The Countdown Has Begun
Posted on | March 13, 2005 |
Well, next weekend is the big event. It’s when Conservatives from across Canada will gather in Montreal to discuss policies and strategies at the Tory convention. It will no doubt prove to be very interesting especially since Stephen Harper encourages debate and discussion within the ranks unlike the Liberals. Among the many items to be discussed is what path should the Conservative Party of Canada take?
There are those who suggest the party should move closer to the center in order to broaden its appeal. They argue that if the party is unable to make inroads into Ontario, they will never form government. I disagree. The provincial Conservatives under Mike Harris were extremely successful in Ontario. The only thing the federal Conservatives have to do is tell the people exactly what the party stands for. The Liberal Party of Canada has been very successful at spreading fear and lies with respect to the policies of the Conservative Party while the Tories have failed miserably at countering. Easterners believe the nonsense they hear from the Liberals. Hell, at times even I’m not sure where the party stands on certain issues. This has to change.
Not only is moving closer to the center of the political spectrum unnecessary, it’s a huge mistake. If the Conservatives feel the only way to broaden their support is by watering down their policies then they risk losing their grassroots support in the process. The last thing this country needs is a Liberal Party clone, or Liberal Lite as Gerry Nicholls of the National Citizens Coalition likes to say. “Why would anybody vote for Liberal Lite when they can get the real deal?” Indeed. This party must take a stance and give Canadians a pro-free market, smaller-government choice. I was one of many Western Reformers who cautiously went along with the merger of our party with the Progressive Conservatives thinking it was the right thing to do at the time, that a united right was in the best interests of Canada. But I’ll be damned if I do nothing and watch the efforts of so many go to waste by the bastardization of the Conservative Party.
What is more important, winning elections or holding the current government in check? Normally I would say winning elections. But if the only way to achieve this is to broaden our appeal then I say to hell with it. What is the point of having beliefs and convictions only to change them for political gain? That’s not compromise - it’s called selling-out. If the Conservatives can prove to be more effective in the role of opposition rather than government then so be it. The one thing about Reform that I was so proud of was our refusal to bend or break. Sure, we compromised on minor points but when it came to something we truly felt was important, we refused to waiver. And we won the respect of many people because of that. Although we failed to win a federal election, we eventually became very effective in the role of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition. We also brought the Progressive Conservatives back from the brink of extinction.
So with just one week to go, I’ll be sitting on pins and needles hoping that the party moves in the proper direction. As much as I want to support this party remember one thing - Western Reform is not dead, and PCs need us a hell of a lot more than we need them.
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