By Paul Albers
Friday, May 11, 2007
Former National Citizens Coalition Executive Director Gerry Nicholls' recent column in the National Post called 'Selling out true conservatism' gave voice to feelings that are not unique among grassroots conservatives these days. Perhaps the long pattern of Tories eager to stab their leader in the back is unavoidable in a party that believes in something other than power for its own sake.
Many conservatives, especially former Reformers, are not pleased to see new regulations, programs and spending inconsistent with pure conservative ideology, but exaggerating the situation to the point of accusing Harper of 'selling out' is an over-reaction that is more petulant than principled.
Only a few short months ago the media marvelled at how much Harper was able to advance a conservative agenda in this Parliament. Now the Tories run the risk of becoming victims of their own success because they have raised people's expectations and memories are very short.
Gerry and other Grumbling Grassroots Choir members should consider what the past year would have been like if Harper lost the last election. Under a Liberal government, Alberta would never have an elected senator appointed. There would have been no public questioning of a Supreme Court nominee, no listing of the Tamil Tigers as a terrorist group, no significant Canada Wheat Board reforms, no attempt to raise the age of consent, no Accountability Act, no scrapping a flawed day care plan, no software lumber agreement, no maintaining current marijuana laws, and the Court Challenges Program would still be undermining conservative values using taxpayer money.
In foreign affairs, the Grits would not have supported our troops or rebuilt our military as the Conservatives have, and they certainly wouldn't have given up their anti-Americanism. Harper's government has done Canada proud on the world stage, taking a stand against terrorist organizations like Hamas and al-Qaeda, standing with allies like Israel and America, and taking on human rights abusers like China. Liberal, Tory, very different story.
The idea that Canada has enough right wing voters to keep a purely conservative party in power is based on faith, not fact. In four previous elections Canadians had the option of electing a Reform, Progressive Conservative or Canadian Alliance government, and four times they chose not to. Vote splitting was part of the problem, but even with that resolved the Conservative Party did not get a majority.
The Conservative Party is not, and was never intended to be a simple re-branding of Reform; it is an amalgam of both red and blue Tories. They need to expand their support, and there is virtually no room to do so on the right end of the political spectrum. The short term solution is accepting a level of compromise, the long term solution is to win over the hearts and minds of other Canadians and expand the portion of voters on the right.
That job lies more with the grassroots than with the Conservative MPs or leader.
With only a minority government Harper is obligated find ways to work together with opposition parties that have very different ideas. This puts Harper in a entirely different position that those faced by Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, or Mike Harris. Reagan had the direct support of a majority of the American people, Harris and Thatcher had majority governments. This gave all of them the political capital needed to implement fundamental changes, confident that the positive results would be felt before facing the voters again.
While some Conservatives might hunger for a rapid change of direction, they should have the maturity to settle for a rate of progress that won't hand the opposition the opportunity to remove them from power. Liberals have gradually lead Canada to the left for decades; Trudeau didn't campaign on universal day care or legalizing same sex marriage.
Conservatism is an ideology, not a religion. An unwillingness to be flexible and accommodate others with differing views will lead to either permanent residence on the opposition benches like the NDP, or to governing as elected dictators like the Liberals. The Prime Minister is the Prime Minister of all Canadians and government should reflect the will of the people more than someone's personal ideology; even if you are that one person. That isn't pragmatism trumping principle; it is respect for democracy, which is also a conservative value.
Otto Von Bismarck once said "Politics is the art of the possible". Whether all the compromises made by Harper were the wisest course possible is a legitimate topic of debate. In some cases I would say they have not chosen the best path, but to impugn the character of a minority government Prime Minister because his government lacks perfect ideological purity is counterproductive and narrow-minded.
Either Stephen Harper or Stephane Dion will be Prime Minister after the next election. Do Nicholls and his fellow travelers think the Liberals are now corruption free? That Dion would be a better leader for Canada? I don't think so. Harper has cut taxes, cut government programs, ended some of the wasteful spending and advanced conservative values. He has not done this as much as conservatives would like, but he has done it as much as he thinks is prudent under current circumstances.
Discontented conservatives would do better to work constructively within the party and focus criticism on policies rather than publicly undermine their best hope for the future.
Paul Albers is a freelance columnist living in Ottawa. He can be reached at: p.e.albers@gmail.com
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