Belinda, you do not know the people you are dealing with. You think your soul is black but you have no idea. You will hold your office for a couple of days, or perhaps a few months, but only for as long as you are useful to them. And then they will discard you.

The Tories, meanwhile, unveiled a candidate they hope will stand as a powerful symbol in the campaign: Allan Cutler, the retired bureaucrat who first tried to alert his superiors to mismanagement in the federal advertising branch responsible for the sponsorship scandal.

Cutler announced he has decided to run for the Tory nomination in Ottawa South, a riding that's home to many civil servants, but that incumbent Liberal MP David McGuinty — Premier Dalton McGuinty's younger brother — won by a comfortable 5,300 votes in 2004.

Cutler was greeted by a raucous ovation when introduced at the party's weekly caucus meeting.

"I'm not used to this, I'm not used to having supporters," said Cutler, who was removed from his job for trying to stand in the way of the program in the early 1990s. "I spent my life, 30 years, quietly doing my job. When the sponsorship issue came up, I did what every public servant should do, and should do without fear of reprisal. I have to tell you I don't believe I did anything remarkable, I did what should be done."

In the waning days of the 2004 campaign a key Liberal strategy was to target soft NDP support and to drive it toward them by painting Harper and the Conservatives as socially extreme.

The resulting vote split frustrated the NDP and party strategists estimate it cost them at least 13 close riding battles.

"The Liberals came in with a pile of crap in the last week of the campaign and tried to frighten voters and it worked in some places," grumbled former NDP leader Ed Broadbent, who joined Layton on the stump in Oshawa, his former riding and hometown.....
"In addition, Broadbent said, the Conservatives have mellowed in the intervening 17 months.

"They're doing everything to appear as a moderate party and Mr. Harper has been around a little longer," he said.

"Perhaps he'll be more congenial and and a little less scary personally."

Conservatives are charting a course toward a majority on Jan. 23, according to a new national poll completed yesterday.

The survey, conducted by EKOS Research Associates for the Toronto Star and La Presse, shows Stephen Harper's Conservatives have sailed into majority government territory after a stunning week of rising popularity, largely at the expense of the Liberal party.

The EKOS survey of 1,240 Canadians through the weekend and yesterday found 39.1 per cent support for the Conservatives. The Liberals had 26.8 per cent support; the NDP 16.2 per cent; the Bloc Québécois 12.6 per cent; and Green party 4.6 per cent.

"This is the breakthrough Harper has been waiting for," EKOS president Frank Graves said.

In Ontario, the Conservatives have widened the gap to a 10-percentage-point lead over the Liberals. Of the 518 Ontarians surveyed, 43.8 per cent supported the Tories, 33.5 per cent the Liberals, 16.2 per cent the NDP, and 5.4 per cent the Greens.

Even in Quebec, the Conservatives are ahead of the Liberals. A total of 330 people were surveyed in that province and 19.1 per cent threw their support behind the Tories, compared with 17.4 per cent for the Liberals.

The Bloc, however, remains miles ahead with 52.4 per cent.


"The Conservatives' gains are nationwide, but their most significant growth is in Ontario, where they have surpassed the Liberals in their traditional heartland, and in Quebec, where they are now the leading federalist alternative to the Bloc Québécois," Graves said.

The national poll numbers are considered accurate within 2.8 percentage points 19 times out of 20. The margin of error in Ontario was 4.3 percentage points.

EKOS's Paul Adams said Harper's popularity is driving the surge. When those surveyed were asked who had the most positive vision for the future, the Conservative leader received 32 per cent support. Prime Minister Paul Martin had 20 per cent, the NDP's Jack Layton 16 per cent, and Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe 10 per cent. "None of the above" registered 10 per cent and 12 per cent said they didn't know.

Congress of Aboriginal Peoples endorses Conservative Party

OTTAWA - Conservative Indian and Northern Affairs Critic Jim Prentice today welcomed the support of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples.

Congress National Chief Dwight Dorey and National Vice-Chief Patrick Brazeau today endorsed the party after meeting with Prentice to discuss the Conservative Party's policies on Aboriginal affairs. The Congress represents Aboriginal peoples living in urban, rural, and remote areas throughout Canada.

"After 12 years, the lives of Aboriginal peoples have not improved," Prentice said. "A Conservative government would do better, and we will work closely with groups such as the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples to achieve the goals outlined in the Kelowna agreement."

The party's election platform, Stand up for Canada, includes a plan which respects Aboriginal people and provides opportunities for them. A Conservative government will also work with groups to develop a northern vision to guide economic, social, and environmental progress in the region.

"The Conservative Party is the only party with a plan to help Aboriginal Canadians," said Mr. Dorey. "Their plans provide real choice and provide real opportunities, and I am encouraged by their policies."

"Stephen Harper has opened the door for the Congress and other groups to work together to improve the lives of Aboriginals," Mr. Brazeau said.