Unite the Left

[Keepitsimple]

Liberals & NDP uniting?

There are many discussions on this BLOG regarding the Left versus the Right. In reality, traditional Canadian Liberals and Conservatives are Centre-left and Centre-right. Neither party is extremist in nature and given strong leadership, either party could lead Canada. We happen to be going through a period where the Liberals have leadership issues and internal conflicts that will take time to sort out - similar to the period that the Conservative parties (PC, Reform, Alliance) struggled to find their way.

I've recently seen a few articles relating to a "Unite the Left" movement - and that is what the title of this post refers to. The Left, in general, advocates government involvement (regulation, non-private services, industry protection) and the farther to the Left one goes, the more Government affects the lives of individuals and interferes with a market-driven economy. Quebec is Canada's "Left most" province and forms a real-life example of the delicate balance that must be achieved to create a vibrant economy that can fund valuable Social programs.

Following is an excerpt from today's Toronto Star - an article by Richard Gwyn with regards to Quebec's governance. I'd be curious to know people's thoughts with regards to what the effects might be if a "Unite the Left" movement were to succeed - would it have a positive or negative influence on Canada?

At the same time that separatism has run out of steam, so has the "Quebec model" of an economy run largely by the government. That these two should have been intimately interconnected all the way back to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s is no coincidence.

Quebec's provincial debt is easily the highest of any province, at a whopping $127 billion.

Its standard of living is lower than that of Arkansas. Its employees work fewer hours and are "sick" far more often than any other in the country. It has twice as many civil servants as Ontario.

In 2005, a distinguished panel of Quebec experts described their own economy as "a bulky albatross that is unable to take flight."

The alternative is a more open, market-run economy.

Link: http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/191008

[Figleaf]

There are many discussions on this BLOG regarding the Left versus the Right. In reality, traditional Canadian Liberals and Conservatives are Centre-left and Centre-right. Neither party is extremist in nature and given strong leadership, either party could lead Canada. We happen to be going through a period where the Liberals have leadership issues and internal conflicts that will take time to sort out - similar to the period that the Conservative parties (PC, Reform, Alliance) struggled to find their way.

I've recently seen a few articles relating to a "Unite the Left" movement - and that is what the title of this post refers to. The Left, in general, advocates government involvement (regulation, non-private services, industry protection) and the farther to the Left one goes, the more Government affects the lives of individuals and interferes with a market-driven economy. Quebec is Canada's "Left most" province and forms a real-life example of the delicate balance that must be achieved to create a vibrant economy that can fund valuable Social programs.

Following is an excerpt from today's Toronto Star - an article by Richard Gwyn with regards to Quebec's governance. I'd be curious to know people's thoughts with regards to what the effects might be if a "Unite the Left" movement were to succeed - would it have a positive or negative influence on Canada?

At the same time that separatism has run out of steam, so has the "Quebec model" of an economy run largely by the government. That these two should have been intimately interconnected all the way back to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s is no coincidence.

Quebec's provincial debt is easily the highest of any province, at a whopping $127 billion.

Its standard of living is lower than that of Arkansas. Its employees work fewer hours and are "sick" far more often than any other in the country. It has twice as many civil servants as Ontario.

In 2005, a distinguished panel of Quebec experts described their own economy as "a bulky albatross that is unable to take flight."

The alternative is a more open, market-run economy.

Link: http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/191008

Correct me if I'm wrong, but implicit in your post appears to be the idea of the Liberal party as an economically 'left' party. I think that's a fundamentally inaccurate view (except under Trudeau maybe). The Liberals have adopted some policy approaches that coincide with left prescriptions, but I ascribe that to situational pragmatics rather than resulting from a leftwing economic analysis.

[Keepitsimple]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but implicit in your post appears to be the idea of the Liberal party as an economically 'left' party. I think that's a fundamentally inaccurate view (except under Trudeau maybe). The Liberals have adopted some policy approaches that coincide with left prescriptions, but I ascribe that to situational pragmatics rather than resulting from a leftwing economic analysis.

It's difficult to pigeon-hole parties but I said that Liberals are generally Centre-Left and Conservatives are Centre-Right. Basically both are historically centrist parties but I'm implying that Liberals, especially today, would tend to have "more" government while Conservatives advocate less. Child care is probably a reasonable example where the parties approach things in a different manner. The Liberal ideology of excluding any form of private involvement in Healthcare (although we all know it already exists) versus the Conservative "let's try a few things as long as they're available to everyone" is another example. Not sure if that addresses your comment.

[HistoryBuff44]

Honestly i think the division of "sides" in canadian politics is hard to measure. Even more, that difference is dissappearing, its being driven by our history and future. We as canadians like our universal healthcare and some other "socialist" policies, so much that even conservatives wouldnt dump them. but at the same time we know the extreme socialism doesnt work, we have seen it abroad and in quebec over the last 20 - 30 years. The path really is converging before us and the parties get very little choice as to what they will do when they govern vs say 60 years ago.

