It Won't Happen

You have a leftwing majority at Silly Hall and Queens Park who cater to the unions, social in-activists, environuts, etc. and to the credit of these groups they get out the vote to ensure they don't lose their place at the trough and both McGinty and Comrade Miller have become experts at shifting the blame for their broken promises and overall ineptness.

If Tories pucker, will GTA kiss?

Sep 08, 2008 04:30 AM

The calculus hasn't changed much for the Conservatives. Make a breakthrough in Ontario – especially the vote-rich GTA – and an enhanced minority government is there for the taking. Maybe even a majority.

But is Greater Toronto ready to embrace the Tories?

more

Arts and culture cuts not playing well in Quebec
But Tories are playing to their Conservative base and the perception that liberal arts communities don't need wasteful government funding.

What the leaders must do to win

Canwest News Service

Monday, September 08, 2008

CREDIT: Chris Wattie, Reuters The Conservatives are trying to portray Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a "family man" in new ads.

HARPER: Keep the election focussed on leadership and soften his autocratic image

There's a reason Stephen Harper is wearing a sweater vest in the Conservatives' latest TV ads.

No one expects the prime minister to turn into a teddy bear overnight, or suddenly channel the charisma of Barack Obama.

But if he hopes to tighten his grip on power in the upcoming election, Harper needs to take some edge off his reputation as a partisan bully.

After nearly three years in office, Harper is a much better-known commodity than he was during the last election.

He may never be a gifted retail politician or inspirational orator, often appearing stiff when mingling with the public. But at his best the prime minister has proven to be a decisive, thoughtful leader, capable of brokering solutions to complex problems, such as Parliament's decision to extend the Afghanistan mission for two more years. In other words, a leader whom Canadians might not adore, but could respect.

"They don't necessarily agree with his decisions, but I don't think that matters," said Peter Woolstencroft, a political science professor at the University of Waterloo. "Anybody who watches a politician on any level knows that things come at you day after day. And he can handle it."

Harper's campaign team is already taking steps to soften his image. In one of the ads, which portray him as a "straight-up guy" and "family man," a succession of supporters sing his praises, until a smiling Harper appears at the end in a casual blue shirt and sweater vest.

The Conservatives hope to exploit Harper's substantial leadership advantage to attract new voters. According to a recent Ipsos Reid poll, 50 per cent of Canadians consider Harper the best choice as prime minister. Liberal Leader Stephane Dion runs a distant third, behind the NDP's Jack Layton.

Conservative strategists will tout Harper, a former economist, as a steady hand who can be trusted to steer the country through tough times. They will also frame Dion as an out-of-touch former academic, whose carbon tax plan would put the slumping economy in further danger.

The Liberals, meanwhile, suggest they will cast Harper as a control freak who would run roughshod over Canada's artistic, cultural and other public institutions if granted a majority -- a reprise of the "hidden agenda" narrative from the last election.

They'll also seek to undermine Harper's claim to reliable economic stewardship by drawing attention to the country's dwindling budget surplus.

Andrew Mayeda,