What is Maxime Bernier REALLY up to?

[August1991]

Reformatories would never elect a Quebecer as leader.

Nicky, Quebecers voted for Macdonald and King. Why do you think English Canadians are more racist/nationalist?

Bernier's choice to move the party further to the right will not play well with those within the party who now believe they're entitled to hold power at any cost to their principles.

Rick, what does it mean to move "further to the right"? Most people know that more government is not a long term solution.

Everyone can see what happened in the Soviet Union.

Anyone who counts Harper down for the count is seriously misjudging his abilities.

I'm no fan of Harper but I agree.

I think Bernier might be playing to a Quebec audience on behalf of the Conservatives....letting Quebecers know that Conservatives would move towards giving the provinces (especially Quebec) the autonomy that most of them would like. In iother words - give us the money and let us handle our areas of juristiction as we see fit.

On the contrary, Bernier has made it plain that this is not about easy money.

This is really energizing to that small-c conservative base. The people that formed the core of the Reform Party are the only ones not that happy with Harper, because he's turned out to be far more to the left than what they signed on for. To see that someone who might be a contender for the leadership some day espousing stronger conservative principles than we're currently seeing gives them MORE confidence in the future of the Conservative movement.

Small-c base?

IMHO, across Canada, French or English, there are ordinary honest people who pay taxes. They are tired of directives, and they are tired of politicians who give tax money to people who give them directives.

Edited October 15, 2010 by August1991

[August1991]

No, Canada thinks it is the most "Multicultural" country on the planet.

In 1896, many WASPs voted for a Roman Catholic Laurier.

I don't know exactly what "multicultural" means but in general, I think it means that the State has no specific cultural policy.

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Bush_Cheney, the US has had only one Catholic federal president (all the others have been Protestant), and only one Black/African-American president.

We Canadians have had numerous Catholic/Protestant, English/French federal prime ministers.

Edited October 15, 2010 by August1991

[RNG]

I really don't understand most of the discussion in this thread. It appears to me that Bernier said no more fund transfers from the feds to the provinces. Quebec would fold like a two buck suitcase if that happened. What gives, a Quebecer suggesting the main revenue stream for Quebec be turned off? No way. Viva Alberta Libra.

[waldo]

Viva Alberta Libra.

whaaa! You mean we have another separatist from Albertastan?

[RNG]

whaaa! You mean we have another separatist from Albertastan?

Oh yes!

[waldo]

Viva Alberta Libra.

whaaa! You mean we have another separatist from Albertastan?

Oh yes!

oh really... standard pat questions: given your province's lack of diversification, it's virtual reliance on a rapidly diminishing resource (both in quantity and world reliance), just how will Albertan's make a go of it? Considering there's no support for separation in Alberta, how does it feel to be a pioneer on the forefront of a movement to nowhere?

[August1991]

I really don't understand most of the discussion in this thread.

Les nouveaux sont toujours naïfs. Cette innocence passera...

Quebec would fold like a two buck suitcase if that happened.

What makes you think that?

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In fact though, your questions are not the issue here. Rather, imagine a Canada where the federal government was simply that - and no more.

oh really... standard pat questions: given your province's lack of diversification, it's virtual reliance on a rapidly diminishing resource (both in quantity and world reliance), just how will Albertan's make a go of it? Considering there's no support for separation in Alberta, how does it feel to be a pioneer on the forefront of a movement to nowhere?

Waldo, are you also passive-aggressive/sarcastic in your private life? Edited October 15, 2010 by August1991

[Bryan]

Small-c base?

Perhaps a matter of semantics. I'm just referring to people who identify themselves as being conservative, regardless of party affiliation. The kind of people from which the Reform Party ended up replacing the PCs. They cared not that the PCs had the word "conservative" in their name, what they cared about was that Reform actually was... conservative.

Those people form the base of the current Conservative Party, but they are also the most vocally critical of Steven Harper* specifically because he's nowhere near as conservative as they were expecting. My position is that Maxime Bernier's comments speak directly to those people, giving them hope of better things to come.

*at least they sure are at the riding association meetings I've been to!

[Keepitsimple]

The Reform Party was created in 1987 and a lot of people said it was made up of old white-haired Albertans. Aren't most of those people dead by now? Give it a break...the Reform Party itself has been dead for 10 years.

[Bryan]

The Reform Party was created in 1987 and a lot of people said it was made up of old white-haired Albertans. Aren't most of those people dead by now? Give it a break...the Reform Party itself has been dead for 10 years.

And yet 10 years ago a right of centre party forming a government seemed almost as improbable as a left of centre one doing it now. Not only is that base still there, it has grown.

[wyly]

And yet 10 years ago a right of centre party forming a government seemed almost as improbable as a left of centre one doing it now. Not only is that base still there, it has grown.

has it?...to grow a party has to appeal to a wider spectrum of people not narrower...Harper's muzzling of the reform nuts is is the reason he even has 30% support, someone like Bernier wanting a more conservative approach moves the party further to the loony fringe on the extreme right, leaving moderates no where to go but to the center left...

[Rick]

has it?...to grow a party has to appeal to a wider spectrum of people not narrower...Harper's muzzling of the reform nuts is is the reason he even has 30% support, someone like Bernier wanting a more conservative approach moves the party further to the loony fringe on the extreme right, leaving moderates no where to go but to the center left...

Well stated.

Lest we forget the fact that by and large the sole reason why the conservatives are even holding onto power is only because a significant number of moderates felt the Liberals needed a 'time-out' due to the sponsorship scandal. Not because the conservatives policies were suddenly that much more attractive to the moderate base.

A shift to the right by the Conservatives and Canada will have another decade of Liberal government.

Edited October 15, 2010 by Rick