drinking Heineken and finding themselves".

    And since there are a bazillion such programs on offer already, what reason could he have to mention it other than he thinks the politics are good? Is he just stupid or is there a method to the madness?

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