In 2004, the most rabid Bush haters often batted around the threat of moving to Canada if John Kerry lost the presidential election. Unfortunately when Kerry did just that, few of them kept their word, and we have been stuck with them ever since. Now it might well be time for conservatives and anyone who wants a job to consider the prospect of a move north, if only facetiously.

Although Canada retains a deserved reputation as generally less conservative than the United States, our northern neighbor has taken a rightward tack in recent years. As Barack Obama pledges to set timetables for retreat in Iraq, punitively redistribute wealth and raise protectionist barriers in the United States, Canada’s prime minister, Stephen Harper, has been slashing taxes, negotiating new free-trade agreements and sending Canadian soldiers, tanks and artillery to participate in NATO’s campaign against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

In the face of financial crisis, Canadian voters were worried and uncertain about the future, much as American voters are. Despite their liberal leanings, they have turned once again to Harper and his Conservative Party in the recent Oct. 14 elections. Though Harper’s party won only 46 percent of the seats in the Canadian Parliament, he made substantial gains at the expense of Canada’s former ruling party, the Liberals, who fell to a 25 percent share. Liberal party leader Stephane Dion announced his resignation last Monday.

While Harper’s re-election is hardly a Canadian Reagan Revolution, it does represent the Canadian electorate’s strong support of the prime minister’s policies.

Dion promised to withdraw Canadian forces from Afghanistan and levy a carbon tax on businesses. Harper promised to continue the country’s military commitment and keep the budget balanced while continuing the tax cuts begun in his first term — a daringly pro-market promise given the uncertain fate of tax revenues in the shaky economy.

Harper’s victory speech contained a somewhat unexpected emphasis on working with the other parties. Of particular interest is the Bloc Quebecois, a Quebec nationalist party that has somehow settled into the mainstream of Canadian politics.

The party draws support mostly from French Canadians, many of whom don’t actually support Quebec independence anymore. As such, the Bloc offers an opportunity for Harper to work with a relatively moderate party to pass his legislative agenda without having to make too many concessions to the routed Liberals, rendering his near-majority in Parliament stronger than it would appear to casual observers.

The prime minister’s principled approach contrasts strongly with that of David Cameron in the U.K. and John McCain in the United States. Both Cameron and McCain have staked their political future on agendas strongly reflecting their centrist idiosyncrasies, inciting substantial grumbling from their respective parties. It remains to be seen whether this bet will pay off, though Cameron’s prospects look better than McCain’s.

The campaign Harper ran was merely competent, but it shows that such candidates may sometimes be better off making a case for conservative policies than letting their opponents set the tone of the election. Harper emphasized to voters that Dion’s proposed carbon tax would hurt them by hurting businesses, and promised instead to cut corporate tax rates in order to promote economic growth. Now, if only McCain would do the same.

Reach columnist Russ Wung at opinion@dailyuw.com