Harper sets economy as key theme in election-style speech
Okanagan Saturday - Canadian Press
January 26, 2008

Prime Minister Stephen Harper zeroed in on the economy in an election-style speech that offered a taste of themes he could soon carry with him onto the hustings.

The prime minister spoke extensively of a possible economic downturn in a half-hour address Friday to a convention hall packed with Conservative partisans.

His central message was that with the economy fading, it would be disastrous if Canadians elected a Liberal government in an election that could happen anytime between now and late 2009….

Why did the Conservatives scrap proposed plans for a national child-care system and replace it with $1,200 taxable cheques for parents? "Children aren't raised in academic faculties or government offices or in the boardrooms of social activists," Harper explained. "Children are raised in families, so that's where the money flows."