On problem-solving

There's plenty of frustration among Canadian workers with the continued crisis in the manufacturing sector, as evidenced by a series of well-attended protests this weekend. But only one federal leader appears to both recognize the problem and have some idea how to fix it - and the London Free Press covered Jack Layton's prescription for Canadian manufacturing:

Job cuts in the manufacturing industry won't be stopped unless the federal government does more to push for fair trade and production of green products, NDP Leader Jack Layton said last night at a stop in London...

The federal government must enact strategies to ensure Canadian products are traded fairly on an international market, he said.

"If Korea wants to sell cars here, they need to take ours."

A push toward producing environmentally friendly products is also needed to keep jobs here, Layton said.

"We need a green car strategy," the federal NDP leader said.

Of course, there's plenty more to be said about the issue than the Free Press covered. And indeed, the NDP has largely said it before.

But it's still important to highlight the gap between merely recognizing a problem, and actually having some solution to offer. And the more clear it becomes that the NDP stands out in the latter category, the better the chances of the NDP's proposals actually becoming public policy.