Liberals hold secret Tory dossier of Harper quotations

A 500-page binder of controversial quotations by Stephen Harper has found its way into Liberal hands. But the dictionary-sized dossier was compiled by the Conservatives as early as 2003, after being initiated by Harper’s former chief of staff Tom Flanagan, who admitted in his 2007 book, Harper’s Team, that he was aware that some of the Prime Minister’s past comments might hurt him. Many of the quotations show the Harper was more right-wing during his time in opposition than as Prime Minister. One quotation had him boasting about being more pro-life than his fellow evangelical Conservative, Stockwell Day. In another, he suggested “the poor” should be taken care of by the provinces, not the federal government. But what many expect to hurt Harper the most are the comments he has made about health care provision, such as when he said in 2002 that “the private provision of publicly insured services should be permitted.”

The Globe and Mail