When Michael Ignatieff’s Liberal Express bus broke down on the first day of his cross-Canada tour, he had to call on Harper for help.
The bus overheated on Hwy. 34 just outside of Hawkesbury, Ont., leaving Ignatieff joking to supporters that “A guy named Stephen Harper was seen running away from the bus with motor oil on his hands.”
While Stephen Harper had no part in the breakdown, a Harper was hired to repair the bus.
Once a second bus arrived to carry passengers, supplies and luggage to Cornwall for a late event Tuesday evening, the Liberal Express was towed to Harper Diesel, a garage specializing in engine parts and repairs for buses and transport trucks.
An employee with Harper Diesel’s Cornwall service centre would only confirm the Liberal Express had been fixed there, adding the irony of Harper fixing Ignatieff’s bus hadn't dawned on him until contacted by QMI Agency.
The Liberal Express was fixed overnight and put back into service for the second day of the tour. While he looked stern and annoyed in the moments after the bus breakdown, Ignatieff has tried to put a good spin on the whole affair, saying the bus breaking down isn’t a metaphor for anything.
