Mulcair moves to define his image, before Tories do

Despite mudslinging from both the Liberals and Conservatives, newly elected NDP leader Thomas Mulcair seems to be trying to paint himself as a calm, confident and clever communicator who is largely above the fray and who has the experience to manage the public purse.

It was evident this week in the first ad the party rolled out to counter an expected personal Tory attack and in Mulcair's inaugural public address before a business audience - a segment of society the party wants to reach out to as it tries to expand its base and shed its image as weak fiscal overseers.

"Good, competent public administration is probably the most boring sentence you'll ever hear in a political speech or economic speech but it's something I've repeated over the past six months across Canada," he told a gathering of business leaders and partisans at an Economic Club of Canada luncheon.

Speaking off the cuff, seldom looking at let alone following his prepared speech, he outlined the Conservative government's failures in this area from the F-35 debacle, to allowing oilsands development with no regard for the environment, to policies that have artificially inflated the Canadian dollar leading to a "hollowing out" of the manufacturing sector.

"We're across from a government that has very good branding with regard to its ability to handle the economy," he said, adding "sometimes the mask falls.

"The current government is leaving the largest economic, ecological and social debt in our history in the backpacks of future generations."

Mulcair argued the recently tabled budget is another example of incompetence with its thousands of job and service cuts, some of which will impact critical food and airline security.

"But they got rid of the penny," he quipped, noting governing is about choices, politics about priorities and his party understands that a "balanced economy" cannot be achieved by ignoring the environment.

"The NDP is resolutely in favour of development as long as it's sustainable development," he said. "The NDP is resolutely in favour of trade, as long as it's fair trade and the NDP is going to do everything it can to create a Canada that is more prosperous as long as it's more prosperous for everyone."

After his address he told reporters that his goal was to ensure non-traditional potential NDP supporters were aware of his party's provincial record on fiscal matters.

"Overall, if you look at the NDP administrations across Canada, you'll see nothing but good, competent public administration and balanced budgets and that's exactly the type of administration we're promising as of 2015,"he said.

"There might have been one exception - the Bob Rae government of Ontario."

The comment was a jab at the now federal Liberal interim leader who earlier this week called Mulcair a "hostile," "mini-Harper" and lambasted his finance critic for monopolizing the budget debate. Mulcair insisted there was no war between him and Rae and that he was surprised by the attack.

That said, he chalked it up to a tough week of being outshone by a revitalized NDP and his own colleague Justin Trudeau who made headlines and reignited speculation about a possible run for the Liberal leadership when he defeated a Conservative senator in a charity boxing match over the weekend.

He also dismissed an attack by the Conservatives on Thursday.

Tory spokesman Fred De-Lorey issued a news release that slammed the Liberals, and particularly the NDP, for advocating a carbon tax.

"Families across the country woke up to higher gas prices this week, yet Thomas Mulcair's NDP and the Liberals continue to call for an expensive tax on gas," he wrote.

Bracing for such negativity, the NDP also unveiled the first in a series of ads Thursday aimed at defining their new leader before the Conservatives could.

It's a tactic that worked for the Tories who forever tarnished the images of former Liberal leaders Stéphane Dion and Michael Ignatieff through negative attack ads.

The simple, French-language ad - part of the largest, non-election ad campaign the party has ever pursued - features a close-up of Mulcair rolling up his sleeves and speaking calmly to the camera.

"We continue," says Mulcair, who has often been portrayed as arrogant and confrontational. A government that listens to Quebecers, a greener and more prosperous economy for everybody. It's possible," says a grinning Mulcair in French. "We have a vision. We have a goal. To build the future together."

Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: Tobi Cohen