[dlkenny]

There are many discussions on this BLOG regarding the Left versus the Right. In reality, traditional Canadian Liberals and Conservatives are Centre-left and Centre-right. Neither party is extremist in nature and given strong leadership, either party could lead Canada. We happen to be going through a period where the Liberals have leadership issues and internal conflicts that will take time to sort out - similar to the period that the Conservative parties (PC, Reform, Alliance) struggled to find their way.

I've recently seen a few articles relating to a "Unite the Left" movement - and that is what the title of this post refers to. The Left, in general, advocates government involvement (regulation, non-private services, industry protection) and the farther to the Left one goes, the more Government affects the lives of individuals and interferes with a market-driven economy. Quebec is Canada's "Left most" province and forms a real-life example of the delicate balance that must be achieved to create a vibrant economy that can fund valuable Social programs.

Following is an excerpt from today's Toronto Star - an article by Richard Gwyn with regards to Quebec's governance. I'd be curious to know people's thoughts with regards to what the effects might be if a "Unite the Left" movement were to succeed - would it have a positive or negative influence on Canada?

At the same time that separatism has run out of steam, so has the "Quebec model" of an economy run largely by the government. That these two should have been intimately interconnected all the way back to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s is no coincidence.

Quebec's provincial debt is easily the highest of any province, at a whopping $127 billion.

Its standard of living is lower than that of Arkansas. Its employees work fewer hours and are "sick" far more often than any other in the country. It has twice as many civil servants as Ontario.

In 2005, a distinguished panel of Quebec experts described their own economy as "a bulky albatross that is unable to take flight."

The alternative is a more open, market-run economy.

Link: http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/191008

Absolutely true. In addition I'd like to point out that french canadians are traditionally conservative people. They largely come from strong Roman Catholic backgrounds and in the small towns you'll find people as being strongly conservative. I would propose that these folks have been voting Bloc and PQ for separatist reasons more than leftist political reasons, and since the referendum failed I would propose that the reign of the Quebec liberals is proof of this. Jean Charest is a progressive conservative before anything else and the quebecois undestand this. They understand that they need to allow the markets to work to have a strong economy and if they speak up Charest will listen. Also, l'action democratique du Quebec is perhaps too right wing and therefore won't garner a large percentage of the votes, giving the Jean Charest liberals another mandate.

[BubberMiley]

Basically both are historically centrist parties but I'm implying that Liberals, especially today, would tend to have "more" government while Conservatives advocate less.

More correctly, conservatives advocate less governments during elections and, when in power, build huge incompetent governments that exist only to funnel money to their friends. And in that definition, I include Liberal conservatives.

[jenny]

There are many discussions on this BLOG regarding the Left versus the Right. In reality, traditional Canadian Liberals and Conservatives are Centre-left and Centre-right. Neither party is extremist in nature and given strong leadership, either party could lead Canada. We happen to be going through a period where the Liberals have leadership issues and internal conflicts that will take time to sort out - similar to the period that the Conservative parties (PC, Reform, Alliance) struggled to find their way.

I've recently seen a few articles relating to a "Unite the Left" movement - and that is what the title of this post refers to. The Left, in general, advocates government involvement (regulation, non-private services, industry protection) and the farther to the Left one goes, the more Government affects the lives of individuals and interferes with a market-driven economy. Quebec is Canada's "Left most" province and forms a real-life example of the delicate balance that must be achieved to create a vibrant economy that can fund valuable Social programs.

Following is an excerpt from today's Toronto Star - an article by Richard Gwyn with regards to Quebec's governance. I'd be curious to know people's thoughts with regards to what the effects might be if a "Unite the Left" movement were to succeed - would it have a positive or negative influence on Canada?

At the same time that separatism has run out of steam, so has the "Quebec model" of an economy run largely by the government. That these two should have been intimately interconnected all the way back to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s is no coincidence.

Quebec's provincial debt is easily the highest of any province, at a whopping $127 billion.

Its standard of living is lower than that of Arkansas. Its employees work fewer hours and are "sick" far more often than any other in the country. It has twice as many civil servants as Ontario.

In 2005, a distinguished panel of Quebec experts described their own economy as "a bulky albatross that is unable to take flight."

The alternative is a more open, market-run economy.

Link: http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/191008

Correct me if I'm wrong, but implicit in your post appears to be the idea of the Liberal party as an economically 'left' party. I think that's a fundamentally inaccurate view (except under Trudeau maybe). The Liberals have adopted some policy approaches that coincide with left prescriptions, but I ascribe that to situational pragmatics rather than resulting from a leftwing economic analysis.

Correct me if I am wrong. But one of the rules on this forum say, when qouting, keep it short and dont repeat the entire post you are quoting

[jbg]

I believe Harper has said he envisions a two-party system in Canada; a left-wing and right-wing party. In many ways it's a good idea and something that should happen, IMHO.