My Valentine to Michael Ignatieff, or, In which I stop totalling ignoring the guy.

Regarding my post about Stephen Harper and the Honduran 'coup', commenter Lilknitter, who is totally 'not' my wife, writes, "[n]ever thought I'd see the day when you started saying complementary things about a Grit..."

I didn't actually mean to shower praise on Ignatieff; I just meant I'd make more of an effort to consider him and his policies. Of course, we already knew that his desires for EI are less than desirable and economically illiterate, but let's see what we can find out about his opinion of the situation in Honduras.

Well, first off, here's the only thing that comes up in a search for "Honduras" on the Liberal party site:

OTTAWA – The Honourable Bob Rae, Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic, added his voice today to those strongly condemning the coup d’etat in Honduras, saying:

“The ousting and detainment of President Manuel Zelaya this weekend is a serious blow to the democratic process.

“A return to this style of military coup is a real step backwards for Honduras and the region. It is a disservice to the Honduran people to return to the days where military coups are the norm – the people of Honduras have engaged wholeheartedly in the pursuit of accountability and transparency in governance through their democratically elected government; it would be a shame to see them lose all they’ve accomplished.”

Rae also called for all parties involved to respect the democratic governance of the country and engage in dialogue that moves towards a peaceful and democratic resolution, saying:

“It is Canada’s responsibility as a member of the Organization of American States to urge Honduras to support the democratic process and the rule of law, including the Honduran Constitution, and above all else to resolve any lingering tensions peacefully and constructively.

“The Liberal Party of Canada will continue to monitor the evolving situation in Honduras and will persist in hoping for a swift and peaceful resolution.”

Granted, the statement is coming from Bob Rae, but if Ignatieff's Foreign Affairs Critic and his party's web site say this and only this about the situation, I'm inclined to attribute this stance to Iggy, as well. Nonetheless, I tried to find some more information. Unfortunately, a Google search of "Ignatieff and Honduras" brought nothing to counter the Liberal Party's stance.

I'd say the Party's statement is even less respectful than Harper's. It's somewhat disappointing.

(And, no, I don't plan to check out Jack Layton's or Elizabeth May's positions on the subject.)