[Roy_Whyte]

I was a Reform party supporter/voter at one time so let me begin by saying you credit Harper too much for the rise of the Reform party. The real credit goes to Preston Manning and the grass-roots movement he helped perpetuate. He came at the right time, had a message people in the West agreed with, and found the money and insiders to get them there.<br /> <br /> They imploded for many reasons in my opinion. I left after seeing how Manning's vision was hijacked by some for the benefit mostly of the very few. Add in far right dwellers among the mix and many became disillusioned, myself included. They also of course could never break through and saw an alliance with the Conservatives as their best way to the seat of power. They shared many ideals between the parties so it was not hard to see coming.<br /> <br /> There is of course lots more to it but that's my quick two minute take. BTW - congratulations on taking the steps to get involved in our democracy at the level you are. You will quickly learn the value of sacrifice, blood, sweat and toil. Best of luck to you.

[Brent Swain]

They were quickly taken over by religious fundamentalists which quickly blew their credibility.<br /> Their support for Canada's social programs was doubtfull, which made many Canadians who are dependent on the social safety net , very suspicious of what their real agenda was. They were too closely aligned with the US survival of the fittest, sink or swim, tough shit for the sinkers , way of doing things, which alienated voters in droves. They were too much of a "Lets fly the stars and stripes over Canada and become another state " type party.Their dedication to Canadian sovereigny was absent to the point of being seen as treasonous by many Caandians.<br /> Some of these liabilities are becoming more evident by the day in the current Harper government , such as putting the wishes of Bush ahead of the lives of Canadians in the current middle east conflicts.Lets hope the current oppositions parties don't ignore such issues in the comming election campaign.<br /> Brent