Conservatism versus 'Harperism'

[waldo]

by all accounts I've read, the just completed Manning Networking Conference 2014 was a tour-de-force for real Canadian conservatives... a gathering of the "Conservative Party in Exile" (h/t NP - Andrew Coyne)

articles relaying accounts of the conference readily point out the lack of any direct criticism of Harper, his cabinet and the PMO, in spite of the internal polling presented... the annual poll presented at each yearly Manning conference; the poll measuring the "pulse of the [conservative] movement":

“For the first time, Liberals have re-emerged as the party that a plurality of Canadians identify with,” Turcotte told the audience, who sat rather glumly as he delivered his surprising and depressing news to them.

“Now the Liberals and the Conservatives are tied almost as the party perceived to be the best to deal with the economy. This is a big change from previous years.”

Turcotte said his survey asked people to say which party they most identified with, regardless of their voting intentions, and 31 per cent of Canadians identified with the Liberals, 26 per cent with the Conservatives, 18 per cent with the NDP, and six per cent with the Green party. Another five per cent said “none” and nine per cent said they didn’t know which party they identify with.

In Ontario, people who identified with the Conservative party dropped by 10 percentage points, from 35 to 25 per cent.

Turcotte’s polling also gave him a glimpse into the type of people deserting the Conservatives — the 16 per cent, he called it.

For the most part, this 16 per cent is made up of male voters, between the ages of 45 and 64, university-educated and most likely to live in Ontario.

“They are concerned with health care, lower taxes, aging population, more accountability and full disclosure of spending of public funds,” he said. “These are the people who at this point should be in the tent, should be supporting the Conservative party, but are not for some reason.”
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Respondents to his poll don’t seem to be considering themselves any more “conservative” over time, and may be drifting the other way. The mean political ideology in Canada — on a scale where one is far left and seven the furthest right — is 3.9, the leftiest since 2010, he found. It’s just 4.1 even in the Prairies.

Perhaps worst of all, more people for whom the economy is the top issue see the Liberals as best able to deal with it. On health care and the environment, the Tories rank third.

I'm seeing/reading more of Jim Prentice in recent times... imagine this conference comment of his coming from anyone within the current-day Harper Conservatives:

Mr. Prentice, for example, admonished Conservatives to “take back the environmental debate,” saying “we cannot be in the business of providing our rivals with the opportunity to portray us as being out of touch” with environmental concerns. As a resource-exporting nation, he reminded them, “we rely on our international reputation. … If we are serious about being a global superpower in energy we have to be a power in advancing the environmental discussion.” That means, he said pointedly, “working in good faith with people who agree with us, and with people who don’t agree with us.”

if the perceived problem for today's conservative isn't Harper... then what?

[waldo]

speaking at the conference, Preston Manning raised concerns over the Harper Conservatives "Fair Elections Act" electoral reform bill... calling for amendments to it:

Conservatives are increasingly not viewed as the party that most champions democratic values... [a development] that is most worrisome for me personally and calls for, I think, immediate and serious attention.

The bill should be amended to strengthen and expand rather than weaken the role of Elections Canada with respect to addressing the greatest challenge in the electoral system - which is not its unfairness... the greatest challenge to our electoral system is the steady decline in voter turnout in our elections. Let's strengthen the capacity to address that.

Conservative parties must constantly affirm and reaffirm our commitment to extending, rather than limiting, the democratic expression.

[Topaz]

Perhaps the Conservative Party would do better if all the former Reformers were gone and the rest of the party return to progressive Conservatives. More voters have voted PC than Reform or Alliance. Harper is the problem with the party. Sure many voted for Conservative but I think its more about Conservative than voting for Harper and one day we'll find out when he's gone. Hope he doesn't end up in the Senate!

[Argus]

Perhaps the Conservative Party would do better if all the former Reformers were gone and the rest of the party return to progressive Conservatives. More voters have voted PC than Reform or Alliance. Harper is the problem with the party. Sure many voted for Conservative but I think its more about Conservative than voting for Harper and one day we'll find out when he's gone. Hope he doesn't end up in the Senate!

I'd actually prefer someone who is a more principled conservative and less 'nasty' to quote Coyne like Jason Kenney. I don't think we need more wishy washy light liberal types. There's already a Liberal Party. We don't need another.

[Moonlight Graham]

if the perceived problem for today's conservative isn't Harper... then what?

It's probably not so much Harper/CPC doing much wrong but rather Trudeau's Liberals (and possibly even Mulcair's NDP) becoming a more likeable option compared to what came before. Trudeau's (very odd) appeal is the biggest problem for them. Also, maybe the Senate scandal has lost the CPC some support.

[eyeball]

if the perceived problem for today's conservative isn't Harper... then what?

They just seem plain mean and vindictive to me.

I'd actually prefer someone who is a more principled conservative and less 'nasty' to quote Coyne like Jason Kenney.

I recall Coyne saying years ago that the perception that the Conservatives were mean was wrong but here he is complaining about conservative nastiness.

I don't think we need more wishy washy light liberal types.

How are Conservatives to help themselves given what little they have to cater to or work with? They're almost completely boxed in by little more than attitude.

Edited March 2, 2014 by eyeball

[waldo]

I'm seeing/reading more of Jim Prentice in recent times... imagine this conference comment of his coming from anyone within the current-day Harper Conservatives:

Mr. Prentice, for example, admonished Conservatives to “take back the environmental debate,” saying “we cannot be in the business of providing our rivals with the opportunity to portray us as being out of touch” with environmental concerns. As a resource-exporting nation, he reminded them, “we rely on our international reputation. … If we are serious about being a global superpower in energy we have to be a power in advancing the environmental discussion.” That means, he said pointedly, “working in good faith with people who agree with us, and with people who don’t agree with us.”

this is timely: Enbridge taps Jim Prentice to rescue Northern Gateway First Nations talks

Enbridge has tapped former Conservative cabinet minister Jim Prentice as its point man to resuscitate stalled talks with First Nations in B.C. and Alberta over the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, as the company works to meet hundreds of conditions set out by the National Energy Board.

"I am doing this because I believe that First Nations should be full partners in resource development and they should be owners of projects like the Northern Gateway," Prentice said in a statement Wednesday.

"This project can bring jobs, economic opportunity, community development and educational opportunities to First Nation Canadians. This can be achieved while protecting the environment and respecting First Nations' environmental priorities," Prentice said in the written statement.

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