Harper, “We’ll never go back into deficit.”, "We'll never tax income trusts" ,"We'll never.....

Why I deserve your vote
The Conservative leader explains in his own words why you should support him at the ballot box today

Oct 14, 2008
Stephen Harper
Conservative Leader
Toronto Star

I love Canada deeply and being Prime Minister is a great honour. In these times of global economic uncertainty, it's a great responsibility, too. That's why my government has weatherproofed the Canadian economy against the gathering international economic storm. The most important thing to me is that Canadian families are protected.

That's why we paid down nearly $40 billion in government debt. We lowered taxes by $3,000 a year for the average family. We brought in new reforms to Canadian banks, making them the safest and most secure in the world. We are careful with spending, making targeted investments in key manufacturing sectors, especially here in Ontario.

We did what Canadian families expect us to do – we made sensible preparations that are paying off.

Canada now has the strongest economy in the G7. Last month, more than 100,000 new jobs were created – the biggest one-month gain ever. We're going to get through this together.

Our election platform is not full of grandiose, costly promises. It's a prudent approach. We can afford it. We'll never go back into deficit.

Stéphane Dion has a different approach. His risky carbon tax proposal would make energy more expensive, increasing prices for everything from groceries to gas. It's never a good time to introduce a new tax like that, but it's especially risky these days. It's an experiment Canadians can't risk.

Dion also announced enormous spending promises that we can't afford. He would put Canada into deficit again.

There are many reasons to vote Conservative, from our sensible approach to crime to our strong support for families. But right now, the most important thing is to protect our Canadian economy – and to stop Dion's risky carbon tax.

I respectfully ask for your vote. Together we'll keep our country strong, united, independent and free.