An Average Canadian like Mr. Harper is pretty Scary...

An interesting article in the Toronto Star points out that Stephen Harper is really quite average in his views.
For example he would probably want some abortion restrictions:

"As an evangelical Harper probably supports some restrictions on abortion (I

say probably, because he has never said so himself).

But again, this doesn't set him against most Canadians, it aligns him with
them. A 2004 Environics poll showed that more than two-thirds of the
population wants greater restrictions on abortion. In fact, some experts feel
that percentage would increase if more Canadians knew that we have no abortion
legislation and as such a pregnancy can be terminated up to its final month."

So he is as scary as the average Canadian when it comes to abortion.


"Interestingly, a 2005 Environics poll shows a similar percentage of "average Canadians" are of the same mind as "hard-line" evangelicals believing that "life should be protected from conception." "

He has always been a moderate conservative on social issues... why do you think he left the Reform Party.

"Read any of the policy or position papers written by Harper from the time he was a grad student at the University of Calgary, to his days as a Reform Party MP, to his stint as head of the National Citizens' Coalition and you will be surprised to find that the only time he talks at length about values is when he is discussing the value of the dollar and how to maximize its potential. ... Harper quit as a Reform MP because his party colleagues often made social issues, and not economic and political reform, their primary focus. "

Mr. Harper is basically an average Canadian on most of the social issues of the day, which of course is scary to those who only look at the headlines or campaign slogans.

Quoted areas are from:
TheStar.com - Stephen Harper just can't quit his inner-Evangelical