Part of my obscure Harper quotes series, these are all quotes from the leaked document that I felt haven’t got enough attention.
To all those pundits and journalists who pretend and attempt to paint the Harper Conservatives as a centrist, moderate party with no “hidden agenda” whatsoever… I have a question, why are you doing this? Don’t you know Stephen Harper himself admitted the exact opposite? Emphasis mine.
Only on some ‘social’ values are the Liberals and Alliance [precursor to Conservative Party] radically different. The Liberals are driven by the world view of the establishment left, and the Alliance of the religious right, but both will pursue their agendas as hidden agendas. The Liberals will continue to push theirs through rights commissions and the courts, and the Alliance will attack the powers of these institutions.
20/09/2000
Just a bit of context, this was a couple years before Harper got back involved in the Reform-Alliance party, and won the leadership over Stockwell Day. Later on, the Alliance merged with the Progressive Conservatives to form the Conservative party we know with Stephen Harper in leadership. Harper’s no ideologue, allegedly, yet…
Harper is aware some complain the direction he wants to take the party will return it to its Reform Party-Western Canada roots and turn it into a rump party. He’s perturbed by the belief that if the party returns to its roots it is going backwards.
16/01/2002
And, what are these roots you speak of, just for more clarity?
Neither should Albertans shun federal politics, but we should carefully guard our interest. Much about the Canadian Alliance is worthy of support, and a large number of Canadians support it. But the CA will be under considerable pressure to rid itself of any tinge of a Western Agenda or Alberta control. This we must fight.
No date, but presumably around the year 2000.
