Categories: Canada

Harper’s next big chance

With Ignatieff cowed, the PM’s brain trust plans the next attack

by Paul Wells on Saturday, June 27, 2009 4:40pm - 167 Comments

Harper will have another chance to consolidate his control over the apparatus of government with three major pending appointments. Wouters must be replaced as the top bureaucrat at the Treasury Board, in charge of spending all that stimulus money. Rob Wright has announced he is retiring as deputy minister of finance. And Len Edwards is telling friends he will soon depart as deputy minister of foreign affairs. Ottawa Kremlinologists will be watching Harper’s choice of replacements for clues about the government’s new direction.

But surely there’ll be an election in September? Conservatives aren’t convinced. If Ignatieff couldn’t come up with a reason to pull the plug in June it’s not clear why that would change. Another confidence vote in September, one said, “is another chance for Iggy to look weak.”

The Conservatives think the controversies that obsess Ottawa are ignored in their ridings—and vice versa. Budget measures like tax-free savings accounts and a home-renovation tax credit are what gets noticed and appreciated at home, they say.

“He’s reaching out and connecting to the people he should be reaching out and connecting with,” the Harper adviser said. “We’re not trying to reach 100 per cent of the people. We’re not even trying to reach 60 per cent.”

Whenever the election does come, Harper has one plan in mind for afterward: the elimination of public funding to political parties. A punishing blow to his opponents. Sure, the idea caused a showdown last autumn, the adviser said. “But in retrospect, we should have stuck to our guns. It was strategically smart. It’s still strategically smart. We’re going to run again on it. And we’re going to do it, if we win the next election. It’s coming.”

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Tags: Michael Ignatieff, Stephen Harper

More by Paul Wells

kcm

I have to say i too find Harper's purported determinatin to end political subsidies baffling…it worked so well in the fu after all. It'll get the conbots like william all hot and sweaty but i can't see it seizing the country. That's unless stategic genius SH really does want to unite the left. Oh well my contention all along is that Harper's a fanatic at heart, and when he does self-imolate he'll be the one with the matches.

http://wakinguponplanetx.blogspot.com Candace

I guess you missed the articles about the overwhelming support Canadians had for eliminating public financing? Most weren't aware it was taking place. From an Ipsos-Reid poll in December:

"Regardless, a majority (61%) does not believe that political parties should receive this taxpayer funded subsidy"

http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=…
(you have to go to the last few paragraphs for that nugget.

kcm

The question of eliminating the subsidy was not raised as an election issue, and i very much doubt Canadians would have supported eliminating it with little or no debate. I believe other polls show it as a non issue for most people.

kcm

I suppose there are good reasons for not pulling the trigger, but really what conclusion can you come to, other than Iggy choked, he didn't want the puck, the ball ; he didn't want to be the man.
Hopefully for him it's just his inexperience showing and not a case of not having the necessary fire in the belly.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

Excellent story. Well researched and full of inside baseball. I'm amazed by the reaction of some of the diehard partisans here, who assume that any piece that casts Iggy's decisions in a negative light must be the result of journalistic pandering to the governing party.

http://intensedebate.com/people/CTM CTM

I agree, the libcons need something better than just bad mouthing Harper to get elected again…

Charles

Not only can no criticism be without some kind of partisan conspiracy, but it’s almost always followed by vague attacks on Harper.

“Harper's a fanatic at heart”

“Hey, Harper – try to do some governing”

Harper does not have one great plan for Canada

I’m still waiting on some sort of liberal policy direction, more EI and stimulus spending but ….it cant take till 2011 to get back to surplus. That’s great progressive thinking right there.

Id also like to take this time to note that countries of the EU who did not spend absurd amounts on stimulus packages are seeing just as much growth as the ones who did and even in certain cases have better long term expected growth since they wont have backed up debt.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Jack_Mitchell Jack Mitchell

Ooooh, how mean, wanting one's government to govern. That's low.

William

Now one would think that someone with an independent view would see the value in Charles` view that the vague attacks on PM Harper are from a party that has no substantial policy direction. If there is a Liberal policy direction then tell us where—–and explain what you mean when you say Harper has no agenda. Does governing mean announcements like the Kelowna Accord, or maybe announcing National Child Daycare, or announcing the Kyoto Deal or maybe getting Bono to announce for you.

You shouldn`t just make idle attacks and threats—-oh wait a minute—–there was another guy doing that for the past couple weeks.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Jack_Mitchell Jack Mitchell

Did I say that I thought the Liberals were chock-full of bold new policy ideas? Au contraire. You need to stop imagining that other people are saying what you want them to say, William.

This gets back to the whole thing about not being a slave of partisanship. If I criticise the Conservative position on something, it does not follow that I am endorsing the Liberal position. Got that? And if I denounce the Conservative government holus bolus, it does not follow that I think the Liberals would necessarily do better (though, if you're asking, I do think they'd do better generally). It's called being a responsible citizen. Now please share more of your biting irony, William, I know you're good for it.
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Jack_Mitchell Jack Mitchell

Did I say that I thought the Liberals were chock-full of bold new policy ideas? Au contraire. You need to stop imagining that other people are saying what you want them to say, William.

