It’s funny how members of the general public can be taken in by the oddest notions?  I am an typical  Canadian and as such, think of myself as something of a barometer, measuring the changing temperature and attitudes of the Canadian public. I remember commenting that the newly-crowned leader of the Liberal Party of Canada should  have stayed in the States. The geeky-looking guy with the funny name looked, talked and walked exactly the way I presumed an American university professor should look, walk and talk. Not at all like your average Canadian.

Then, when Harper began harping on that very same theme, I found myself mentally defending poor Iggy. But in the back of my mind I couldn’t help but notice that the folds of skin around the man’s eyes made him squint, giving him a somewhat sneaky appearance. Probably couldn’t handle the bright lights, I thought. So why didn’t he wear eyeglasses with non-reflective lenses, as I did? Perhaps Iggy had an ego a mile wide, causing him to believe that voting lasses weren’t keen on politicians who wore glasses? (Speaking of glasses, Harper looks more “human” when wearing his.)

Another thing,  Iggy’s speech patterns made him sound bitter and sarcastic, which for me is a huge turn-off. However the word is out in CBC circles that Iggy is really a “nice guy.” Nice guys use sarcasm, rather than hollering and screaming as ex-prime minister Paul Martin does so well (I can’t help myself. I fell in love with Paul when he tearfully blubbered that his dad woulda been proud that his son had won the election.)

There’s also an email circulating, warning that no Ignattif ever entered Canada from the old country without having piles of foreign currency in his pocket. (Iggy had once waxed eloquently about how his dad came to Canada as a penniless immigrant. )And just today there was something on the news about how Ignattief is not a Canadian name – can’t be found anywhere on Internet.ca but  is frequently featured on the Russian version of “Who’s Who.”

Okay -but one of Michael Ignattief”s ancestors was a pioneer in Northern British Columbia. It’s mentioned somewhere in the latest of a series of wonderful books about BC history by Jay Sherwood, former resident of Vanderhoof (Jay’s originally from the States but has been here long enough to develop a genuine Canadian veneer.)

My opinion of Mr Ignattief has swung full-cirle. I’ve always admired and respected the pioneers of our province. And I notice that Iggyhas been taking lessons from his buddy, Paul Martin. No more nice-guy sarcasm. Keep on hollering and screaming, Iggy. I can handle that.