Stephen Harper Returns To His Reform Party Roots To Pay Tribute To Preston Manning At NCC Dinner

On Wednesday night, Prime Minister Stephen Harper quietly slipped into Calgary's Bow Valley Club, as a surprise guest at a National Citizens Coalition dinner which was honouring Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party. Stephen Harper previously served as a Reform Member of Parliament under Manning and he was once also head of the National Citizens Coalition.

Of Manning, Harper said, "He is to be recognized by history as one whose actions have defined Canadian politics for the past couple of decades and whose legacy will define Canadian politics for decades to come. Once controversial ideas, balanced budgets, tax cuts, liberalized trade, Mr. Manning made common policy wisdom. It is hard to imagine how the current course of national politics could have occurred without Preston Manning,".

While all of this probably plays well to Harper's base in Western Canada, you have to wonder what old Tory Conservatives in Ontario and the Maritime provinces think about Harper's Reform past. It is clear to most political observers that the old 'Reform' party has taken control of both the Conservative party and it's policies.

National Post