Friday, March 30, 2007

Stephen Harper: patriot, pacifist and equal rights warrior

"The establishment came down with a constitutional package which they put to a national referendum. The package included distinct society status for Quebec and some other changes, including some that would just horrify you, putting universal Medicare in our constitution, and feminist rights, and a whole bunch of other things."
- Stephen Harper, June 1997, on how horribly progressive Canada is

"I was asked to speak about Canadian politics. It may not be true, but it's legendary that if you're like all Americans, you know almost nothing except for your own country. Which makes you probably knowledgeable about one more country than most Canadians."
- Stephen Harper, June 1997, talking about love for his fellow countrymen

"It will come as no surprise to anybody to know that I support the traditional definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, as expressed in our traditional common law."
- Stephen Harper, February 2005, mixing up common law with Mosaic law

"Now 'pay equity' has everything to do with pay and nothing to do with equity. It’s based on the vague notion of 'equal pay for work of equal value,' which is not the same as equal pay for the same job."
- Stephen Harper, Fall 1998, appealing to the women vote

"I don't know all the facts on Iraq, but I think we should work closely with the Americans."
- Stephen Harper, March 2002, taking an educated stance

"The time has come to recognize that the U.S. will continue to exercise unprecedented power in a world where international rules are still unreliable and where security and advancing of the free democratic order still depend significantly on the possession and use of military might."
- Stephen Harper, May 2003, proposing a well-thought-out plan for peace