George Ignatieff

In response to criticism of its attack on Michael Ignatieff’s familial heritage, the Conservative side asserts that it has not and will not do any such thing.

In a missive this evening, apparently in response to this video, the Conservative party takes issue with Mr. Ignatieff’s family heritage and apparently seeks to debate who can rightfully claim to be an immigrant.

The son of one famed family, and keen student of Canada himself, reviews the work of another.

Michael Ignatieff, speaking to a town hall in Halifax, Jan. 8. I have the unique distinction of being probably the only Canadian in the world who has two members of his family who both wrote biographies of Nova Scotia’s greatest man, Joe Howe. How about that? It’s a true story. My great grandfather wrote a biography of Joe Howe, whose statue is maybe 400 yards away. And my grandfather wrote a biography. I don’t know how they ended up doing that, but they did. So Joe Howe’s been a hero all my life. And Joe Howe said a great thing, which we should remember and should be above the doors of Parliament. “The only questions I ask myself are: What is right? What is just? And what is for the public good?” And that’s what we have to talk about this afternoon.

Apropos of nothing except the fact that I’m reading it, here’s a tale from the second volume of Lester Pearson’s memoirs.