Ezra Levant on Wild Rose defector Danielle Smith's defeat:
Update: More from Andrew Coyne.
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8 comments:
As a Progressive Conservative in views (I live in Ontario), I support Danielle Smith's decision. Its never good to have one party win every election all the time and you need a strong opposition. Since the Liberals and NDP were too toxic for Alberta WRA made sense but it also meant being a modern party, not a party full of intolerants. She tried to move the party in that direction, but when the dinosaurs in the party refused to change, she realized it wasn't possible.
As for Jim Prentice's budget, a bit disappointing, but here is the reality you cannot win anywhere in Canada today on austerity budget so lets wait until he gets a mandate. If you going to make big cuts, you don't run on it, but do it during your first couple years after a mandate knowing your popularity will sink and hope things improve by election's time. For those mentioning Ralph Klein, people forget in the 90s spending and tax cuts were a lot more popular than today as well as a significant portion of Alberta's population were under 18 then (it is the youngest province in terms of median age) or lived in other provinces.
Not sure what you're saying, anon. You "support Smith's decision" - which one? To defect? But you also support a strong opposition? White Rose was the strongest opposition the PC's faced in many decades. Her decision ruined that, for now.
Her defection was a terrible failure of judgement and a serious ethical lapse. In her defeat, she got what she richly deserved. She, Preston Manning and the other defectors should all be hanging their heads in shame. And Prentice is wily weasel.
With this and Prentice's tax and spend agenda Albertans may wake up and give Wild Rose another chance under its new leader. Let's hope.
I support her decision to join the PCs. Lets remember our style of conservatism is quite distinct from the American style which it seems many Tories nowadays advocate. The style of conservatism I prefer is that of Joe Clark, Robert Stanfield, John Diefenbaker, Bill Davis, and Peter Lougheed; not that of the WRA, US Republicans or Reform Party. A modern day party in Canada needs to be one that promotes tolerance with Danielle Smith tried to do but failed, not a home for the intolerant.
It's fine to advocate smaller government, but you cannot have a strong economy and society if you have no government. Education and health care consume over half provincial budgets never mind infrastructure and those are things important so slashing those too much will cause more harm down the road. The big spending cuts in the 90s in both Alberta and federally and tax cuts were done because taxes historically and spending as a percent of GDP were much higher and had reach a point they were impeding economic growth. But that is not the case today in Alberta.
There is little economic benefit to a flat tax and even with the tax hike on the wealthy, Alberta still has the lowest tax rate of any province for all income brackets. Likewise corporate taxes were left alone and Alberta refused to implement a sales tax which most economist would say they should. The spending cuts weren't maybe as big as I wanted, but I don't believe tea party politics that we south of the border where government should just get out of the way is the solution as it hasn't worked wherever its been tried.
As for an opposition, how about a centrist one as Canada is a centre-left country and while Alberta is more conservative than other provinces, it is not like the United States and most Canadians including most Albertans aren't interested in adopting the GOP's policies which are good if your wealthy, but terrible for everyone else and in fact in the long-term even hurt the wealthy as the consumer base dries up.
Rather one that spends prudently, has competitive taxes, and avoids running deficits were possible while at the same time understands that government has a role in certain areas is what Canada and Alberta need. Not government is evil and should be slashed to the bone and social conservatism and intolerance are still ideas that should be tolerated within a party.
I bet you just love the UN too, Mr Anonymous and just want to play your part fighting global warming and getting rid of national borders and bringing in a New World Order. I sure hope you are not from Alberta you brain dead deluded sap. Did you do your bit on earth hour?...I did my duty, turned on every light in the house and ran the stove with all elements and oven on. :)
babeta - Actually I am not a huge fan of the UN, although I do believe countries need a forum to discuss issues. I certainly don't support erasing national borders, in fact unlike many on the right I want to ensure the border between Canada and the US remains not just legally, but also in terms of how politics is done.
I don't live in Alberta, but have family there, and of the Albertans I know few are right wing nutbars.
Anonymous you are not a conservative. You are a progressive. Huge difference. Just join the lib-dippers and get it over with.
I'm a different anonymous here: I'm a born and raised Albertan who is conservative (yes right winged cause it's part of my heritage) and I fully support Ms. Smith cause I know her personally and I know that she is sincere in her political convictions. I may not agree with Ms. Smith's progressive stance on gay marriage and abortion but I can assure you that her heart is in the right place and she truly cares for Alberta and the future of our great province. I will be voting for the PCs this coming election and I will be happy that they will win another majority. This time the majority will be a blessing with Ms. Smith as part of the team. Ms. Smith is the breath of fresh air that the PCs need after 40 years of rule.
Anymous @ 6:35 AM, I am a Progressive Conservative so yes I am both in a sense progressive and conservative. As explained above, the style of conservatism I follow is that which dates back from John A. Macdonald until the party was destroyed in 2003. The conservatism you seem to be referring to is really the ideology of the Reform Party which the overwhelming majority of Canadians cannot stand which is why they changed their name and one that is totally foreign to our culture which is why no party before them like that existed and hopefully in the not too distant future, such views will be sent to the political graveyard where they belong.
Anonymous @ 9:17 AM generally agree, but why the opposition to gay marriage and abortion. While I can see someone morally opposed to abortion, I believe it's an individual not the state's decision. On gay marriage I believe in tolerance and since being gay is not a choice, discriminating against them is still discrimination. Besides those are largely mute points as I don't think any politician of any political stripe anywhere in Canada is going to try to overturn either law.
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