More from Michael Ignatieff’s incredibly anticipated appearance in public this afternoon.

Bipartisan negotiations on employment insurance reform got off to a rocky start Thursday, with the Liberal leader slamming what he called the Conservative government’s indifference to the plight of Canada’s jobless. Michael Ignatieff issued the criticism just as three Liberals and three Conservatives – members of an EI reform panel struck last month in an 11th-hour deal to avert a summer election – were sitting down for their first meeting.

“We note that the government has taken five weeks to get its act together on this. We were ready to go at the end of June with this committee,” Ignatieff said. “It’s a sign I’m not sure that they give any real importance to employment insurance reform but we certainly do.”

Plus comment on Nortel and Abdelrazik.