To the casual observer, it seems that Conservative leaders in Canada are shooting themselves in the foot. Instead of proposing conservative ideas, they are copying the extreme left-wing opposition, namely the Liberal, NDP, Bloc Quebecois, and Green parties, by promoting their left-wing, woke policies.
This has resulted in the ridiculous situation where the major political parties in Canada are hardly distinguishable from one another. Only minor tweaking is necessary to have all the political parties reading from the same playbook. Consequently, many Canadians who have a different perspective, namely a conservative one -whether social or fiscal or possibly both- are unable to vote for a party that reflects their views and values.
One reason for this unpalatable situation is that all the leading institutions in Canada are left-leaning. This includes academia, news media, the public service, the judiciary, organized labour, most mainline Protestant Churches, banks, and other corporations. These elites are ruthless in stamping out any perspective and policy alternative to their own. As a result, if a conservative party dares to propose a conservative policy on any issue, it is immediately met with resistance by newspaper columnists, commentators on radio and TV, the academics, who rise up in indignation, contemptuously ridiculing the policy, attacking the credibility of the proponents of the policy, and even making personal, detrimental comments on the character of the initiator. Corporations also denigrate conservative policies by promoting left-wing policies as both reasonable and conventional norms. Social media also constantly pile on support for the left-wing and add often vile criticism and outright censorship of conservative proposals and individuals.
There is nothing to stop these elites from their attacks as they take no prisoners, allowing no leeway for dissent because they will not tolerate any intrusion on their control of Canada’s national agenda.
Further, left-leaning institutions in Canada actively protect and cover up for the “progressive” policy makers across the country, loudly applauding their leftist agenda. For example, Justin Trudeau has been able to breach ethical principles, provide favourable distribution of taxpayers’ money to his friends and relatives, tell outright falsehoods, plunge Canada’s financial position into unimaginable depths, arrogantly propose mindless unsustainable policies on climate change and child care, death on demand euthanasia legislation, suppress freedom of speech, provide easy access to illicit drugs by drug injection sites, promote decriminalization of drug possession, and ignore sexual misconduct in the military. This is done while gaining tighter and tighter control over Canadians’ lives by way of hate speech legislation (Bill C-36) and government control of broadcasting and print media (Bill C-10). There are no limits to Trudeau’s encroachment on the rights of Canadians because he has the protection of the left for all of his reprehensible actions. The elites remain silent during episode after episode of Trudeau’s failures, moral, financial, and ethical. As a result, Trudeau has become invincible. The elites have placed an impenetrable curtain surrounding and protecting him, so that there is no requirement for him to be accountable.
A Trap for Conservatives
This tight control by the political left has also created a trap for conservatives, who are led to believe by the left-wing pseudo-elites that the only way to win an election is to put forward the policies supported by the left. Current Conservative leaders have crumbled at the first insult to conservative proposals and have quickly withdrawn their proposals or reinterpreted their position if they do not conform to the left’s narrative.
Conservative Leaders Have Been Intimidated by the Left
- Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper was well aware of the complexity of his position as a Conservative leader in a society dominated by left-leaning elites. For the most part, he was able to maintain a fine balance whenever the left/right factions conflicted. Nonetheless, Mr. Harper was persistently haunted by accusations from the left that he had a “secret agenda” and would be springing pro-life legislation on Canadians. He never dared to do so.
- Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer
Andrew Scheer was a man who knew what he truly believed, which was pro-life and pro-family. This was evidenced by his solid voting record over the years as an MP.
However, as party leader, Mr. Scheer received poor advice from his paid advisors. They believed he should dodge the accusations from the left that he was actually a conservative who believed in life and the family. As a result of the conflict between his own beliefs and his advisors’ advice, Mr. Scheer was reduced to a mumbling, inarticulate individual when questioned on moral issues. This resulted in him being perceived as weak, indecisive, and unreliable.
- Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole
Mr. O’Toole ensured safety from left-wing attacks by declaring forthrightly that he was pro-abortion and supported the LGBTQ community. He also stated that he stood with the Trans community in fighting for “equal treatment.” O’Toole had courted social conservatives during the leadership race but he lost no time in abandoning them. When he has occasionally uttered a few reasonable conservative comments, he turned into a quivering bowl of jello when criticized for doing so, and then quickly reversed himself.
The Mistake of Conservative Leaders
Conservative leaders and the Conservative Leadership have made a fatal mistake in assuming that the majority of Canadians support a left-wing agenda. This assumption is encouraged by the left-wing elites, who believe that all reasonable Canadians agree with their approach and that anyone who doesn’t agree is either gravely misinformed or a right-wing extremist. This is a misunderstanding of Canadians. There are, in fact, millions of Canadians who resent the offensive implication that the only valued and reasonable Canadians are those on the left. Many Canadians are unhappy with both the steady drumbeat from the left and their being ignored. They desire policies that reflect their values, views and opinions, and will respond favorably and enthusiastically to a conservative leader who boldly proposes conservative policies. In short, a Conservative leader who proposes conservative values will gain the approval of millions of Canadians who want a Canada that they can recognize, understand, and of which they may be proud. Many Canadians are fed up with the left-wing direction in which Canada is being led.
It’s time that Conservative leaders shred their leftist policies and return unapologetically to solid conservative values, proposing a bold new vision of a better Canada. Certainly, the Conservative Party has failed miserably over and over again in its efforts to imitate the parties of the left. It’s time it moved on and upgraded its policies to become an authentically conservative party.