Open letter: Fear of a CPC government

Mark Shainblum
31 August at 15:58
Listen, my fellow Canadians, I am about to offer controversial political advice. Take it or leave it, but I have to say it.

In olden times, when the word "Conservative" had a "Progressive" in front of it, I was much more laissez-faire about the natural rotation of governing parties. I wasn't thrilled when things went to the right, but that was the way of democracy.

Now, however, with a federal election coming up, I ask you to have a look at the world:

The current Conservative Party is not the Progressive Conservative party of Diefenbaker, Stanfield, Clark, Campbell or even, God help us, Mulroney. It's the Reform Party rebranded and even further to the right, so much so that it makes even Preston Manning uncomfortable sometimes.

It's still the cranky, spiteful, secretive, anti-science, hyper-partisan party of Stephen Harper. It's the party that muzzled climate and food scientists when their findings didn't mesh with Conservative policy goals, like building pipelines everywhere. It's the party that trampled Canada's history -- under both parties -- of being a humanitarian force for good in the world.

At home here in Canada, Doug Ford's Keystone Kops Conservative government in Ontario immediately put into effect all sorts of regressive legislation and cuts, with no planning or foresight, that they then had to back away from, making detractors and supporters alike believe they scribbled out their policies on napkins an hour before the press conference.

They also invoked the notwithstanding clause, formerly only the hated tool of Quebec "separatists".

A government supposedly for the middle class suddenly caused chaos for almost anyone relying on pharmacare, special needs programs for children, and student loans, while being focussed on clueless idiocies like "buck a beer".

Even Bob Rae's surprise NDP government a couple of decades ago, infamous for its supposed unreadiness to govern, wasn't THIS unready or this ideologically stubborn.

Look at the world. We have two ignorant, racist, rage-filled populists in Washington and London, ready to break the world order just for the sake of breaking it, arguably at the behest of a tyrant in Moscow.

We have even worse proto-tyrants in charge of countries like Poland, Hungary, the Philippines, Brazil and Venezuela.

Canada must not join the ranks of those governed by the entitled angry.

Look, I'm not completely impressed with Justin Trudeau. The SNC debacle was a pretty shameful reversion to classic Liberal "natural governing party" entitlement, and it made him look a lot less like the feminist saviour he presents himself as.

But y'know what? I firmly believe we are STILL far better off with a reasonably progressive, reasonably competent Liberal government than we are with the mystery black box that would be a Conservative government under Scheer.

I think there's a big danger that, in these times, a highly ideological Conservative government would risk too much, including getting Canada swept up in Trump's economic wars, and Johnson's fever dreams of rebuilding the British Empire through the CANZUK project.

Am I being hysterical? Possibly. But I'm a science fiction writer, it's my job to push trends out a few years and see where they might go.

I'm frankly afraid of what might happen if THESE Conservatives are in charge of Canada while Brexit plays out, and Trump continues to break all the china in all the china shops.

Not all Conservatives, but THESE Conservatives.

And I think the world needs us as an island of reason and sanity.