Stephen Harper: Government

Stephen Harper is 22nd Prime Minister of Canada. Explore interesting quotes on government.
Stephen Harper: 140   quotes 3   likes

“Now I know it’s unfashionable to refer to colonialism in anything other than negative terms. And certainly, no part of the world is unscarred by the excesses of empires. But in the Canadian context, the actions of the British Empire were largely benign and occasionally brilliant…This genius for governance shown by the mother country at the time no doubt explains in part why Canada’s path to independence was so long, patient and peaceful.”

Stephen Harper

Address to the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce July 14, 2006 http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=2&id=1247 : On Canada
2006

World , Peace , Time , Parting

“When Ralph Goodale tried to tax Income Trusts they showed us where they stood, they showed us their attitude towards raiding Seniors hard earned assets and a Conservative government will never allow either of these parties to get away with that.”

Stephen Harper

39th Canadian General Election 2006 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9mibZYpVPY - On October 31, 2006, barely ten months into the Conservative run minority Government of Canada, Canadian (Conservative) federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced a new 34% tax on income trust distributions.
2006

“I think I have been perfectly clear in saying that I hope Canadians do elect a majority government. I think this cycle of election after election, minority after minority is beginning to put some of the country's interests in serious jeopardy.”

Stephen Harper

2011 English Language Leaders' Debate, April 12, 2011, http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20110413/main-election-110413/20110413?s_name=election2011.
2011

Hope , Thinking , Country

“This party will not take its position based on public opinion polls. We will not take a stand based o­n focus groups. We will not take a stand based o­n phone-in shows or householder surveys or any other vagaries of public opinion… In my judgment Canada will eventually join with the allied coalition if war on Iraq comes to pass. The government will join, notwithstanding its failure to prepare, its neglect in co-operating with its allies, or its inability to contribute. In the end it will join out of the necessity created by a pattern of uncertainty and indecision. It will not join as a leader but unnoticed at the back of the parade.”

Stephen Harper

Hansard, January 29, 2003: On the Iraq war.
2003

War , Failure , Indecision

“[The Liberal party is a] moderate Democrat, a type of Clinton-pragmatic Democrat. It's moved in the last few years very much to the right on fiscal and economic concerns, but still believes in government intrusion in the economy where possible, and does, in its majority, believe in fairly liberal social values.”

Stephen Harper

1990s, Speech to the Council for National Policy (1997)

“Last year, when we had the Liberal government putting the protection of sexual orientation in our Human Rights Act, the Reform Party was opposed to that, but made a terrible mess of the debate. In fact, discredited itself on that issue, not just with the conventional liberal media, but even with many social conservatives by the manner in which it mishandled that.”

Stephen Harper

1990s, Speech to the Council for National Policy (1997)

“But I'm very libertarian in the sense that I believe in small government and, as a general rule, I don't believe in imposing values upon people.”

Stephen Harper

National Post, March 6, 2004.
2004

People , Sense

“It is imperative to take the initiative, to build firewalls around Alberta, to limit the extent to which an aggressive and hostile federal government can encroach upon legitimate provincial jurisdiction.”

Stephen Harper

National Post, January 24, 2001, “Open Letter to Ralph Klein”
2001

Hostility

“We should have been there shoulder to shoulder with our allies. Our concern is the instability of our government as an ally. We are playing again with national and global security matters.”

Stephen Harper

Canadian Press Newswire, April 11, 2003: On the Iraq war.
2003

“Whether Canada ends up as o­ne national government or two national governments or several national governments, or some other kind of arrangement is, quite frankly, secondary in my opinion… And whether Canada ends up with o­ne national government or two governments or ten governments, the Canadian people will require less government no matter what the constitutional status or arrangement of any future country may be.”

Stephen Harper

Speech to the Colin Brown Memorial Dinner, National Citizens Coalition, 1994.
1990s

People , Future , Country