Ottawa

And now a word from Michael Ignatieff

By Aaron Wherry

On the anniversary of the end of his first and last national campaign, Michael Ignatieff posts a note.

Our vision was to build jobs and growth on equity and fairness instead of corporate tax breaks and austerity. The values we fought for were clear: evidence rather than ideology in making policy, compromise and co-operation in place of meanness and spite in our politics, and equality and unity in place of resentment and division in our national life.  Let’s also remember what we fought against: a government that plunged us into deficit and now is cutting programs that don’t need to be axed; that bought the wrong planes at the wrong price and misled everyone about it; that builds prisons instead of investing in education; and that strong-arms Parliament and every Canadian who disagrees with them.

A long road to renewal lies ahead, but today it’s worth remembering we fought for a good cause. One day that cause will prevail again.

More on the rest of this day’s festivities later this afternoon.