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Mr. Harper has explicitly asked voters for the first time to give his party a majority, which will require the Conservatives to add a least 12 seats. Recent polls suggest a majority is far from assured.

The Conservative leader said Wednesday he would be “honoured with any mandate” his party receives from voters on May 2. But he refused to discuss what changes to the party’s platform he would be willing to accept to keep the Conservatives in power if they win another minority.

Instead, Mr. Harper ratcheted up his rhetoric about the prospect of a coalition, calling it a ‘black hole” that would stall the recovery, provoke more constitutional squabbling, and trigger a “national-unity crisis.”

He was likely referring to comments by Jack Layton in the English-language debate, in which the NDP leader said he was open to reopening the debate on how to get Quebec to sign the constitution.

Mr. Harper also declared that an opposition coalition would lead to another referendum on whether Quebec should separate from Canada, even though it would be up to the provincial government to put forward such a vote.

“We don’t know what that government will stand for,” Mr. Harper said of a possible coalition. “But we do know the general outlines. There’s no focus on the economy. There are tax hikes, and, of course, these parties have very dangerous and conflicting views on national unity and constitutional matters.

“So as I say, I think the option for Canadians to avoid all of this, is to vote for a strong, stable, national majority conservative government on May 2.”