THE GLOBE & MAIL: Stephen Harper said he’s taking a no-surprises approach to majority government rather than contemplating any radical shifts in policy now that he has control of the Commons.The Conservatives won a solid majority on May 2, winning 167 ridings, which gives Mr. Harper a healthy margin over the required 155 seats needed for a majority.
The Prime Minister said he believes Canadians expect the Tories to hew to the platform they campaigned on – and to continue governing the way they did during a half decade of minority government.
“We got that mandate because of the way we have governed, because of our record,” he said during a press conference in Calgary.
“Canadians expect us to continue to move forward in the same way, to be true to the platform we’ve run on and be true to the kind of values and policies we’ve laid out before them,” the Prime Minister said.
Opposition parties including the Liberals had warned Mr. Harper would tack to the right upon election and his rivals had tried to spook voters with the warning he’s slash health care.
The re-elected Prime Minister, however, said he’s not going to spring things on Canadians – shying away from the idea of allowing a bigger tier of private health care to develop in Canada.
“One thing I’ve learned in this business is that surprises are generally not well received by the public and so we intend to move forward with what Canadians understand about us and I think what they’re more and more comfortable with.” » | Steven Chase | Tuesday, May 03, 2011
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