Today’s Globe and Mail column from Lawrence Martin has excited me so much that I’m dusting off this old blog. For all of the many critics who say that Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal Party have platform, no ideas, nothing to offer the country: be warned, here are the big ideas that an intellect can come up with.
While there will definitely be pitfalls to such a project, almost assured cost overruns, etc, the benefits are staggering. In a purely utilitarian calculation this seems like a no-brainer. Setting up good, serviceable high-speed rail is as important to the country today as developing a trans-continental railway was in our past.
This shouldn’t be dismissed lightly. In a large and diverse country such as Canada we need common ties. We need to be bound together. Ways to do this include national narratives and they also include national infrastructure projects. This is nation building in its purest form. And just because we are a developed nation does not mean that we still should progress. We should strive for better.
We should seek to unite Canadians despite geographic, cultural and historical differences. And high-speed rail will help do this.
And as the video above indicates, it will allow us to remain competitive in the global economy.
Meanwhile, what ar Harper and his team doing? They’re failing Canadian at home and abroad: again, again, again, again, again and again.
We need a change. We need a government with a national vision. Not one that’s based on national division.
