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Still, Harper’s commendable record in office cannot be dismissed. Our economy is in good shape — better than most of our fellow democracies. The budget is balanced. The country is, unusually for this fractious federation, broadly at peace with itself. Only a country as prosperous, free and secure as Canada would take such accomplishments for granted — and that’s exactly what too many of us have done.

There are legitimate failings on the Conservative record — we discussed them at length in a recent editorial that addressed the party’s record on accountability and respecting our democratic institutions — but Harper’s actual policy achievements and positions must not be overlooked.

On the economy, the party has a strong record, which is why both opposition parties hesitate to do more than fiddle with it at the margins. Though the Armed Forces remain in urgent need of new equipment and better funding, not to mention a fix for our chronically dysfunctional procurement system, the Conservatives have made key investments in core military capabilities, ably handled their inherited war in Afghanistan and have kept Canada firmly on the right side of history in Ukraine, the Middle East and in North Africa.

On social policy, too, the Tories are the clear winners. Income splitting, for instance, is right and fair. Families operate as economic units, and should be taxed that way — especially because many spouses choose to remain at home to care for children (a cause the Tories have admirably championed during their time in office). The expansion of Tax-Free Savings Accounts, similarly, encourages Canadians to build wealth and prepare for retirement, reducing the punishing tax burden currently imposed on Canadians who dare invest their own hard-earned money. The Tories have made sensible changes to our gun-control laws, to how the federal government funds health care and Employment Insurance, and helped clean up our broken immigration system.