Harper wants control of next government, even a minority

Harper will have control of a minority government as far as crime legislation is concerned. Crime control is always a great seller even when crime is declining. The Liberals will never defeat Harper on those bills especially early on in the session. In fact Harper may repeat his success all over again and this time perhaps the public will he so fed up with Liberal sham opposition that the polls will show that the Liberals cannot afford to go to another election.
These comments by Harper show his true colours. He is an autocrat who simply wants the public to legitimise his autocracy but not necessarily at a fixed election date!



Harper wants control of next government, even a minority
BRIAN LAGHI
Globe and Mail Update
September 17, 2008 at 12:53 PM EDT
WELLAND, Ont. — Stephen Harper refused to apologize Wednesday for a personal leadership style that his critics argue limits dissent and is often perceived by Canadians as bullying.
Mr. Harper was following up on comments he made Tuesday in Toronto, when he said that if he wins another minority government, he will not tolerate opposition parties that block crime legislation.
“Prime ministers are either accused of two things,” he told reporters in this Southwestern Ontario city where the Conservatives hope to make gains.
“They're being accused of being too heavy-handed or of not being in control … If I had to choose between those two things, I'd rather be accused of being in control than being not in control.”

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper speaks during a news conference Wednesday in Welland, Ont. (The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson)
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Mr. Harper's aggressive personality in taking on his enemies is sometimes sited as a drag on his party's popularity.
He said Wednesday that the Conservatives have used a range of methods to get his legislation through, including votes of confidence which, if defeated, would have brought the government down.
“On balance, as I say, and I know we always get criticism, on balance we were able to make that Parliament productive for longer than any minority parliament in history.”
He added that he would rather lose a vote in Parliament and resign his government than do something that would put the economy at risk.
Mr. Harper has been making subtle arguments over the past two days in favour of being given a freer hand in government. While he has stopped short of asking outright for a majority, he has pushed for a stronger mandate, noting that a Parliament with too many opposition members will curtail his government's effort to handle economic issues.
He repeated Wednesday that his government will not allow criminal measures to be held up in a future minority, particularly if opposition parties support the ideas in an election campaign and then change their mind. The issue has bubbled up in the wake of a shooting at a Toronto school.
“While all the parties will in this election say they favour these things, in reality, they don't. They come from a different school they don't favour this approach.
“That's why they're already squeaking about the fact that I say I'll make some of these things confidence measures. They don't want to pass them.”
Later in the news conference, Mr. Harper had strong words for Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion who, earlier Wednesday, did not rule out the possibility of a Liberal government running a deficit in the future.
“If you look at the tens of billions of dollars of announcements they are making, the only way these can be financed are not simply through big increases in taxes … but it would mean deficits and large deficits, big deficits,” said Mr. Harper.
He also took a shot at Liberal Bob Rae, who showed up on the campaign trail with Mr. Dion on Tuesday.
“In the 1990s, Bob Rae and the NDP took a slowdown and turned it into the biggest recession since the 1930s,” he said. Mr. Rae was premier of Ontario in the late 1990s.
Also Wednesday, Mr. Harper announced his government would crack down on the marketing of specialty tobacco products to children. Although so-called kiddy packs of cigarettes are already banned, items like cigarillos are not subject to the same prohibition. The government plans to prohibit the inclusion of flavours, like bubblegum, that are currently added to the products.
The products are already illegal for sale to children under 18.
“Today's announcement is not about curtailing freedom for adults, it's about blocking tobacco marketing to which children are susceptible,” Mr. Harper said. “Canadians expect their government to provide strong consumer protection.”