This has certainly been an interesting election. Yesterday, for example, the Liberal party released a document of damning quotes made over the past 20 years by Stephen Harper. Interestingly, this document was created by a Conservative party that was concerned about past comments coming back to haunt them.
Conservatives were on spin duty today trying to convince Canada that these quotes from the past don't matter. Funny enough they are happy to use 20 year old quotes by opposition leaders in an attempt to smear THEM.
The following is a sample of his comments over the years . . .
"I think the UN security Council, the role that some had hoped it would play post-Cold War, is dead. Not just because of this but because of Kosovo. NATO's role is also in doubt." 04/2004
"It has never been my intention to seek a second term or to become a career politician."
"We [Alberta] are the only province in Canada keeping pace with the top tier countries in the world. Now we must show that we will not stand for a second-tier country run by a third-world leader with fourth-class values." 02/2001
"This political party stands for values that are eternal ... this country will either adopt our values or it will fail." Dec. 20, 2001
"The Canada Health Act must be opened up. The federal government is playing an entirely negative role in health care." Jan. 19, 2002
"I too am one of these angry westerners. The Liberals demonized the West and Alberta in particular ... we may love Canada, but Canada does not love us ... let's make the province strong enough that the rest of the country is afraid to threaten us." Dec. 18, 2000
"Low and middle income Canadians are the ones who fund the Canada Pension Plan now. They seem to have the money to do it. If they have the money to provide government with pensions, why don't they have the money to invest it themselves? I think there's a fundamental contradiction here." Feb. 23, 1997
"I think we're vastly over-invested in universities. Universities should be relatively small and provide excellent education and research in a number of specialized areas. I think the vast majority of young people should be going through non-university, post-secondary training." Sept. 15, 2000
"You've got to remember that west of Winnipeg the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from eastern Canada: people who live in ghettoes and who are not integrated into western Canadian society." Jan. 22, 2001
"Let's face it, the average backbench MP is little more than a bench warmer for his/her political party." Letter to The National Post, February 1998.
"Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status, .... "
"Any country with Canada’s insecure smugness and resentment can be dangerous".
"In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, I don't feel particularly bad for many of these people."
"Whether Canada ends up as one national government or two national governments or several national governments, or some other kind of arrangement is, quite frankly, secondary in my opinion…"
To think that some folks think this man is a fine fellow and a fine Prime Minister.
SIGH
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