WATERLOO REGION — Federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff rolled into Waterloo Region on Monday, talking about everything from the war in Afghanistan to the ongoing census issue to light-rail transit as part of his national tour.

Ignatieff made three stops in the region, stopping first at a Tim Hortons in Cambridge Centre Mall before visiting The Museum in downtown Kitchener and Bingemans for a Monday-night barbecue with around 175 local Liberal supporters.

Ignatieff touched base on many issues throughout the day, starting with the census, where he criticized Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his government’s move to make the long form of the information poll optional.

In his criticism, the Liberal Leader reached out to what he called the “information capital” of Canada, saying the government’s refusal to leave the census alone was unacceptable.

“This area believes in information, it believes in education,” he said. “And what do you have for a government? You’ve got a government that’s decided to wage a war on Statistics Canada. Now what does that tell you about the respect of a Prime Minister for knowledge, for education, for learning?”

After thousands of secret American military documents were leaked online earlier this week, Ignatieff also fielded questions about the flow of information on Canadian efforts in the war in Afghanistan. While he did say the way the documents were leaked was a cause for concern, he said that the troublesome discoveries should push Canadians to demand the full truth from the Conservative government.

“I often feel that the Conservative government has acted as if Afghanistan wasn’t happening,” Ignatieff said. “They’ve walked away from the mission as if it wasn’t there, but we’ve still got soldiers on the ground until 2011. The country deserves the truth about what’s happening in Afghanistan, so however much I regret the way it happened here, let’s get the facts because the Conservative government is not giving us them.”

The Liberal Leader then moved on to discuss light rail transit in Waterloo Region, something that has been a hot-button issue as the region has waited for federal and provincial governments to help fund the nearly $800-million project.

Ignatieff said that his Liberal government would be a staunch supporter of the transit system, saying he hoped to link it up with GO Transit and other transportation systems so as to provide effective alternatives for residents looking to travel in an environmentally friendly way.

“Canadians want to do the right thing about the environment, but if they don’t have any alternative to the car there’s nothing they can do,” he said. “So part of the reason I’m such a strong supporter of light rail is that it starts to give people some options and some choices on that end.”

Ignatieff added that the transit project might also have economic benefits for the region, citing Vancouver as an example of a city where taxpayer-funded public transit helped boost the local economy.

Cambridge MP and Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear, who contacted the media to respond to the Liberal tour, said his government remains committed to its pledge to fund one-third of the project — despite the fact the province recently scaled back its contribution to $300 million after originally stating it would bankroll two-thirds of the estimated $790 million plan.

“The federal government is not backing away,” he said. “It does put us in a little bit of a pickle but the federal commitment has not changed.”

Goodyear said he’s not surprised that Ignatieff said he’d support the project. “Of course he would. He’ll probably promise a Mercedes in every driveway.”

All in all, Ignatieff’s tour struck a cord with many Liberal supporters who turned out to support their leader, including Jeff Chard, who along with his 8-year-old son Evan, met Ignatieff at The Museum in downtown Kitchener.

“There’s so much cynicism out there, and I just want this guy to realize that there’s a good side to public politics as well, and that people can make a positive difference,” he said, gesturing toward his son. “I really believe politicians like Mr. Ignatieff can make a positive difference, and I’m just glad my son got the chance to shake the hand of who I hope is a future Prime Minister.”

Dozens of people lined the sidewalk outside the mall doors where the Liberal Express bus stopped, with many holding signs and cheering Ignatieff on. Among the crowd was Shelly Friesen, who dropped by on her lunch break with her three-year-old son Luke. The Cambridge resident said she took the time out of her day to visit the Liberal leader because she felt it was important to share her political values with her son.

The mall visit wasn’t without hecklers, however, as three students stood outside chanting “Go home, Iggy!” over the cheers of Liberal supporters. The Liberal Leader was quick to retort, however, saying, “I am home,” as he entered the food court.

Ignatieff also faced some tough questions at The Museum, fielding queries from some of the seven-to-12-year-old day campers who met him when he arrived around 3 p.m. One camper made the Liberal Leader think for a second by asking him what his favourite part of Canada was.

“I think it’s Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge,” he chuckled.