Stephen Harper 2004 to Stephen Harper 2011

Stephen Harper, 2011: Minority or not, I will not work with or compromise with the opposition parties.

Stephen Harper, 2004:

It's the government's obligation to look really to the third parties to get the support to govern. [...]

The first obligation in this Parliament, if the government wants to govern, it has to come to Parliament and it has to show that it can get the support of the majority of members, through the Throne Speech, through legislation, and through budget and supply, and the government to this point has made no effort to do that, but that's its first obligation. [...]

Our [i.e. Her Majesty's Official Opposition]primary responsibility is not to prop up the government, our responsibility is to provide an opposition and an alternative government for Parliament and for Canadians. What the government has to do, if it wants to govern for any length of time, is it must appeal primarily to the third parties in the House of Commons to get them to support it.