Tory may yet regret Harper's support

If Stephen Harper really wants to help John Tory become the next premier of Ontario, he should stop saying all those nice things about him.

Ontario voters become wary when a prime minister and provincial leader of the same party, in this case Conservatives, appear cozy.

They fear the prime minister will dominate and the province's interests be less noticed, one reason they have refused often over many decades to elect a leader of the same party as premier.

Harper and Tory have had an alliance of sorts since the federal election early this year in which Tory campaigned for his federal leader more than most recent Ontario party leaders.

In the latest twist, Harper in three months as prime minister avoided meeting Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty as if he had bird flu, although McGuinty represents the biggest province and is eager to discuss federal-provincial finances.

Harper eventually granted the premier 40 minutes' audience, but refused to be photographed with him and dashed out the back door to meet Tory, who was holding a fund-raiser.

Harper usually shows as much passion as a computer, but suddenly had enthusiasm, introducing Tory as "the next premier of Ontario" and allowing many pictures of them shaking hands.

Harper said Ontario should elect Tory because he is a nation builder and great friend.

Tory praised Harper for cutting taxes and contrasted this to McGuinty, who has raised some.

Tory also accused McGuinty of trying to pick a fight with Harper in his claim the federal government collects too much money from Ontario for itself and other provinces.

Tory, who agrees Ottawa takes too much, complained that McGuinty has an aggressive tone toward Harper that will promote squabbling. He protested that McGuinty and his ministers repeatedly criticize Harper's government in a highly partisan way and if anything goes wrong anywhere in Ontario, a McGuinty minister is close behind, blaming Ottawa.

Tory added that if he is elected premier he would avoid such a hostile approach and work constructively with Harper.

Some now running for federal Liberal leader also have complained that Harper favors Tory over McGuinty and the issue is bound to be raised again in that forum.

The relationship between Harper and Tory almost pushed that between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie off the news pages, so it will not be forgotten quickly.

As an example of how Ontarians have tended not to vote for the same party federally and provincially, the provincial Liberals lost 12 successive elections after 1943 during almost all of which their party held power federally.

They regained government in Ontario in 1985 only after a federal Liberal government was defeated, although it could not be said reluctance to have the same party in power federally and provincially was unfailingly the hottest topic.

Tory and his Conservatives probably feel Harper has become so popular they can only benefit by being associated with him, but federal governments often have lost favour quickly and never hesitated to take unpopular actions when it suited them at times when their provincial parties faced elections.

Parties also have profited by emphasizing opponents' links to federal cousins. The Ontario Conservatives for many years warned that if the Liberals were elected in Ontario, it would have a puppet government manipulated by Liberals governing in Ottawa.

Some Ontario leaders have recognized the dangers. Conservative Mike Harris, the only recent premier to win consecutive majority governments, went to great lengths to distance himself from fading prime ministers Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell and their party in opposition under Joe Clark, and he retired undefeated.

Tory has an extra problem in having allied himself to a federal party that includes farright extremists notorious for making outrageous gaffes, the most recent being one MP who claimed Canada's chief justice said judges have `godlike powers' and had to admit she never said it and another who suggested journalists should be jailed if they distort facts in a story. Tory could be sorry that he got mixed up with such people.