Stephen Harper Quotes

"I'd anticipated the Liberals would want to delay the election at least until the spring, if not longer, ... But look, if there's a necessity to have a fall election and the NDP ceases to prop up the government, that could still happen."

"We were committed at the time of the convention, and through the last debate, to put a free vote to the next Parliament on this issue, ... It will be a genuinely free vote when I am prime minister. I will not whip the cabinet; cabinet can vote as they want."

"Should the government refuse to debate this motion or refuse to abide by the motion ... I will move a motion of non-confidence in the government the following week."

"I've made no secret of our desire to rebuild the Canadian military to have the capacities of a sovereign nation. To make foreign policy decisions that are not only independent but are actually noticed by other powers around the world."

"We have to make decisions on where we're going to put our investments and this is not a matter of threatening the United States, it's a matter of reaching assessments of what's in our own long-term best interests."

"Her dedication will not be forgotten as others follow in her footsteps and continue to build on her accomplishments."

"I don't believe this government has the moral authority to govern."

"This government has lost the moral authority to run this country because it has been named in a judicial inquiry on corruption."

"It is a great honor and a feeling of great responsibility to be sworn in as the 22nd prime minister of Canada."

"We will honor your trust, we will deliver on our commitments."

"Canadians have seen nothing other than 100 days of inaction from the government,"

"Why, when the auditor-general condemned this practice in the sponsorship scandal, does this government still award contracts with no proper audit paper trail?"

"All too often we hear stories of veterans who are ignored or disrespected by government. What a shameful way to treat men and women who risked their lives to defend Canada. This shame will end with the election of a new government."

"I am waiting to hear somebody in the Prime Minister's Office put out some information that is contrary to what we're reading in the papers now,"

"It was the removing of a regime that was hostile, that clearly had the intention of constructing weapons systems."

"We're not going to try to force a vote unless we think we can win it."

"You know, the public health system is the only one most Canadians have ever used. It's the only one my family has ever used. We've just got to make it work."

"Set your sights not just on the next few weeks ... set your sights on the years ahead -- because our vision will look that far ahead,"

"made the [expense] rules up himself. And those rules allowed him to claim any kind of expense he wanted."

"All indications I've had to this point is that Mr. Layton still will not support a motion to bring down the government,"