Liberals have their fun, but what if Tories stop playing along?
‘JOKES PLAYING ON A TORY STEREOTYPE THAT IS BEING ROLLED BACK BY THE DAY.’ — MICHAEL DEN TANDT
The federal Liberals, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the lead, were aburst with satisfaction at their conference in Winnipeg on the weekend. But they’d do well to keep a weather eye on the horizon. The Conservative party is adapting and evolving with a speed that puts the shellshocked post- 2011 Liberals to shame.
Is it any surprise, to begin, that Trudeau poked a bit of fun at the Tories in his keynote speech to Grit delegates Saturday? No. It is indeed odd, and also sad if you lean libertarian, that the Conservative Party of Canada had a debate, in 2016, about whether it should officially stop opposing same-sex marriage.
“Well, better late than never, right?” said Trudeau, with studied dryness. “Who knows, 10 years from now they might finally be willing to admit that climate change is real.” The joke — another riff on the Tories as angry, male- centric codgers still learning to use the interwebs — writes itself.
Had the PM let this pass he’d have been less than human. Plus, he leavened his digs with a classically Trudeau- esque call for the assembled Red legions to thank former prime minister Stephen Harper and family for their service. This the Liberal assembly dutifully did, in a standing ovation, all but former interim leader Bob Rae, who simulated a gag reflex ( a joke for which he later apologized).
Now, for this particular cohort to render any sort of homage, even dutiful, to the man deemed by many Liberal true believers to be an archfiend out of a Stephen King story, stretches credulity beyond the breaking point. But ironic self- awareness is not a Liberal convention strong point. And the thing is, Trudeau is sticking with what works: Where the Conserva- tives are harsh and partisan, he will be magnanimous, to provide a contrast. As he did during last year’s campaign, he will slip away from the oncoming blow and allow the Tories to defeat themselves with their own dark energy.
Ah, but there’s the rub: What if the Tories were to stop playing along?
Fuddy- duddy debates prompted by the party’s longsuffering social-conservative wing aside ( and calling it a wing at this point is a stretch, it’s more of a tail feather now due to long years of calculated neglect), the upshot was a big vote in favour of individual liberty. The state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation. Or, your right to swing your fist ends where the other person’s nose begins, as my Grade 5 teacher put it. This is an idea principled conservatives and small-l liberals both can get behind.
On a string of other policy issues, meantime, the party over the weekend adopted positions that a plurality of reasonable Canadians will find it difficult to slag with any energy. Decriminalizing possession of small quantities of pot seems like moderate, common sense, especially when set next to the increasingly complex set of logistical problems (testing for stoned drivers chief among them) standing in the way of legalization.
No sweeping change in the electoral system without a referendum? An easy win, with gains increasing in direct relationship to the degree of Liberal resistance. Support for the Energy East pipeline project? Um, yes — it’s a project that is clearly vital to the country’s economic future and strongly endorsed by the New Democrat premier of Alberta. No further cover is necessary.
Reinforcing the adoption of progressive-leaning social policies is the unmistakable whiff of classical liberalism, as opposed to stodgy Upper Canadian conservatism, among the declared and likely candidates for the party leadership.
Kevin O’Leary is a smallgovernment, pro- business pluralist. Michael Chong talks about representing the changing face of Canada, a straight-up play for the loyalties of new Canadians. Kellie Leitch, we can rest assured, will be the candidate of multi- culturalism. She’ll have to be to make amends for her barbaric cultural practices blunder in last year’s campaign.
Maxime Bernier, the most avowedly libertarian of the bunch, more or less walked the walk of MP independence when his party held power and was denied a seat in the front ranks (after his demotion in 2008 over mislaid documents) as a result. His is a believable voice for smaller government.
And there are other progressive leadership aspirants who may yet declare themselves.
What are the Liberals doing to forestall this shift? So far, not much. Apparently in thrall to their new coalition of traditional Liberals, disengaged New Democrats and millennials, the best they can manage is jokes playing on a Tory stereotype that is being rolled back by the day. In the process, the Liberals have ceded high ground on the economy (pipelines and deficits) security (defence spending and the Islamic State) and democracy (voting reform) that all but lays out a roadmap for a vigorous Conservative opposition.
The Tory party is, in brief, in a good position to beat the government like an old rug for the next four years, after which there will be an election of some sort. Liberal hornblowers should consider that, as they celebrate the Trudeau Restoration.