So Michael Ignatieff has his riding - Etobicoke-Lakeshore. Don't cry for future Ambassador Jean Augustine. I'm sure she will make out just fine.
I also don't put a lot of stock in this as well.
...Toronto residents with Ukrainian roots are protesting Michael Ignatieff's bid to run for the Liberals in their riding.
...Members of the Etobicoke Lakeshore Federal Liberal Riding Association claim the Liberals are trying to make it easy on Mr. Ignatieff at the expense of other contenders.
The group also claims Mr. Ignatieff has no ties to the Ukranian community and worse, it says, has actually disrespected the community's heritage in one of his books.
If you work for a Liberal riding association you should know that this type of thing can and will happen. It is the way the Liberal party operates. If their history of parachuting candidates hasn't turned you off in the past you really have no reason to gripe now.
Further, MP Augustine did win pretty handily in the last election.
Jean Augustine, Liberal: 24,909
John Capobianco, Conservative: 15,159
Margaret Ann McHugh, New Democrat: 7,179
This move would have to turn-off a lot of Liberal voters for it to make a difference. Besides, I would like to see another pro-America, pro-Missle Defence, pro-War in Iraq Liberal leader. 'Cause it has been fun to watch PM Martin back away from those positions - why not a repeat.
Update: Greg at Sinister Thoughts quotes Dr. Ignatieff at length. Here is a guy I could get behind - therefore Greg suggests that Chretien/Axworthy Liberals should vote NDP in Etobicoke-Lakeshore.
Update II: I may have underestimated this whole thing. If what Adam Daifallah says is correct I can understand why the Ukrainian community is less than pleased by this development.
Here is some more from the Canadian Press.
...Protesters in the riding also claim Ignatieff has no ties to the Ukrainian community and worse, has actually disparaged the community's heritage in his 1993 book on nationalism called Blood and Belonging.
Oleksiuk quoted from the book and said it's offensive to Ukrainians.
"My difficulty in taking Ukraine seriously goes deeper than just my cosmopolitan suspicion of nationalists everywhere. Somewhere inside I'm also what Ukrainians would call a great Russian and there is just a trace of old Russian disdain for these little Russians," she read.
Considering the history between Russia and Ukraine you can see why I am starting to appreciate that this story is bigger than I orginally scoffed at.
