When you look more closely, Canadians are quite the conservative bunch. They do not like anyone making waves, ripples perhaps, but certainly not any white-crested waves. This is not only true of so-called “born Canadians”, but also of the many people who have come to Canada from faraway shores. They, too, bring with them traditional and conservative views.
It is therefore all the more surprising that the Conservative Party of Canada has been unable to win a majority government since 2006. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has often felt the need to defend his track record, saying that his approach is one of “gradual conservatism”. In a way, this makes sense, particularly against the background of Harper’s own comments in December 2005 when he said that the entire government apparatus and the courts were dominated by Liberals, which made it impossible for true conservatism to establish itself or to prevail.
Ever since Liberal opposition leader Michael Ignatieff proclaimed that Harper’s time was up, politicians and the media alike have been speculating as to what it takes for Harper to win an outright majority should there be an election. While the spectre of a possible election has been removed for now, everyone knows that the next election will happen within the space of a year at the very latest.
On that note, it is time to give Mr. Harper some advice regarding the future direction of his conservative government and party.
Fiscal conservatism should be the top priority for any conservative party. Now that Canadians are facing a deficit of tens of billions of dollars over the next two to five years or longer, it is more important than ever that a conservative government emphasize its commitment to radical fiscal prudence, such as slashing excessive government spending and creating a meaner and leaner government, not just for the here and now but for the long term.
This should be a no-brainer, as virtually every Canadian supports the idea of fiscal prudence, that is, the very concept of living within one’s means. Every child, after all, knows that you can only spend what you have. Canadians, therefore, have every right to expect no less of their government.
Dealing with the major problems and ever-growing costs related to immigration is yet another field that Harper’s government should not be afraid to tackle. As many polls have shown on a regular basis, as many as 80% of Canadians are dissatisfied or frustrated with the way immigration has been handled up to now. Canadians welcome newcomers to their country, but they also expect them to become fully integrated and productive members of society. However, with only 23% of current immigrants being net tax contributors, it is not hard to see why a growing number of Canadians want to see serious changes with respect to immigration and the way this country handles applications for refugee status.
Contrary to what Liberals and those on the left keep saying, reforming Canada’s immigration system would not necessarily cost the Conservatives ethnic votes. As a matter of fact, a growing number of immigrants are also becoming more and more frustrated with the farce that immigration in Canada has become. Decent and taxpaying immigrants are justifiably scared of being painted with the same brush as those other 77% of immigrants, who abuse the welfare system, keep making outrageous demands for Canadians to relinquish their own traditions and way of life in favour of certain ethnic customs and who commit the majority of violent and brutal crimes in Canada.
Speaking of crime, this is yet another area of public policy that requires a conservative approach based on common sense. The government has, indeed, taken appropriate steps toward getting tougher on crime and criminals. It is true that the costs for incarcerating more criminals for longer periods of time will be higher for taxpayers, but if there is one type of government spending that people would not mind seeing more of it is measures designed to keep society safe.
At the same time, though, Harper should be careful not to appease radical libertarian demands, such as abolishing the gun registry, because those special interests are usually not in sync with what mainstream Canadians want or expect. In fact, in an ideal world the whereabouts and ownership of every contraption capable of shooting projectiles that could injure or kill people would be known to law enforcement officers at any given time.
In summary, Stephen Harper would be well-advised to pursue what could best be termed “mainstream conservatism”, that kind that even many liberals and left wingers could support on occasion. That includes protecting health care and other vital government services, while continually slimming down government and thus reducing the currently excessive tax burden resting on Canadians’ shoulders.
There is absolutely no excuse to be made for allowing government spending to balloon by something like 15% or more in just two or three years. Governments spending must never exceed the rate of inflation, while the overall tax burden must be kept in check and maintained at the level of no more than 20 to 25 per cent of a person’s or family’s annual income. Seeing how Canadian families currently spend at least 45% of their annual income on taxes alone, even a blind person can see that there is a lot of waste to be chopped.
If Stephen Harper manages to adopt such measures and policies under the banner of mainstream conservatism, as outlined in this column, he will stand a good chance of winning a majority next time.
It is far past time the Harper Government brought public finances back into line in this country. I would find it far easier to consider simply not voting than voting for more of what we've seen in the past three years (there is no point in voting for any of the Opposition, since it would only be worse under them).
Only living in a Toronto riding — where every Conservative vote counts — stands in the way of "rewarding" our current Government with the disdain it has earned for its fiscal sloth.
Posted by: Bruce Stewart | November 09, 2009 at 06:07 AM