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Conservatives in Canada Surged

Canada`s Conservatives captured the momentum as the country neared its January 23 election date, with polls showing that a majority of Canadians would have been happy to see the Liberal Party"s 13-year winning streak come to an end. Perhaps the most dramatic campaign story has unfolded in Quebec, where Conservatives failed to win a single seat in the last election.

According to a recent poll, the Conservatives` leader, Stephen Harper, is more popular in Quebec than he is in his home province of Alberta, the most conservative region in the country. "That"s like saying George Bush has higher positive ratings in Massachusetts than in the state of Texas," says Tim Woolstencroft, managing partner with Strategic Counsel, the Toronto firm that conducted the poll. "It"s stunning." Nationwide, Mr. Harper"s favorable rating is over 50 percent.

The Conservatives` attempt to paint the Liberals as corrupt was bolstered at the end of December, when federal police confirmed they were investigating allegations that Liberal officials secretly tipped off certain investors before an important tax policy announcement. Throughout the campaign, Harper reassured Canadians he will uphold the nation`s extensive social-service network, especially the healthcare system. He also promised not to seek any changes in abortion law. And although he initially supported the US war in Iraq, Harper has more recently said he would not send Canadian troops there.