Stephen Harper has long-standing plan to eliminate Liberal party: former colleague

This won't come as much of a surprise, but it appears Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn't like the Liberal party much.

Gerry Nichols, a former colleague of Harper's at the National Citizen's Coalition, said the prime minister wants to jettison Canada's 'natural governing party.'

"Ever since his days at the (National Citizen's Coalition), Stephen talked about eliminating the Liberals as a political force in Canada," Nicholls told The Globe and Mail.

"This was both for personal and tactical reasons. He didn't like Liberals — he always viewed them as biased against Alberta."

Harper and the Conservatives decimated the Liberals in the polls May 2 and consequently in the House of Commons. Could the next step be devastating the party financially?

Nichols said the Liberals could be in even more trouble if Harper lives up to his campaign promise of eliminating the $2 per vote taxpayer subsidy given to political parties.

Indeed, the Liberal party's financial challenges have been widely documented over the past several years.

In February, Steve Janke of the National Post, wrote an editorial warning the Liberals not to force an election because of their finances.

"Between September 12, 2008 and November 4, 2008, the Liberal party took out 34 loans from banks in Canada, for a total of $11,280,000," he wrote.

"It is clear that loans provide the immediate cash needed by a party to run a campaign, borrowed on the promise that in the aftermath of a campaign, public subsidies and individual donations will be used to repay the loan."

The Liberal party's financial troubles don't stop there. The Hill Times reports most of the 2006 Liberal leadership candidates are still in debt: Gerard Kennedy owes $164,000, Ken Dryden owes $215,000, Joe Volpe owes $73,000 and Martha Hall Findlay still owes $125,000.

Kelly McParland summarizes the Liberal financial woes in his column in the National Post.

"If I was the Liberal party, I'd declare bankruptcy, hand in my credit cards, wait two years and then re-launch as the New Liberal Party, or the Liberal Democratic Party, or better still, the Memories of Pearson Party.

With 34 seats, party infighting, no leader and financial troubles, Stephen Harper's plan might just be coming to fruition.

(AFP Photo)