John Manley, a former Liberal cabinet minister and once a leadership contender, says Mr Ignatieff made two mistakes in his comments.

ECONOMIST: An intellectual struggles to adapt to a political campaign

Her comments came after Canada's Deputy Prime Minister John Manley caused a stir on the royal tour by suggesting the Queen should be his country's last monarch.

BBC: Queen 'treasures' Canadian role

"If you produce in the US at subsidised prices, it makes it uneconomical to convert in developing countries, " Canadian Finance Minister John Manley said during the recent meeting of G7 finance ministers in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

BBC: Trade row shadows G8 talks