OTTAWA: During the Canadian federal election, opposing parties went to considerable lengths to tie Prime Minister Stephen Harper to US President George W. Bush, one of the most least-liked presidents among Canadians in recent memory.

Now with a new US administration led by Barack Obama, Harper has an opportunity to cast himself in a more likeable light, and his government in a more centralist-minded one, which is important should the Conservatives eventually win over urban centres, which still ...