Wish I could write like this;Conscise and to the point.

Posted on April 2, 2011 in Toronto Centre
" This election is all about choice. A choice about vision and policies, a choice about character, what we want our politics and government to be about.

Liberals are talking real substantive change in this election, and the choice between us and the Conservatives.

How many times do I hear the refrain “you’re all the same…”

But in this election we’re not all the same. The Conservatives want to give the banks and the oil companies a tax cut right away, and make people wait for years before they get the same.

That’s just wrong.

The Conservatives want to spend $30 billion on new fighter jets without a competitive bid. Even the Pentagon is saying they’re too expensive.

The Liberals want to have a complete review, to see what we need, to spend what we can afford after a competition.

The Conservatives want to spend billions on megaprisons, “to lock ‘em up and throw away the key.” Liberals want to stop crime before it happens, deal with the addiction and mental health issues that are behind so much crime and violence, and not repeat the mistakes of our American neighbours.

The Liberal Party is proud of the way we have led the country in the past, our commitments to a prosperous and innovative economy, to learning, to social justice, to the environment and to Canada’s role in the world.

This election is about the future, the way we apply our knowledge that the world is becoming smaller and more competitive, as well as more complex.

The Liberal spirit is an optimistic one. We know that there are challenges ahead, but we our operating emotion is not fear. It is hope.

And so there is not just a contrast in policies, in the difference between nothing on health care and a plan on how to help families cope with ageing, in the difference on the environment and jobs. There is a difference of character.

The true character of the Conservatives comes out at night, in their ads. They speak the language of fear, of derision, of scorn. They tear down. For all of Mr Harper’s smiles (seen always at a distance) the ads show a sneer and even a snarl.

I don’t think Canadians will give into the scare tactics. We know that Michael Ignatieff is a good, thoughtful man. We know Canada is a caring country. We know the world is the place we need to make our living and our home.
Laurier talked of his “sunny ways.” In Toronto we speak of “Raes of sunshine.” We look forward to this campaign with hope and optimism, knowing our opponents are not our enemies, and confident in the result on May 2."