Wheat from the Chaff

Michael Ignatieff's Latest Book

Though I remain undecided about Michael Ignatieff's leadership abilities, his family history and intellectual credentials are undeniably fascinating.

The following is a recent article in The Globe and Mail, in which Michael Valpy reviews Ignatieff's latest book, Four Generations in Search of Canada. The book focuses on Ignatieff's maternal family, the Grants, and it appears as interesting as Ignatieff's paternal Russian family.

Michael Valpy: Portrait of a patriot?

One of the more fascinating elements of the book, as described by Valpy, is Ignatieff's relationship with his uncle, George Grant. One of Canada's great philosophers, Grant is best known for his Lament for a Nation. Grant represents an almost extinct tradition: Red Tory conservatism. This is much closer to traditional conservatism than the conservatism of Brian Mulroney and Stephen Harper. It reflects a communitarianism that is not all that different from Canadian social democracy. (Not surprisingly, Lament's anti-Americanism continues to attract unabashed Canadian nationalists, most of whom are - unlike in the United States - on the left side of the political spectrum.)

The 1960's and 70's was clearly a pivot point for Canadian politics: before this era, the Conservatives were generally pro-British and anti-American (e.g. Borden's fight against reciprocity in the 1911 election; Diefenbaker's refusal to place American missiles in Canada). The Liberals, on the other hand, were champions of free trade and continental integration (Laurier and Pearson come to mind). After this era, however, Canadian conservatism shifted to neo-liberal integration, and the Liberals, under Pierre Trudeau, became much more suspicious of American intentions. To be sure, the Liberal Party waffled, and continues to waffle, over free trade, but its more left wing elements inherited many of the communitarian suspicions of unbridled, technocratic American capitalism. That's why the definitions of Canadian liberalism and especially conservatism are so difficult to nail down. They've changed over time, and are often a complete reversal of former meanings.

Ignatieff appears to inherit his uncle's communitarian spirit and nationalism, but not his uncle's pessimism and negativity toward American capitalism. Ignatieff, according to Valpy's article, seems to be following a typical Liberal line: try to take the best of other traditions and appeal to as many Canadian voters as possible. We shall see.

Here is the G & M chart that explains Ignatieff's connection to the Grant family: