Harper promises to promote French

Canadian Press

(Montreal)  While Stephen Harper toured Quebec on Friday promising to
promote French, he was warned his Conservatives must shake a
"redneck" image before they can win even a handful of seats in
the province.

Andre Bachand, the only MP elected under the old Conservative banner in
Quebec in the 2000 election, said Mr. Harper's merged party has little
chance of winning even one seat in the province. "For some folks, that
merger was more like a takeover from the rednecks from Western
Canada," said Mr. Bachand, who has sat as an Independent since the two
parties merged. "I disagree with that, but this is perception. Stephen
Harper is seen as someone who doesn't like Quebec a lot. It's going to be
hard for Mr. Harper to change that perception."

Mr. Harper said his party does not have a redneck image. If anything, he
said, the two previous parties - the Tories and the Canadian Alliance -
were barely known in Quebec. "What people are saying frankly is that
they didn't really know we existed," Mr. Harper said. "They are
getting a sense we are a strong and powerful option."

Mr. Harper worked Friday to soften his image in the province, speaking on
the importance of protecting provincial rights, including Quebec's status
in the country, while offering few details. Mr. Harper said French would
have equal footing with English under a Conservative government. "We
want to assure people that the position of the French language in Canada is
something I think is important," Mr. Harper said. "I know there
have been rumours to the contrary but I think its position in Canada is
critical to our identity."

On the tour, one Conservative organizer said his party would be happy with
45 of the 75 seats up for grabs in Quebec. Recent polls put the Tories and
the New Democrats at eight per cent in Quebec, a level of support that
would leave the Bloc Quebecois and Liberals with a monopoly in the
province.

Mr. Bachand said even if Mr. Harper manages to boost the Conservatives'
popularity, a weak organization in Quebec will continue to hurt the party.
"The maximum the Conservative party might look at is 15 per cent,
which would be a miracle," Mr. Bachand said. "Even then, no MP
would be elected at that stage. The party has no organization, no big names
and no money in Quebec."

Mr. Harper, who introduced about 30 Quebec candidates Friday, said the
party is better organized and funded in Quebec than either of its
predecessors. He also said the value of star candidates is exaggerated.
"There will be stars, but the people who become good MPs aren't
necessarily the people with a big mouth and a high media profile," Mr.
Harper said.


--- GoldED/W32 3.0.1