* As Posted on http://canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics

Nfld. premier says Harper comments make merger a concern in Atlantic Canada
By DENE MOORE

ST. JOHN'S, Nfld. (CP) - Past comments by Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen
Harper have come back to haunt him as he and federal Tory Leader Peter
MacKay try to persuade party members to join forces.

Atlantic Canadians haven't forgotten Harper's comments about the region's
"culture of defeat," says Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams. It
raises concerns about the attitude a merged party will have toward the East
Coast, the Conservative premier said Monday after a meeting with MacKay.

"I do have some concerns as to where the party is going. If it becomes
a far-right-wing party then that's not where I want to be positioned,"
Williams said. "In the back of my mind, I have what is at the back of
everybody's mind in Atlantic Canada: a comment made by Mr. Harper some time
ago, which is the 'culture of defeat,' the defeatist attitude of Atlantic
Canadians, the can't-do attitude in Atlantic Canada."

It was in May 2002 that Harper drew the ire of Atlantic Canadians when he
blamed the region's defeatist attitude for his party's inability to elect
any members there. "It's the idea that we just have to go along, we
can't change it, things won't change," he said at the time. "I
think that's a sad part, a sad reality the traditional parties have bred in
parts of Atlantic Canada."

Williams, whose was sworn in as premier earlier this month after 15 years
of Liberal rule in Newfoundland and Labrador, said those comments don't go
down easy. "It's something that's difficult to forget and I just want
to make sure we're not moving in that type of direction with that type of
mindset," he said. Williams said despite his concerns he hasn't made
up his mind about whether he supports the proposed merger. His support will
largely depend on leadership. "I don't want to lock in at the
beginning because, again, I don't want to be locked into a far-right wing
party," Williams said.

He met with MacKay on the last leg of the federal leader's 10-day,
cross-country tour to drum up support for the union. Members of both
parties will vote on the tentative merger plan on Dec. 6. If the plan is
approved, a leadership contest will be held early next year - just in time
for a general election, expected in April or May.

MacKay admitted that many in Atlantic Canada have the same reservations
that Williams expressed. "I gave him the assurances . . . that this
has to be an entity that's going to be moderate and modern and inclusive
and tolerant in its approach, that's going to take the special
circumstances of Atlantic Canada into the fold," said MacKay, who is
from Nova Scotia.

The merger has the support of New Brunswick premier Bernard Lord, who was
considered a good candidate for leadership until he ruled it out earlier
this month. Prince Edward Island Premier Pat Binns said last month he was
optimistic Atlantic Canadians will accept a merged Progressive
Conservative-Alliance party. Binns said he thought the Alliance had
compromised and would move from the far right.

Nova Scotia Premier John Hamm cautiously accepted the union when it was
announced last month. The Nova Scotia premier has never been a fan of the
Alliance, although a handful of his backbenchers are card-carrying members.

The federal Progressive Conservatives have been struggling since 1993, when
the party was almost wiped off the electoral map. But opponents of the
merger say joining with the Alliance is a betrayal of Tory values. On
Friday, Saskatchewan farmer David Orchard filed a lawsuit that seeks to
ensure the Progressive Conservative party would survive for those who still
want to be part of it, regardless of what happens on the Dec. 6
ratification vote.
The court action does not seek to stop the vote. Rather, it asks the judge
to affirm the rights of dissenting members to maintain the Progressive
Conservative Party of Canada.


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