Quote:
Originally Posted by Bunk
So republicans in the US support universal healthcare? In Alberta and across Canada, last time I checked there was no move to remove universal healthcare, and in fact Alberta is the biggest spender in public healthcare in Canada. Albertans overwhelmingly support public health care.
What about issues like gay rights? Is the right in Canada, based on some sort of religious-based argument vigourously trying to reverse gay marriage? hardly.
How about the abortion debate? Is this a divisive social issue between the left and right? hardly, again.
How about capital punishment? This issue hasn't been prominent or even present on a conservative platform in Canada to my memory in probably a generation.
How about public education? Alberta, the supposed "right wing" heartland of Canada has one of the best public education systems on planet earth.
Bank regulation? I see Harper bragging across the world about our highly regulated bank system. In the US, any such more to increase regulation is branded as socialism. I don't see hoards of angry mobs in Alberta or the rest of "conservative" Canada fighting for deregulation.
I guess conservatives in both countries believe in market principles, with less government intervention into the economy, but between the Liberals and Conservative governments of the past 15 years, there's hardly any distinction in actual policy. "Fiscal prudence" has basically been orthydoxy from our two major parties since Martin became finance minister.
|
If the Conservatives had a majority government a couple of those issues would definitely be in play. Issues like abortion and gay rights are major rallying cries for a good chunk of their grassroots.
Really I personally have no problem agreeing that Harper and the old Reform party element of the Conservative movement are comparable ideologically to the American right. The main difference is the minority status and the Canadian people. Harper is an intelligent tactician who wouldn't present the same approach that the republicans do because he knows what the reaction would be.
Just look at the effect Ralph Kleins sabre rattling on Health Care had on the federal Conservatives for years. Statistics show that we are way less Religious and despite the fact that the right wing party is in power, the other 65% of the country votes for one or another party that is centre left or left in the spectrum.