Conservative leader Stephen Harper was on the defensive...

Conservative leader Stephen Harper was on the defensive about his party's social agenda after he said a Tory government would allow free votes in Canada on issues such as abortion and capital punishment. At a campaign stop in Hamilton, Harper said that while abortion and the death penalty were not on his agenda, a Conservative government would allow a free vote on both issues if an MP introduced a private member's bill. Most private bills never make it to a vote. The death penalty issue was raised after Hamilton-area candidate Tom Jackson spoke out in favour of restoring it.