[FlamesAddiction]

Hard to believe that time has gone by that fast. I am just wondering what people's opinions are of Harper now that he has been PM for 5 years.

My position of bias is someone with a socially liberal and economically centrist perspective. I tended in the past to support the Liberal Party, although I typically abstain from voting or vote for a fringe party.

The Pros:

Personally, I like Harper as a person. I think he generally wants what is best for the country from his perspective. I don't necessarily agree with it, but as far as politicians go, I don't think he is as self-serving as many are. I appreciate that he seemed to take criticisms to heart. I am not a very advanced French speaker, but from what I have heard from people who are, he really improved at that. I think that shows dedication and a desire for national unity. Although I think past governments set up Canada to weather the recent economic situations, I think Harper was cool headed and his responses were reasonable.

The Cons:

I never cared to vote for him mainly because I have heard that he is socially conservative and I wouldn't want to vote for him if I thought a majority government would give him a platform to institute a social conservative policy. I am not sure if I should be over this yet. He tried to govern a minority government as a majority with bullying (at the same time though, the opposition tried to govern as a minority). It just doesn't seem like he works well with other parties. I also don't appreciate the attack ads, especially while stating that he isn't going to call an election soon. It seems a little dirty to me. It was like he wanted the Liberals to blow their budget defending themselves so he could call an election a later time.

If you are a supporter of the Conservatives, do you think a fresh face is needed to get a majority? Harper still seems a little divisive. While I don't think he has been terrible, he seems to be treading water at best. Who would you rather have?

For supporters of other parties, do you think the leaders can be better than Harper, or at least win a popularity contest against him? The polls show the Conservatives with a big lead, but much of it is in areas where they already hold seats, so it might not make a huge difference after an election.