Appendix 2 - Statement by Stephen Harper

APPENDIX (2)
From: Canadian Alliance Distribution [mailto:CADistribution@parl.gc.ca] Sent: Tuesday, August 06, 2002 5:41 PM
Subject: Statement by Stephen Harper on PC Leadership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 6, 2002
STATEMENT BY STEPHEN HARPER ON PC LEADERSHIP (Check Against Delivery)
In April of this year, Joe Clark and I met to discuss the future of the opposition in federal politics. At that time, I made an offer to Mr. Clark that we seek to combine the strength of our parties. I have repeated that offer publicly since and, although it has been rejected, today's announcement by Mr. Clark makes it clear that he and his party have been re-examining their options in recent weeks.

With this in mind I wish to reiterate that my offer remains on the table.

The offer is the following:

that what is now the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties run a single slate of candidates in the next federal election;

that the two parties begin this process by forming a full coalition in the House of Commons on the principles of the PC-DR coalition;

that the parties commit to eventually forming a single political entity.

On the last issue this objective would obviously require at some point a leadership race for a combined entity formed from the ranks of CA and PC members. Given that the PC party will be having a leadership vacancy in any case, now would obviously be an appropriate time to plan a joint leadership race instead.

I have said that this offer remains on the table through the summer. I would still expect to have an indication by then of whether the leadership and executive of the PC party wishes to embrace this offer, or whether it wishes to pursue its own leadership race.

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