Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

BTC: Family is everything (IV)

by Aaron Wherry on Sunday, September 7, 2008 4:30pm - 18 Comments

Excerpts from the Prime Minister’s interview with CTV.

“Mrs. Harper, Laureen, will do a lot in the campaign. She loves to go around and meet our workers. She likes the spotlight less than I so she’ll do it in smaller encounters around the country. The kids are in school and, being responsible parents, I don’t want to pull them out of school to help campaign. Although they’re great campaign assets.”

“My son is like both his dad and mom, he really doesn’t like the spotlight. He can handle it but he’s the kind of kid who just wants to be with his friends and play sports and do the things he loves. My daughter likes it a little bit more, but I keep telling her, Your day will come, it’s not quite yet. Just go to school and get an education.”

(On the involvement of family in American politics.) “You know, it’s a mixed blessing. Every candidate pulls their wives, sometimes even their children, up front, have them speaking and the next thing you know their political views and they’re being attacked just like a candidate and all of a sudden the candidates decide they don’t like that. Look, Laureen’s a wonderful person and very supportive. Very supportive not just of me, but very supportive of the things the Conservative party stands for. She was conservative before I met her, but I have no desire and I think she has no desire to be under the kind of public scrutiny or criticism the Prime Minister has to face.”

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  • Mike T.

    Serves him right if at every appearance the press notes “Harper-proclaimed campaign asset son/daughter was present/absent”.

  • D

    Stephen Harper. Proud father of two “campaign assets”.

    Stick to the issues Steve, and leave the family-man pandering out of it…

  • http://carnewsandviews.com jwl

    “Mrs. Harper, Laureen, will do a lot in the campaign.”

    I heard him say that and I wondered what Laureen would be doing exactly. Is it common for PM’s wife to do campaign events or is this something new, copied from U.S.?

  • Anon

    “I heard him say that and I wondered what Laureen would be doing exactly.”

    She’ll be making out with Stephen. In public. In parks. On street corners. In the bus. In the plane (toilet).

    Remember the kiss Tipper gave Al to “humanize” him in the 2000 elections. Well, get ready cuz Laureen is going to publicly have — — with Harper.

    Humanized he will be, damn it.

  • Andrew

    If she is going to be political by actively campaigning, she is fair game for close scrutiny. Can’t have it both ways, Steve.

  • Style

    Absolutely – if Laureen is out there meeting Conservative campaign workers like Harper says, the media must subject her to the same close scrutiny they give her husband. What is she currently wearing? Is she too betraying the country and her party by wearing a sweater vest?

  • kody

    I like Style’s style.

  • kody

    Word on the street is the Liberals are planning on forming an ethics sub-committee after the election, to look into:

    Sweatervestgate.

    Their first witness – Mulroney, of course.

  • Robin

    Harper is a creepy political opportunist whose use of his family as campaign props is reprehensible. Uncouth.

  • David
  • kody

    Another scandal:

    “Harper hates his children gate”.

    First witness up on THIS ethics sub-committee?

    You guessed it:

    Mulroney!

  • Torontonian

    @jwl @ 4:48 pm
    ———–
    . . . Is it common for PM’s wife to do campaign events or is this something new, copied from U.S.? . . .
    ———–

    Isn’t this more like a replay of Brian/Mila back in 1984? Remember Mila and her office on
    the Hill? Yes, that Mila. Same thing, all over again.

  • JK

    Wow, this is the Macleans far left spot.

    This is as bad the Daily Kos.

  • Mike

    JK -

    Nah, more like Blogging Tories without the foul language.

  • Sisyphus

    Macleans. Far left. In the same sentence.

    Mental gymnastics. Amazing.

  • MJ Patchouli

    Mila made the freaking RCMP salute her, remember?

    Laureen Harper is listed with her husband on the CPC website as the co leader of the CPC.

    Huh? Anyone remember voting for wifey? Just such silly conservative style crap — very progressive for women, eh?

  • Mike G

    “Every candidate pulls their wives, [...] up front, have them speaking and the next thing you know their political views [...] Look, Laureen’s a wonderful person and very supportive. Very supportive not just of me, but very supportive of the things the Conservative party stands for. She was conservative before I met her”

    Help, I am drowning in a sea of self-contradiction. Heeeellllppp

  • http://deleted Sandi

    I think Loreen has kept herself pretty low key and in the background – Mulroney used Mila as eye-candy. So, picking on her, to me, is unfair. And face it, it’s all about Harper and he just couldn’t let his wife get in the way of his spotlight…no, no, no….It’s Steve all the time.

    BUT – does this mean that Dion, Layton, Duceppe and May aren’t family folks – do they beat their kids or something?

    I don’t vote for a candidate wife or kids.

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