Stephen Harper, the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, smiles at the leadership convention in Toronto on Saturday. (Jonathan Hayward/CP)
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Toronto — Newly minted Conservative Leader Stephen Harper warned the federal Liberals yesterday against a spring election even as his own party considers an immediate ad blitz in preparation.
Fresh off a comfortable first-ballot victory in the party leadership contest Saturday, Mr. Harper will begin putting his stamp on the Conservatives' election blueprint when he meets with his caucus in Ottawa today.
Party officials will soon discuss whether to run a series of pre-election advertisements that they feel can take advantage of this past weekend's convention and a likely upward bump that it will give the party in the polls.
The ads, which have not yet been produced, would probably run within a few weeks if Mr. Harper is convinced a spring election is in the offing.
However, he cautioned Prime Minister Paul Martin not to go to the people until the fall, saying Canadians want to first hear an accounting for the sponsorship scandal.
"I think we should have fixed election dates. I think there should be an election in the fall," Mr. Harper said as he prepared to board a train for Ottawa yesterday. "I don't think the Prime Minister should be picking a date whenever it suits him or whenever he gets good overnight polls.
"Frankly, he owes the country an explanation on the scandal and on the location of the money before he calls an election."
Mr. Martin is still undecided about when he will drop the writ. He has been considering a May election date, although many insiders say that the lingering negative effects of the sponsorship scandal will put that off until June or even, perhaps, next fall. Mr. Harper's party could use the extra time to prepare, although Conservative officials say they will be ready for a spring runoff.
Among his first changes, Mr. Harper asked MP John Reynolds, his campaign co-chair, to act as House leader. Mr. Reynolds replaces Loyola Hearn, who said last night he is not upset by the change.
"It was understood people have to put their own stamp on things," Mr. Hearn said.
Later today, Mr. Harper is also expected to ask MP Peter MacKay to become his deputy leader. The former Progressive Conservative Party chief, with whom Mr. Harper cobbled together the deal last fall to create the Conservative Party, is seen as an important bridge to other PCs, some of whom might feel uncomfortable with Mr. Harper as leader.
Although election planning for the party has been taking place behind the scenes, Mr. Harper has had to focus on getting elected leader and he will now plunge into the task of election readiness. The job includes preparing and approving the party's advertising campaign and its fundraising plans. The party has already put in place many of the technical requirements of a campaign, including transportation.
After his victory, Mr. Harper signalled that his party will move to occupy the centre of the political spectrum in an effort to put to rest concerns over extremism. He told about 1,500 members they cannot forget about the dispossessed and must welcome a broad spectrum of Canadians into their tent.
"We need the Red Tory vision of important national institutions and sustainable social programs because the Conservative Party will never leave the vulnerable behind," he said.
The speech came just moments after Mr. Harper won the leadership on the first ballot, reaping 55.5 per cent support.
The former Canadian Alliance leader easily topped second-place finisher Belinda Stronach, who earned 35 per cent, and ex-Ontario cabinet member Tony Clement, who lagged behind with 9.5 per cent. Thirty-seven per cent of the party's 252,000 individuals cast ballots.
Ipsos-Reid pollster Darrell Bricker said yesterday it is clear Mr. Harper is heading down the middle of the political road. However, he also noted that Mr. Harper made efforts to reassure social conservatives that they are an integral part of the party. "You're going to have to take him seriously," Mr. Bricker said. "He's not going to make the mistakes of Stockwell Day. He's not bad enough to defeat himself."
However, Mr. Bricker also warned that Mr. Harper must be careful with his language, saying it occasionally reminds Canadians of the more-aggressive tactics employed in the United States.
And although Mr. Harper made a point Saturday of complimenting both Ms. Stronach and Mr. Clement on their campaigns, not all party members were pleased.
Thirty-year party veteran Susan Walsh said she planned to leave the party if Mr. Harper won.
"I think he panders to the religious right," Ms. Walsh said. She noted that Mr. Harper wrote to more than 20,000 church groups last year looking for support for his opposition to same-sex marriage. He often ends his speeches by saying "God bless Canada."
Mr. Harper's expected massive support in the West was augmented by taking the lion's share of support in Ontario and he even polled surprisingly well in Quebec. Only in Atlantic Canada -- where he was hampered by his remarks characterizing the region as a culture of defeat -- did Mr. Harper get significantly beaten.
Indeed, Mr. Harper's support was understated because of the system used by the party to tally the outcome. According to unofficial results, about 92,000 votes were cast, with Mr. Harper picking up 65 per cent, Ms. Stronach 22 per cent and Mr. Clement 13 per cent. However, the system used by the party gave each riding an equal say in the outcome, meaning that ridings with large memberships -- mostly the Harper-sympathetic West -- had equal weight with small ridings, which included Ms. Stronach's base of support in Quebec.
