Conservatives need to adapt to changing world

Dear Editor:

Local Conservatives say “we can’t afford four more years of Trudeau.” This portends real concern. I have asked a number of my Conservative friends to tell me why they believe this and the only answer that comes through is that Trudeau is arrogant, entitled and elitist — and should not be prime minister.

The Conservative brain trust axed Andrew Scheer because they were angry at him for not winning a majority in 2019 against the Liberals.

This anger has turned political differences into knee-jerk reactions against anything Liberal or progressive, although it is strangely encouraging to hear local Conservatives call for Peter MacKay as leader, realizing the only chance for government is in the centre, not the fringes.

Canadians are wary about what MacKay calls “the albatross around the party’s neck” — the social conservative block eager to take women’s rights backwards and the pro-gun advocates striving to create an American-style gun culture in Canada.

Scheer did remind the new incoming leader to heed the voices of women and suburban voters if they want to defeat the Liberals. The Conservative plan to defeat the Liberals is by being more like the Liberals.

However the Conservative party, the People’s Party of Canada and Wexit party all plan to run candidates in our next federal election. Fragmented, victory is not possible.

But more to the point, traditional conservative policies, of small government, fiscal austerity and less environmental oversight and immigration do not fit today’s post-COVID-19 world. Canadians see these answers as archaic relics from a bygone era that do not answer issues Canadian face today.

The WE Charity controversy, like the SNC issue, has proven Justin Trudeau’s commitment to offering transparent government, even when it puts him in the hot seat.

Jon Peter Christoff, West Kelowna