Instead of the characteristic jabs that have marked the intermittent caucus speeches his media handlers allowed cameras to record over the past five years, Mr. Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.) focused instead on bread and butter economic topics, receiving a lusty mid-speech round of applause for a single line that may signal where Conservative hearts remain as Parliament prepares to resume in just over a week.
“As you know, we will also follow through on our plan to eliminate the deficit to protect Canada’s strong fiscal position and help ensure long term economic growth,” Mr. Harper said.
His only reference to a controversial omnibus crime bill and other contentious legislation the government plans for the fall came at the end of the delivery, when he mentioned other priorities from the Conservatives’ May election platform and added: “We will work hard, we will do what we promised and we will continue to earn the trust of Canadians and if we are faithful to these things, I believe our government’s best days and, above all, our country’s best days still lie ahead.”
With no mention of the opposition parties—and no shortage of potential targets there—a seasoned Tory commentator and one of the NDP’s veteran MPs offered contrasting explanations for the unexpected nature of Mr. Harper’s address.
With the NDP in the midst of a rocky launch to what could be a seven-month leadership contest and the rudderless Liberals as much as two years away from a race to choose a leader to take them into the 2015 election, Mr. Harper may have realized, despite a brief commotion this week over the “Islamicism” threat and a short-lived PMO assault against a barbeque chef, he can ease up.
"You don't kick sand in the face of someone when they are haplessly sprawled out on the ground,” Tory commentator Tim Powers observed, in reference to the unsteady state of the Liberal party and the NDP vacuum created by Jack Layton’s death last month. “Most of the partisan bickering anyway is coming from within the NDP and the Liberals themselves as they navigate leadership politics with all of its entanglements,” Mr. Powers said. “The PM will want to look as he is, the capable, competent leader focusing on issues that matter to people, and have that juxtaposed with his competitors, who squabble among themselves about self-interested matters."
NDP MP Peter Stoffer (Sackville-Eastern Shore, N.S.) said he believes Mr. Harper may have been spooked by the intense reaction to a statement he made in an interview with CBC The National anchor Peter Mansbridge, for complete airing in a broadcast Thursday night, that, 10 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the U.S., Canada is still also a target.
“The major threat is still Islamicism,” Mr. Harper said, prompting critics to reach for their thesaurus and discover Mr. Harper likely meant Islamism, the actual and perhaps more neutral term for holding Muslim beliefs.
“I think his comments yesterday got a bit of a stir within the media and the opposition, and they probably realized ‘No, no, no, no sense poking a stick in their eye,’ ” Mr. Stoffer told The Hill Times. “I think what he gave was a steady as she goes speech, keep it bland, keep it down. Let’s face it, they’ve got a full majority, three opposition parties are seeking new leadership, basically they’ve got the run of the House for a while.”
Mr. Harper’s tone may also have been reflected in the relaxed and buoyant mood of Tory MPs as they entered the meeting, several smiling and nodding at a couple of reporters as they went, ready even to shake hands. The caucus chair, Conservative MP Guy Lauzon (Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, Ont.) went so far as to enthusiastically thank the dense crowd of journalists that turned out for the event, several of them meeting and greeting some of the Conservatives in return.
Mr. Harper repeated only one line in both French and English, shortly after his address began.
“I have to say that again,” he said after his French version of the sentence. “Since July 2009, the Canadian economy has created 600,000 new jobs.”
Mr. Harper pointed out that despite Canada’s record, the global economy “remains very fragile.”
“So as Parliament resumes this fall, our government will continue taking action to protect the financial security of hardworking Canadians and to help create jobs now and for the years to come,” he said.
“Friends, in managing the economy, circumstances demand that we listen carefully to Canadians and that we be flexible when necessary. At the same time, as we have always done, we will work prudently and responsibly acting on the clear and strong mandate we received from Canadians.”
Origin
Source: Hill Times
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