With the latest polls indicating a close race between the Tories and the Liberals, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper says his party is approaching Oct. 19 with a winning mindset.
"We obviously hope to win. We're going to accept whatever verdict people give to us. We believe that whoever wins the most seats forms the government," he told CTV's Canada AM, when asked if he would serve as Opposition leader should his party not win enough votes to form a government.
"If elected, I will serve, and I'm not contemplating other scenarios. But it's obviously up to the people of Canada.
"I'll serve if elected. If not… we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
In the wide-ranging interview that aired Wednesday, Harper opened up about the ins and outs of holding the job of prime minister, a position he's held for nearly a decade, and ultimately loves.
"My kids think, 'You work too hard dad,'" he said. "I say, ‘The reason I work so hard is I love my job.' One of the reasons I love my job is it's never boring. You're always learning something, you're always facing new challenges. Sometimes they're terrible challenges, but you're always facing new challenges and you always learn.’"
That's why, Harper added, he hopes to be elected, so he can see the country "take off" after it’s faced several challenging years, including the 2008 financial crisis.
"We have a chance now, to really solidify the gains we're making," he said, noting the Conservative record on the economy, including the recently announced agreement in principle on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement.
"I've been through a lot of tough years, I want to now see us really take off through some good years, which I'm hoping for."
But holding the office of prime minister inevitably makes you a target for criticism, he admitted.
On Tuesday, former Newfoundland and Labrador premier Danny Williams urged voters to choose anyone but the Conservatives on voting day.
The former Progressive Conservative leader popularized the term "ABC" (which stand for "Anything But Conservative") during the 2008 election campaign, after he said Harper broke a promise on transfer payments.
Williams told CTV's Power Play that voters can't trust Harper on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, suggesting that Harper may have given up too much to get the trade deal done ahead of the election.
He also said the Conservative leader is "trying to play on bigotry," with his party's attempts to prevent Muslim women from wearing niqabs at citizenship ceremonies.
Harper said criticism from detractors is just part of the job and he’s learned to deal with it. In fact, it's a critical part of a healthy democracy, he said.
"Look, that's just politics," he said. "In a democratic society, like ours, the prime minister is an important office with a lot of authority. And in our society we make sure that people who exercise power are held to relentless criticism. That is one of the ways we keep people honest.
"It doesn't mean all criticism is valid or good, but you learn to live with it. You learn when it's important to listen to it."
