Harper hopeful

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper stormed into Thunder Bay Monday night with a Northwestern Ontario takeover on his mind.

The tide is changing, said Harper, making his second stop in the city in the past seven months, this time in full election mode.

With just two weeks left before Canada decides his fate, the prime minister urged voters in the region to help him accomplish his ultimate goal, the majority government that’s eluded in three straight elections.

“This spirit begins with people like you,” Harper told a partisan crowd that filled the Da Vinci Centre’s largest room to capacity and beyond, a wave of blue looking to sweep the North for the first time in decades.

“You have taken us farther in this area than anyone thought possible even a few short years ago, winning our first seat here in over 100 years in the last election.”

That victory, which came at the expense of Liberal incumbent Roger Valley, saw Greg Rickford become the voice of the federal government in the Northwest and Harper said he thinks the tide has finally turned for his party in the region.

“You’ve believed, you’ve worked and moved us forward. Every time I come here the crowd is bigger than the time before, and friends, because of your efforts, and people like you all across the country, our country is better off and you should feel proud of that,” he said.

He’s hoping it leads to a pair of wins in Thunder Bay-Superior North, where Nipigon Mayor Richard Harvey is seeking his first trip to Ottawa and up against incumbent NDP candidate Bruce Hyer, and in Thunder Bay-Rainy River, where Moe Comuzzi-Stehmann is looking to follow in the footsteps of her uncle, Joe Comuzzi, and unseat NDP MP John Rafferty and Liberal stalwart Ken Boshcoff.

Harper, who had the crowd cheering his every bullet point, repeated his anti-coalition rhetoric, a familiar sound bite at rallies from one end of the country to the other, to drive his majority message home.

“I know why you do this. You are here for one thing. You are here for Canada. And I do not believe for a minute that your fellow citizens here in Thunder Bay or across Northern Ontario believe in anything other than Canada. And they are not going to want members of Parliament who are going to sign onto (Liberal Leader Michael) Ignatieff or (NDP Leader Jack) Layton’s reckless idea that they could lose an election and then run the country with the Bloc Quebecois calling the shots from the sidelines.”

Harper went on to say he knows Canadian voters in the Northwest want a stable government, focused on the economy.

“We cannot go back to the days where federal policies divided Canadians against themselves, east against west, French against English, employer against employee, victims of crime against patients of our health-care system; the military against the civilians who serve them. That’s the rhetoric of the other guys. That’s not Canada’s future.”

The message hit home with the partisan crowd, though Harper spoke little directly about what his government will do to help Northwestern Ontario should he be re-elected on May 2 -- other than a brief mention of his plan to scrap the long-gun registry once and for all. 
 
Dana Cowen, who clutched a Harper sign close to her chest as she exited the rally, said she believes in what he’s done for the country as a whole.
 
“I’m very impressed with our economy, compared to other countries in the world and I found him to be quite a great speaker and quite exciting tonight.”

However Harper’s visit wasn’t without protest.

About 25 people gathered peacefully before and after the event, waving signs with slogans like “Anyone but Harper.”

Owen Smith, representing the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, said he wants to see an end to corporate tax cuts.

“They do not have to reinvest the money back into the economy,” Smith said. “Look at the big five banks. They’re making billions of dollars in profit. Look at all the CEOs making millions and millions of dollars in bonuses. Wouldn’t that be better spent in the economy?”

Harper will overnight in Thunder Bay and visit the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre on Tuesday before leaving the city.

NDP Leader Jack Layton is expected in the city on Wednesday, while Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is rumoured to be coming on either Sunday or Monday. There's still no word on whether or not Green Party Leader Elizabeth May will make a campaign stop in Thunder Bay.