This gets back to the whole thing about not being a slave of partisanship. If I criticise the Conservative position on something, it does not follow that I am endorsing the Liberal position. Got that? And if I denounce the Conservative government holus bolus, it does not follow that I think the Liberals would necessarily do better (though, if you're asking, I do think they'd do better generally). It's called being a responsible citizen who wants his government to do well, not poorly.

Now please share more of your biting irony, William, I know you're good for it.

William

I would never be ashamed to admit my preference for a CPC gov`t then a Liberal one. Heck, i`d say half my reason for feeling that way is because I`m tired of Liberal gov`ts. If you look at history there has been Liberal gov`ts for something like 80 of the past 110 years—–jeez, give the other guys a chance.

And I`m serious about the long term health of the Liberals—-I don`t want to wake up some morning and see we have a PM Layton or please no— a PM Mulcair. And don`t think those dippers aren`t talking about it—-if Iggy fails watch for an NDP—Green get together.

See, I can be responsible and partisan at the same time Jack——looking forward to your next independent, non-partisan, responsible, denouncing and critical essay.
kcm

Nothing vague about calling Harper a fanatic Charles, there's lots of circumstancial evidence for that assertion. Although i must agree with you that something more substantial from the Liberals on the policy front would be welcome.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Jack_Mitchell Jack Mitchell

I'm not some anti-Conservative fanatic, William; it's precisely because, like you, I think we need balance that I wish the Conservatives would quit with the song-and-dance schtick and actually govern like Conservatives: then the country could decide if it liked that or not (or some elements and not others). What I loathe is this Brezhnev-era stagnation we've got going. Eventually everybody is going to realise that, given the Bloc, life is to short to scheme for majorities, that the country needs leadership, and that providing some leadership is better than all this bickering. Which you probably agree with, but I wish it would filter through to the Little Shop of Tories.

http://intensedebate.com/people/M_A_N M_A_N

Hey Charles, it's ok. We haven't actually SPENT any money on stimulus projects yet either. Just talked about them.

But thank you for at least raising an issue important to the people who live here, most of whom could care less about who sits where in Ottawa.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Thwim Thwim

Would you care to point out where the EU economy would be now if various countries of the EU had NOT spent absurd amounts on stimulus packages?

Saying, "Hey, I didn't throw myself on that grenade and I'm fine" doesn't mean that things would be the same if nobody else had either.

http://intensedebate.com/people/JPro JPro

"Id also like to take this time to note that countries of the EU who did not spend absurd amounts on stimulus packages are seeing just as much growth as the ones who did and even in certain cases have better long term expected growth since they wont have backed up debt."

That could be a result of free riding.

scf

Could also be unicorns or leprechauns.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Thwim Thwim

Both of which have just as much liklihood as Charles implied scenario as well.

scf

I enjoyed reading this article. It gives some good and credible behind-the-scenes stories that you rarely see anywhere else. I've not seen before a plausible explanation (til now) why the Conservatives jumped to election footing so unexpectedly, prior to Iggy's power play.
I find it funny the Cons would be thinking about Iggy's age (61). That doesn't seem old in comparison to others here and around the world, and the fact that Iggy appears to have good health.
http://darcymeyers.wordpress.com Darcy Meyers

Fantastic Take Wells…This fall should be fantastic sport, with the leaders re-charged and the two major parties that should actually be prepared for electoral battle should the tea leaves look right….
http://intensedebate.com/people/janicemaerose janicemaerose

Well, (no pun intended) this article sure sparked some interesting debate; particularly between a few posters.

I've admired Macleans comment section for its more mature and even informed contribution to the articles, as compared to cbc.ca or other news magazines. Sorry guys, but a couple of you were on the verge of denegrating. Let's make the fight a little cleaner next time eh?
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/janicemaerose janicemaerose

Well, (no pun intended) this article sure sparked some interesting debate; particularly between a few posters.

I've admired Macleans comment section for its more mature and even informed contribution to the articles, as compared to cbc.ca or other news magazines. Sorry guys, but a couple of you were on the verge of denegrating to QP antics. Let's make the fight a little cleaner next time eh?
John

The only thing wrong with the Tories' fall economic update was that eliminating subsidies for political parties wasn't in their platform in the previous election. I think it would be a great centrepiece for the next election. Why on earth should voters be forced to give money to political parties they don't support? That's what the current system does. Eliminating the subsidies would force parties to craft a message capable of making people reach into their pockets, and that would be a great thing for Canadian democracy.
Terren

Please tell us – election in the fall of 2009 or winter/spring of 2010?
James Halifax

Don't worry my Liberal Friends……if Harper cuts public funding to political Parties, your Liberal Party will find some other pot of public money to steal from to support their ambitons.

There are a few things Liberals are VERY GOOD at:

Pandering to every immigrant group that can vote……and stealing our money for their personal benefit.