Alberta Tories Voting Liberal?

Alberta Tories Voting Liberal?

As in the last election, Alberta provincial Tories are again assisting the Anne McLellan campaign. Specifically, Dennis Anderson and Ken Chapman are mentioned in today's edition of the Calgary Herald as being McLellan supporters.

You would think that the Conservative Party could at least count on the loyalty of those who lay claim to the term "Tory". Apparently not. Even after the scandals, incompetency and anti-Americanism that has damaged our economy and national identity there are still those who claim to be part of the family who for questionable reasons (Anderson: "“I believe it’s absolutely crucial for us to maintain a strong voice in the national government." - Ah, the election's not over, Dennis) back the enemy.

Those who move to Alberta expecting to find a strong, conservative provincial government would be sadly disappointed. While there are true conservatives like Ted Morton within the Alberta Tory ranks there are many more who better reflect the welfare Liberal approach of Jim Dinning.

It remains to be seen whether the Alberta Alliance will be able to get their act together and offer Albertans a real conservative option should the Alberta PCs select a left-leaning leader. However, if provincial Tories insist on supporting leftists federally they should not count on conservative votes in the next provincial election.

Canada's Position on the Invasion of Iran and Syria

Canada's Position on the Invasion of Iran and Syria

According to the Turkish Press and the Northeast Intelligence Network, CIA Director Porter Goss visited Turkey on Dec.12, 2005 and informed Turkish intelligence officials that Iran has nuclear weapons and requested Turkey's support in air strikes against both Iran and Syria.

Anyone paying attention to the region should not be at all surprised by this. Of greater importance to Canadians is what the reaction of the Canadian government will be in the likely event that the US does carry out this action in the near future.

A Liberal government response would likely consist of a verbal acknowledgment of our close relationship and "great historic friendship" with the United States with neither an endorsement or condemnation of the action - at least until after sufficient polling was conducted to gauge public opinion on the matter in which case there would be a gradual shift to whatever the "public consensus" happened to be.

A principled Conservative government on the other hand would respond in the way that any real ally should - a clear statement of support that properly communicates the necessity of the action and a commitment on the part of Canada to assist in eliminating extremist regimes from the region. There can be no compromising with jihadists or extremist theocracies. Any democratic nation that tolerates such entities when they pose a direct threat to its economic stability is abnegating its responsibility to uphold the best interests of its citizens.

During a time of geopolitical crisis it is important for a nation such as Canada to have a strong principled government making the crucial decisions that will define our position in the world. What is truly frightening is the prospect of our nation being lead by an intellectual and diplomatic weakling like Paul Martin during a period of intense global crisis that will likely be upon us in the very near future.

Jim Prentice - A Great Conservative Leader

Jim Prentice - A Great Conservative Leader

I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to assist in the campaign of Jim Prentice in Calgary Centre North. Not only has Jim done an outstanding job in Parliament garnering praise from both Conservative MPs and MPs in other parties, he is a geniunely sincere person who takes a great deal of pride in the manner in which he represents his constituency.

The mark of a great leader is a willingness to take a stand on an issue of principle no matter the cost. Stephen Harper has done this on the issue of same-sex marriage; and so has Jim Prentice. It is true that Jim's willingness to remain congruent with the principles he has expressed throughout his political career has cost him some support in some circles; it has also increased his support in other segments of Calgary Centre.

The right to own property and use it as one sees fit within the framework of the rule of law, is the fundamental principle that makes capitalism work. As a property rights expert who has handled a number of lawsuits involving issues such as environmental protection and restricted developed areas, Jim is in my opinion one of the most credible MPs within the Conservative Party who will help advance classical Liberalism within conservatism. He is the type of leader that would move the Conservative Party closer to the ideal outlined in the must-read book "Rescuing Canada's Right: Blueprint For A Conservative Revolution" by Tasha Kheiriddin and Adam Daifallah.

You see, it's one thing to talk a good game; it's another thing to truly believe in something and work towards its accomplishment. The Conservative Party began its existence on the right note by choosing Stephen Harper as its first leader. Despite the backstabbing behind-the-scenes politics of phantom leadership contention, he has stayed the course and provided conservatives with principled, competent leadership; something that had been sadly lacking for some time within conservatism. History will rightly appreciate his contributions a great deal more than many current party members.

Jim has proven himself to be great asset to Stephen Harper's team. He has spent a lifetime working toward the ideal conservative paradigm and in time I believe his contributions will be recognized by conservatives and embraced as an example of what a conservative leader could be and should be.

Shaming Democracy in Iraq

Shaming Democracy in Iraq

The election was held in Iraq according to schedule and largely without incident (yes, the Sunnis are claiming that some instances of fraud occured but this was hardly unexpected). Plastered in newspapers throughout the world were pictures of elated Iraqis basking in the freedom of their newly formed democracy; proudly raising their blue thumbs; triumphantly boasting of a historic new order in Iraq.

And now comes the letdown. The Cabinet has issued a magnificent slap to the faces of unsuspecting Iraqis by raising the price of gasoline, heating and cooking fuels by 9 times its pre-election price.

Throughout Iraq there are mass protests. Democracy is derided. The United States shoulders most of the blame with corrupt politicians such as Ahmed Chalabi justly carrying the rest.

The excuse provided to the Iraqi people is that this will help jump start the economy by pumping approximately 500 million dollars into it. But how does that help the poor Iraqi father who can no longer afford to keep his children in school. How much of that 500 million dollars is he going to see?

According to IPS news the Iraqi government has been under pressure from the World Bank (headed by none other than Paul Wolfowitz) to cut government subsidies in this area. What utter nonsense. 40% of the EUs budget goes to agriculture subsidies. Both Canada and the United States are heavily subsidizing their agricultural industries (which was a huge item of contention at the most recent WTO talks). If we are going to insist on "free market economics" in struggling countries like Iraq we had better have our own houses in order first.

Democracy has been shamed in Iraq. How can we ever expect other nations desperately in need of democratic reforms to take us seriously when we play these kind of games with peoples' lives!

Alienating America - The Great Canadian Passtime

Alienating America - The Great Canadian Passtime

On Wednesday the US Senate decided to cave to environmentalists by blocking legislation that would permit oil drilling in Alaska'a Arctic Wildlife Refuge. According to the Calgary Herald this resulted in "sparing the Canadian government — at least temporarily — a bitter showdown with the Bush administration over the controversial plan."

So we fail in our responsibility as an ally during the Iraqi invasion (it's not what we did but the way it was done - you can disagree without humiliating the other party), our politicians hum about a trade war in response to trade dispute, we again humiliate our ally on the international stage by spouting off environmental rhetoric that our own behaviour is not congruent with, we refuse to participate (for purely domestic political reasons!) in North American missile defense - all in the name of invoking our right to our "Canadian identity".

The very fact that there are concerns that a Canadian government would interfere in the Americans' right to develop their own natural resources is a major affront to our reputation. By aligning ourselves with the environmentalists agenda we are acting against our own interests. By continually embarassing our most valuable ally and economic partner we are undermining our own survival.

No matter one's opinion of US behaviour over the last 60 years we must stop put an end to this nonsense. This relationship is much too important to our national interests.

The next time our prime minister or any public Canadian personality scandalizes us with an anti-American barrage, conservative-minded Canadians who understand the value a strong Canadian relationship with the United States should vigorously protest by filling up the offender's Inbox with letters of support for our greatest friend. And perhaps taking a moment to write a brief letter of apology to the Americans would help ease the impact of the insulting rhetoric.