Harper: Canadians don't want an election.

Harper hasn't met a single Canadian who says we should be having an election right now. But then right now is not the fall. Besides he hasn't met me and I think it would be fine if we were having an election right now.
Ignatieff has been such a lack-lustre no policy leader that the polls will probably not improve much for the Liberals even though Harper seems to be returning to his old game of chicken. He is daring the Liberals to call an election or pass his own legislation on EI, which of course will be in the interests of all Canadians! Maybe the Liberals should bring Dion back, at least he had a policy on the environment and stuck to it and at least he was chosen leader in a genuine contest. Besides Dion has much more experience at caving in and supporting Conservative legislation. Ignatieff is just starting out.


Canadians don't want election, Harper says
Prime Minister plays down differences over EI and insists his focus will be on dealing with effects of recession this fall
Bill Curry
Whitehorse — From Saturday's Globe and Mail Last updated on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009
The Prime Minister is playing down differences between his government and the opposition Liberals on Employment Insurance and has repeated his desire for a fall session focused on the economy rather than an election.
Some of Stephen Harper's MPs spoke openly this week of campaigning for a majority government. Liberals are also raising election talk, saying their joint summer meetings with the government to craft EI reforms are not going well. Liberals have accused officials of overestimating the cost of their proposals to make the insurance program accessible to more people.
“The issue of employment insurance is to find better ways to help the unemployed. That's what we're looking for,” said Mr. Harper Friday at an energy announcement with Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie. “Clearly, we are very happy that we are having discussions with the Liberal party, but in the end, the government of Canada must act in the greater interest of Canadians. Clearly, we have proposed our perspective. The opposition, maybe their perspective is a bit different, but we're still talking about these things. I'm confident that this government will make proposals this fall that will be in the interests of the Canadian economy.”
Asked about whether his party is campaigning for a majority, Mr. Harper insisted his focus is on governing this fall.
He said the recession continues to affect Canada even though this country is doing better than most.
“I think the emphasis of all parties in the House of Commons should be working to ensure that we're working on the economy in the fall and that that's our focus,” he said. “And I will say over and over again, I have not met a single Canadian, a single real person out there, whose telling me that they think we should be fighting an election right now.”