I was very impressed that Nathan came to Yellowknife, which is what Jack Layton used to do. Nathan (like Jack) is willing to talk to people and listen to their concerns.
I was very pleased to see that Nathan has a great working relationship with First Nations and I think this is a result of him living in northern BC. Having an excellent working relationship with First Nations will be essential for the future Prime Minister of Canada.
I am glad that Nathan recognizes that the building of the Northern Gateway pipeline and the use of supertankers off the northern BC coast is "madness" because of the incredible environmental risks to the land, people and wildlife. Also, the associated development of the tarsands (to feed the pipeline) will increase the amount of toxins flowing downstream into the Athabasca River and the Mackenzie River basin.
I like the fact that Nathan has lived in different parts of Canada. It has deepened his understanding of the nation. He is bilingual and can communicate with the citizens of Quebec and francophones throughout the country.
He recognizes that Stephen Harper is a bully and needs to be stopped; and that it will take a different way of doing politics in Canada to accomplish that. Nathan has shown great courage in talking about doing politics differently.
Nathan is committed to developing a new kind of energy policy for Canada, that is less reliant on the development of fossil fuels and decreases the amount of greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere. That is what our children want to hear and the direction that their country needs to head in.
I also like it that Nathan is not in corporate Canada's back pocket.
We also need someone who will win back the respect of the international community. Canada's reputation has been severely tarnished and needs to be restored.