With Softwood Past Them, Harper And Bush Will Talk Trade And Security

"I'm really enjoying the job. I'm not saying it's easy. It has been a big adjustment in many ways. The hours are long, there is a lot to learn, it's a great responsibility and sometimes you feel the burden but overall I'm having great fun. I'm really enjoying it and I think I might try to keep for a while." Which is the issue that challenges you the most? "That's such a broad question. As you know, what we try to do as a government is lay down a small, set number of legislative priorities with three broad objectives: to clean up the government, to restore the accountability, to deliver benefits to ordinary people and strengthen Canada here but also in the world. There are many challenges; there are things that are easier than others, some can be done quickly, such as certain tax reductions, others require a longer term commitment, such as dealing with healthcare challenges and some of the international challenges and security challenges that we face. But our success at this point has been to determine some objectives we can fulfill, get on with doing those things, not overload ourselves but begin to move forward on a bunch of fronts." You mentioned accountability: if the legislation is not going to be approved by the House before the recess, what are you going to do? "We shall see. The bill got through second reading, it's gone to committee, and it's a very complex bill. I think that ultimately it will go though the House, maybe not quickly. Maybe working until it is approved through the summer... I would hope to get this bill out of the House of Commons by the end of the session and into the Senate. I don't think there is any way that this would be passed by the Senate at the spring session, but I'm optimistic that by early fall we will get this wrapped up. http://www.embassymag.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=/2006/june/14/harper/

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