MONTREAL – Stephen Harper’s rivals say his behind-closed-door musings about winning a majority, stamping out separatists and socialists, and keeping liberals out of the courts prove he’s two-faced.
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says videotaped comments that leaked out publicly Thursday show the true prime minister.
“There have always been two Harpers,” Ignatieff told a news conference Thursday.
“The real Harper always comes out when he thinks he can’t be heard.”
He said the true Harper is contemptuous of other political parties, the justice system, and the social institutions Canadians hold dear.
Ignatieff also scoffed at the closed-door rallying cry for a majority. He said he’s toured the country this summer and met jobless Canadians – who would “laugh in your face” if asked whether Harper deserves a majority.
He said it’s no longer possible to work with a man so contemptuous of basic Canadian values, and reiterated his plan to bring down the Conservative government.
“(Harper’s) already lost the confidence of the House once,” Ignatieff said, referring to the attempted coalition takedown of the Tories last year. “He’s about to lose it a second time.”
For political reasons, Harper has for years avoided uttering his desire for a majority. But in a private partisan speech that has leaked out, he repeatedly discusses his desire to achieve one.
In the speech to fellow Tories, Harper also described how their party was keeping leftists from being appointed to public institutions – including the courts.
The Bloc says it’s particularly bothered by that comment about the judiciary.
Leader Gilles Duceppe says, behind closed doors, Harper sounds like a member of the radical fringe of the U.S. Republican party.
The NDP calls the remarks low politics that undermine Canada’s justice system.
