I've pulled this post from my Macleans for Dummies archive. It should be of interest to those following the CPC convention. Click on the links to read some enjoyable talk-back from Maclean's.
Updated: Ken Boosenkook is working for Christy Clark now! It's a crazy world...
When Andrew Coyne writes that the Conservative Party practices a 'know-nothing' strain of conservatism he really knows what he's talking about! After all he sat through this little speech by Ken Boessenkool:
And with a little gasp and an effeminate pat of his breast he fell quiet...
Updated: Ken Boosenkook is working for Christy Clark now! It's a crazy world...
When Andrew Coyne writes that the Conservative Party practices a 'know-nothing' strain of conservatism he really knows what he's talking about! After all he sat through this little speech by Ken Boessenkool:
We have our British Conservative Party friends here who spoke about this at length. Andrew, who's a great friend, and many other conservatives who are criticizing us right now come from the economic side of our coalition but let's look at the broader coalition and let's start talking about a couple of areas where the principals that this conservative government have put forward and defended and moved have been REVOLUTIONARY.
FOREIGN POLICY: Canada is consistently the first country in the world to defend Israel, our ally in the Middle East, our democratic ally. This is a huge thing that they've done. They've stood on principal on that and they've been consistent right through the piece.
DEFENSE: We are rebuilding our Armed Forces. We are putting billions of dollars into our Armed Forces and we are rebuilding our National Defense in a principaled, important and lasting way.
ARCTIC SOVEREIGNTY: We are defending and building national symbols which Conservatives can be identified around. The symbolism of The North, the arctic stuff that Harper is doing, we're defining our northern part of our country as a conservative national symbol. Look at our government's website. "True North Strong and Free". The National Anthem becoming more of a conservative symbol.
FEDERALISM: We have a government now... and I was at a Institute of American Family conference and someone - Mr. Ian Duncan Smith - said his think tank was not a think tank but a do tank. And I went to the mike and said it's very good to have a do tank but I think what Conservatives need is an undo tank because there's all kind of bad policy we need to undo. And on federalism this government has for almost the most part if not the main part this government has stayed out of provincial jurisdictions in the area of social policy. That's an undo. It's an important undo.
On Justice we have brought forward many bills to toughen up our criminal justice system. A very conservative set of policies. A very consistent set of policies that we have pushed forward, advanced and moved forward.
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS: We no longer...there is no longer any credibility in this country for the Kelowna Accord, for the Kyoto Accord or for court challenges programs. These were politically correct institutions that this government has systematically - in their converstation and in their policy - undone and moved forward and changed the debate.
Let me conclude with THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THIS GOVERNMENT HAS DONE in my estimation (and I'll admit a bias because I've been writing about this for many years and I have four children). This government stopped cold a national, government-run, unionized child-care system and instead re-directed billions of dollars so parents can make their own choices about their families.
THAT'S CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPALS.
And with a little gasp and an effeminate pat of his breast he fell quiet...
