For What It’s Worth: Conservatism at a crossroads

By Cash Moore on February 17, 2022.

The Conservative Party of Canada has once again begun another leadership race, the third since Harper left. The party has a lot to reconcile from now until the race concludes.

First of all, they have to decide what Canadian conservatism looks like in the post-COVID world. In an effort to pull more votes from the centre, Erin O’Toole’s brand of “conservatism” wasn’t really conservative at all; offering a platform that was hard to distinguish from the Liberal one. O’Toole has been soundly rejected by the party, so where do they go from here?

The Conservative Party is one of diverse ideas, ideas that are often at odds with each other. At its roots, traditional conservatism in Canada is descended from British Toryism; with ideas of protectionism, strong economic intervention, law and order and preservation of institutions, traditions and hierarchies. In more recent years, the Conservative Party has had greater influence from American populism, with an emphasis on liberalized trade and reduced size of government. There also remains the ever present social conservative, whose ideas are not generally popular among the broader population, yet remain a strong force within the party.

There are several paths the Conservatives can take. The hard part is finding the balance between taking a principled stance while also being palatable to the electorate. The best way to do this is choosing a leader with authenticity; someone who can communicate their vision for the country in a clear and trustworthy manner.

The previous two leaders, O’Toole and Andrew Scheer, talked from both sides of their mouths and it was unclear which version of themselves would show up. The doublespeak shown by the previous leaders is not appealing to anyone, regardless of where they sit on the political spectrum. The next Conservative leader should not try to hide their conservatism, but embrace it. A leader needs to pick a clear brand of conservatism, commit to it, and clearly explain to the population why this vision is best for the country.

The next federal election will be the Conservatives’ to lose. Justin Trudeau has won three consecutive elections; only once has a Prime Minister (Wilfred Laurier) ever won four in a row.

Trudeau has at best been a solid caretaker who hasn’t allowed the country to collapse under his watch. At worst, his tenure can be described by an array of broken promises, record public debt and erosion of civil liberties. I think it’s fair to say, regardless of ideology, that this Liberal government is not particularly deserving of tying Laurier’s record. Barring a magical resurgence of the financially dire NDP, as long as the Conservatives choose at least a semi-legible direction, it’s very likely parliament is theirs for the taking.

Whatever the Conservative Party decides to do; whether they go to the centre, farther to the right, populist or pragmatic – they need to have a clear and united message.

Cash Moore is a political science student at the University of Alberta from Medicine Hat.