BREAKING NEWS: Ignatieff Faces Lawsuit Over "Rise Up" Speech
Toronto, ON
With each passing day it seems that Michael Ignatieff and his Liberal Party can not manufacture a bump in the polls. And now, just after Ignatieff and his team unveiled a new campaign slogan, they'll have to go back to the drawing board.
Last week the former journalist and author unveiled a new speech aimed at stirring up the population of Canada. Entitled "Rise Up," the stump speech has Ignatieff listing off a plethora of supposed sins by Stephen Harper, such as having convicted felons working as former advisers, trying to prevent a vote by students at an Ontario University, and shutting down parliament twice. Then Ignatieff shouts, "Rise Up! Rise Up! Rise Up, Canada! We don't have to put up with this! This goes beyond partisan politics, this goes beyond the Liberal Party. This is about our democracy!"
Conservatives have called the new speech desperate sounding, but others find it inspiring. Recently at campaign stops across the country, Liberal supporters greet Ignatieff by shouting "Rise Up!"
Also, it was announced on Wednesday that Ignatieff would be appearing in a half-hour television special this Sunday and that the speech would be heavily featured in it.
But Ignatieff and his advisers will have to re-group after learning that they will not be able to use the speech.
In a letter addressed to the Liberal Party, and obtained by The Sentinel Dispatch, Pfizer,Inc has demanded that Ignatieff stop using the phrase "Rise Up, Canada!" Pfizer, the creators and distributors of the hugely popular drug purchase cialis, says in the letter that "Rise up, Canada is the theme for our upcoming spring sales drive throughout the country. We've copyrighted it, we've printed t-shirts, it's on our stationary. It speaks to thousands of Canadian men."
Many users of cheap cialis, which treats erectile dysfunction, were also alarmed by Ignatieff's use of the phrase. "I couldn't believe it when I first heard it," said Moncton resident Tom Murphy. "I didn't know if he was purposely making fun of people like me who have erection issues, or if he was just dumb."
Pfizer, in the letter to the Liberal party, gives them 48 hours to remove any sign of the phrase from their website or literature, or they would face litigation.
In a brief statement Wednesday afternoon, Michael Ignatieff addressed the issue. "The Liberal Party of Canada stands whole-heartedly with the men of this country who deal with erectile dysfunction. We will find a more appropriate phrase for our speeches."
From our Toronto Bureau
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