June 12, 2004
In the 2004 election Paul Martin and his Liberals got off to a fast start portraying Stephen Harper and the Conservatives as being right wing ideologues complete with a hidden agenda. If the Conservatives were to from the government, Canadians were told that they would see the end of state run health care, our jails would be filled with women who had sought abortions and every Albertan would be walking around with a concealed 357 Magnum. Concentration camps would be constructed to hold gays and lesbians. If Stephen Harper was elected Canada would have American-style this and American-style that. Life as we have always known it would cease to exist.
Martin's strategy worked in 2004. The Tories had not yet held a policy convention and the lack of policy that they were able to communicate bolstered the accusation that they did indeed have a secret agenda. Harper spent the entire 2004 campaign playing defense. (The cartoon refers to a negative portrayal of Dalton McGuinty by an Ontario Tory strategist during the 2003 Ontario election.) Source |
