Harper gave Jack Layton advice during '08 election, says author
Prime Minister Stephen Harper advised NDP Leader Jack Layton during the 2008 election campaign that he should "bury [Stéphane] Dion and start talking about himself as the leader of the opposition," says a former Harper aide in a new book.
The story is related by Bruce Carson in a book called 14 Days: Making the Conservative Movement in Canada.
Carson says Harper reminded Layton that the NDP was either tied or slightly ahead of the Liberals in the polls and Layton's leadership numbers were significantly better than Dion's, who was then Opposition leader.
"Layton demurred and started talking about a coalition with the Grits," Carson writes.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/harper-gave-jack-layton-advice-during-08-election-says-author-1.2649974
May 21, 2014 5:50 PM ET| Last Updated: May 21, 2014 5:53 PM ET