Todays meeting of the provincial premiers and Harper.

[fixer1]

How do you think this meeting will play out? It looks to me that it is a smart move by Harper as it will show he is moving to try and address the fiscal imbalance, as well as showing the premiers that the federal government is willing to work with each of them.

I would imagine that while any co-operation of Harper and quebecs interests will make sure Harper has enough votes to carry on. The ability to talk to the premiers, without sounding all powerful, will also play well with the rest. I just wonder if it will all fall apart with too many demands. If he can have this meeting and leave it with eveyone on good terms, I think he will have no problem then with bringing his 5 main priorities about, and there will not be too much to stop him even from the opposition. What do the rest of you think about this?

[August1991]

How do you think this meeting will play out?

Harper won't give a press conference. There'll be no major announcements about 5-year or 10-year solutions to a particular federal-provincial problem. No PR.

OTOH, I suspect that some of the flaky provincial premiers have walked away shocked - Harper is a hard, cool, direct guy, they're thinking. He's serious. (There'll be leaks in the press tomorrow.)

Harper's message? What are the provincial PMs asking their smart advisors to explain? Harper: "Yes, the provinces will have more money. But you'll also have more problems."

Duceppe and the BQ said they'll support Harper. Mission accomplished. I think we'll have a long, productive, good-for-Canada minority government. (Good for a Canada in its true and complete non-Trudeau, non-Laurier, non-King, non-Liberal sense.)

-----

Telling point. Harper met Charest first.