So, take this "maybe" to the bank -- Mike Harris will enter the race for leader of the reunited Conservative party to become the instant front-runner.
The confirmation will come in two or three weeks after the former Ontario premier lets an appropriate period of personal reflection pass.
He can't salivate too openly at the chance to break a jinx that has denied any former premier the keys to 24 Sussex Drive. Harris must appear desperately and dearly wanted by MPs from both parties, needed by both grassroots and backed by the very deepest pockets from Bay Street and the Alberta oilpatch. In just a few weeks, he'll have lined up all three.
This week featured a promised attempt by Harris to learn French, ramped-up speculation by friends and advisers and a suddenly robust schedule of speeches from Alberta to Atlantic Canada. Add it up and you have a leadership bid being tuned up and road-tested.
Ah, the need to cater to 20-25% of Canada if you are ever to lead as Prime Minister of Canada! The threat has been over-used. See rationale for why I say let's nip in the bud this bit of power-wielding on the part of those who have benefitted from bilingualism. Enough, already! There is more to Canada than Quebec -- and there are more Canadians to consider than Quebeckers and those who have managed to make themselves bilingual if they want to work in this country. NJC
"Service to one's country requires careful consideration . . . it's a personal decision . . . must consult with family" . . . blah, blah, blah, Harris said Tuesday. Translation: If things are as they seem, I'm in.
Had there been serious reservations about his commitment, the giddy anticipation of people in his close personal orbit would be tempered with nervous caveats. But, behind the scenes, there's nothing but total confidence in this imminent candidacy.
[. . . .]
To be sympathetic, it must be a very hard decision for a businessman now conditioned to private planes, big pay days and a fresh start with a serious girlfriend. He knows there'll be lingering dirt to shake from two difficult terms as premier. That much was obvious Tuesday when a Quebec cabinet minister slagged Harris for attempting the shutdown of a French-language hospital in Ottawa.
The Francophones of Ottawa were thwarted by Mike Harris--only for a time, of course--over one of their demands; yet, the Francophones will make certain he pays for that. See commentary on this in the top article in this section above.
Note the poison pill again; convince Canadians that he's not one of them. He's been too successful to appeal to ordinary Canadians as
"a businessman now conditioned to private planes, big pay days and a fresh start with a serious girlfriend."***
D*** it! Do we want failures to run for leadership? If Mike Harris has been successful, shouldn't that be a recommendation? NJC
