Stephen Harper is pleading with traditional Liberal voters to support his Conservatives to stave off a “disastrous” leftist government headed by NDP Leader Jack Layton.

In an exclusive interview with the Star, Harper appealed to Liberals abandoning Leader Michael Ignatieff’s party to pick the Tories in Monday’s election.

“I believe that as the choice becomes clear … a lot of traditional, Liberal, moderate voters, are going to look and going to say that the Conservative platform -- and where the Conservative Party is taking the economy -- is a hell of a lot closer to what I think than what the NDP has in its platform,” the Conservative leader said.

“Mr. Ignatieff and the Liberal party are in trouble not because they’ve been true to liberalism, but on the contrary,” he said.

“Their platform represents a departure from the Liberal Party at its best. The Liberal Party has been its best – now, you know, I have problems with the Liberal Party, I sometimes think flexibility becomes something else in the case of the Liberal Party – but nevertheless, you have to be realistic about the economy,” Harper said.

“And the NDP has not been prepared to be realistic about the world in which we are living and have economic choices that are fitting for that,” he said.

“I think a lot of Liberals who understand that, are going to think twice and I think ultimately, rather than follow their party blindly down an alley toward the kind of merger with the NDP that Mr. Ignatieff mused about, I think they will take a hard look at voting for this (Conservative) party, and I welcome that.”

Harper, who helped unite the right in 2004 by bringing the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives together, repeated his plea to Liberals at a small rally at a Richmond Hill auto shop on Saturday.

Transcript of The Star’s interview with Stephen Harper

“A vote for the NDP is a vote for an NDP government – not an experiment. A vote for the Liberals is also a vote for an NDP government,” he said before flying to Windsor, Nova Scotia.

“I particularly want you to go out to those Liberals – there are many Liberals, people who have traditionally voted for that party, who do not and will not support the policies, the economic direction, of an NDP government.”

During his rare interview with the Star aboard his campaign bus after a rally in Ajax Friday night, Harper expressed genuine alarm at the prospect of a Layton-led administration.

“I think it is disastrous. I’m not kidding. I think the NDP economic platform would be an utter disaster for the country,” he said, referring to the $69 billion in new spending proposed over four years, including a $20 billion carbon tax.

“I don’t think an NDP-led minority coalition would last very long but I think it would do enormous damage every single day it’s in office.”

Harper also addressed Ontario’s 13 per cent harmonized sales tax, which has proven controversial to consumers since it was launched on July 1.

He gave Premier Dalton McGuinty $4.3 billion to convince Ontario to blend the 8 per cent provincial sales tax with the 5 per cent GST, raising levies on hydro bills, gasoline, and thousands of services ranging from haircuts to funerals.

“Harmonization of a provincial tax is a provincial decision. What we emphasized on the sales tax is that we reduced the federal sales tax and we will not raise it,” he said, distancing his party from something he pointedly refuses to mention while campaigning in Ontario.

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On the also-touchy subject of the Tories’ prospects in Toronto, where they have not elected an MP since 1988 and where he rarely campaigned this election, Harper said he doesn’t believe the city is “hostile territory.”

“There may have been that perception in the past. But I think we are very competitive in Toronto and we are going to win seats in Toronto. I think things are looking up. We’ll see on Election Day,” he said.

“But I don’t think Toronto is hostile territory at all. This is the city that just elected Rob Ford and our candidates are feeling good in every part of the city. But there’s nothing in Toronto we could take for granted.”

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