For all his failings, Stephen Harper ran a broadly stable ship for much of his time in power, until that time ran down, as it does. But no Canadian prime minister with ten years on the docket can say different. Yet the record will show Harper was, indeed, a better-than-fair steward, in a long line of Canadian prime ministers sharing similar traits — and considerably more moderate than his critics have long contended. Consider: In late 2005, during the Christmas campaign, Harper and the Tories faced a barrage of negative messaging from a flailing Liberal machine. The idea was to move the country rightward in baby steps, so as not to frighten the great, centrist middle class back into the Liberal party’s waiting embrace.

Source: National Post May 26, 2016 17:11 UTC