Winds of change
By LINK BYFIELD
January 20, 2006
It's fascinating to watch the nation bracing for a Harper-Conservative government.
And "bracing" is the right word. As Conservative endorsements roll in from once-staunch Liberal media allies -- the Globe and Mail, the Montreal Gazette, La Presse and numerous others -- there's a heavy sense of gravity, almost trepidation in the political air.
Most media commentators, like most Canadians, especially in the East, are politically on the left.
In the last national election 18 months ago, 65% of Canadian voters supported the Liberals, Bloc and NDP -- all left of centre.
Only 30% supported the Conservatives, and the Conservatives took only one-third of the seats.
This time, if the polls are to be believed --and they usually are -- the Conservative vote has risen to 40%-plus, and they could win a majority.
We'll know as soon as we turn on our TVs at 8 p.m. on Monday.
If the first returns show half the seats or more in Atlantic Canada going blue, it presages a Conservative majority.
If they don't, it probably won't happen.
But a strong minority would be almost as good.
One of the first things the Tories would do is establish the special prosecution office they promised when the campaign began.
Criminal Code prosecution is a provincial responsibility, but provinces are ill-suited to deal with crimes committed in the bowels of the federal bureaucracy.
A special prosecutor blessed with cabinet's co-operation will have Liberals on trial for years to come for graft, theft, kickbacks, fraud, conspiracy, and destroying evidence.
I'm told by Conservatives in Ottawa that federal paper-shredders have been working overtime as the transition of power approaches.
Considering all that has already come to light in the past decade, I believe it.
For the next 10 years or more, the word "Liberal" in a news headline may normally be accompanied by "charged" or "convicted."
If so, it's hard to imagine the Liberal party recovering any time soon.
If there has been as much criminal activity as many people suspect, the Liberal Party of Canada could completely disappear, the way the Conservatives did in Saskatchewan for the same reason.
But apart from delivering just deserts, what else could we expect of Harper and his party?
Harper is a new kind of conservative, unlike any of his predecessors.
Brian Mulroney was a "progressive" who called national social programs a "sacred trust."
His government brought "pay equity" into the federal sector and doubled the national debt.
Joe Clark said there was no fundamental philosophical difference between Liberals and Conservatives.
John Diefenbaker in the 1950s, like R.B. Bennett in the 1930s, was a Conservative in the old British tradition who believed in centralist, protectionist government.
So, for that matter, did John A. Macdonald.
Harper breaks that mould.
We have never had a prime minister like him.
Harper is young enough, patient enough, smart enough, different enough and tough enough to launch Canada in a new direction in this century.
In the dying days of the campaign, Paul Martin awakened to the fact Harper is not a "progressive" in the same sense as he and Jack Layton are.
He's right.
Harper does not believe, as they do, that it's the job of governments to lead, shape and define society.
He believes it's society's job to lead, shape and define the government.
He also believes firmly in the Charter of Rights, especially its recognition of God's supremacy over mankind and the four "fundamental freedoms" -- religion, expression, association and assembly.
These are rights that call for government restraint, not the liberal dishing out of expensive state entitlements and intrusions.
He will do nothing profound very quickly, but over time he will profoundly change this country, restoring its prosperity, confidence and unity.
If he wins Monday, I believe Canadians are in for a long, satisfying surprise.
By LINK BYFIELD
January 20, 2006
It's fascinating to watch the nation bracing for a Harper-Conservative government.
And "bracing" is the right word. As Conservative endorsements roll in from once-staunch Liberal media allies -- the Globe and Mail, the Montreal Gazette, La Presse and numerous others -- there's a heavy sense of gravity, almost trepidation in the political air.
Most media commentators, like most Canadians, especially in the East, are politically on the left.
In the last national election 18 months ago, 65% of Canadian voters supported the Liberals, Bloc and NDP -- all left of centre.
Only 30% supported the Conservatives, and the Conservatives took only one-third of the seats.
This time, if the polls are to be believed --and they usually are -- the Conservative vote has risen to 40%-plus, and they could win a majority.
We'll know as soon as we turn on our TVs at 8 p.m. on Monday.
If the first returns show half the seats or more in Atlantic Canada going blue, it presages a Conservative majority.
If they don't, it probably won't happen.
But a strong minority would be almost as good.
One of the first things the Tories would do is establish the special prosecution office they promised when the campaign began.
Criminal Code prosecution is a provincial responsibility, but provinces are ill-suited to deal with crimes committed in the bowels of the federal bureaucracy.
A special prosecutor blessed with cabinet's co-operation will have Liberals on trial for years to come for graft, theft, kickbacks, fraud, conspiracy, and destroying evidence.
I'm told by Conservatives in Ottawa that federal paper-shredders have been working overtime as the transition of power approaches.
Considering all that has already come to light in the past decade, I believe it.
For the next 10 years or more, the word "Liberal" in a news headline may normally be accompanied by "charged" or "convicted."
If so, it's hard to imagine the Liberal party recovering any time soon.
If there has been as much criminal activity as many people suspect, the Liberal Party of Canada could completely disappear, the way the Conservatives did in Saskatchewan for the same reason.
But apart from delivering just deserts, what else could we expect of Harper and his party?
Harper is a new kind of conservative, unlike any of his predecessors.
Brian Mulroney was a "progressive" who called national social programs a "sacred trust."
His government brought "pay equity" into the federal sector and doubled the national debt.
Joe Clark said there was no fundamental philosophical difference between Liberals and Conservatives.
John Diefenbaker in the 1950s, like R.B. Bennett in the 1930s, was a Conservative in the old British tradition who believed in centralist, protectionist government.
So, for that matter, did John A. Macdonald.
Harper breaks that mould.
We have never had a prime minister like him.
Harper is young enough, patient enough, smart enough, different enough and tough enough to launch Canada in a new direction in this century.
In the dying days of the campaign, Paul Martin awakened to the fact Harper is not a "progressive" in the same sense as he and Jack Layton are.
He's right.
Harper does not believe, as they do, that it's the job of governments to lead, shape and define society.
He believes it's society's job to lead, shape and define the government.
He also believes firmly in the Charter of Rights, especially its recognition of God's supremacy over mankind and the four "fundamental freedoms" -- religion, expression, association and assembly.
These are rights that call for government restraint, not the liberal dishing out of expensive state entitlements and intrusions.
He will do nothing profound very quickly, but over time he will profoundly change this country, restoring its prosperity, confidence and unity.
If he wins Monday, I believe Canadians are in for a long, satisfying surprise.
Comment