The Conservatives waste far too much time and effort pandering and aligning the party towards parts of the country that already vote for it with enormous margins.
As a lifetime Conservative voter based in Ontario I too feel discouraged. Not because the party puts too much time and effort into pandering to the base but that they are putting to much effort into pretending they aren't the Conservatives. They seem terrified of the CBC or people on Reddit hating on them. They need to run as a CONSERVATIVE alternative to the Liberals. Focusing on managing the country well, economic growth and even perhaps a revenue neutral carbon tax. Rather than just the blue "liberals"
This analysis is correct. I think that in the west, more people may end up voting for the Maverick Party as they managed a fair showing in Saskatchewan. Should they be running in Alberta for the election Trudeau has planned, they would get my vote. After watching the emergency debate in parliament on the Keystone XL, there is absolutely no reason that the West should stay within Canada as not only did we not receive any recognition, what was said by the majority was actually demeaning, discrediting and disparaging. Canadians need to take the time to watch what is being said by the parliamentarians in this country during that debate, as they plainly laid out the complete disdain they hold for Alberta. Not just some but the majority all felt the same way toward Alberta and its people. Their goal is to completely destroy Alberta and most of Saskatchewan while raping us through mass taxation so they collect the goods while driving us under. We would be better to combine as one Province with Saskatchewan giving us more power, or stay as we are and seek more anonymity from Canada. They are working on removing our share of the CPP, collecting our own taxes, controlling our own immigration, and removing the RCMP to have our own Provincial police force. I believe there is a Constitutional challenge against the Liberals by Alberta on the Bills they have placed in as law which is against one product, one Province and is unconstitutional. This and the fact that the Provinces are to have control of their own resources which was specifically stated within the Constitution because of Trudeau senior's goal of taking over the resources in certain Provinces. This would leave us more in charge of our lives, as Quebec is. Quebec does not like the Federal Government dictating what they do with their resources or anything else anymore than Alberta and they along with other Provinces could form a collective in making Ottawa stand behind the Constitution to the way it is written. Its Ottawa's over reach and horrific policies that have destroyed any faith that the West has in Canada being a country. The Liberal Government has trampled and spit upon, then crushed into the ground, the very Constitution this country lives by. Little is even said or acknowledged in this fact and the majority of Canadians do not care as it does not effect them personally. So I believe that the Conservatives need to focus on the East as the West is pulling further away from Canada as we speak. What the future holds is unknown but I can see no advantage to being apart of a country that holds such hatred and disdain for those who have given the most to the country, whether they care to acknowledge that or not, it will come out in the referendum on equalization coming in the fall.
Climate has dropped significantly right now in importance. Still needs to have a credible plan, but I don't see a carbon tax being part of it. We need to win lots in 905. Need to get ready quickly, because there likely will be an election in the spring.
I agree with your analysis, Anthony. This gets back to Rahim's piece, "What McConnell means to Kentucky, and why Canada needs a few like him (no, really)." The election is decided is Quebec and the GTA, and there the parties are actively disincentivized to appeal to any disparate regional tastes. This is why steel tariffs or auto manufacturing bailouts are treated as "national" issues and the cancellation of Key Stone XL is "disappointing."
While Anthony's analysis is spot on when it comes to winning elections, I'm not looking forward to the day when whole provinces realize that they don't recognize anyone in Ottawa.
As a lifetime Conservative voter based in Ontario I too feel discouraged. Not because the party puts too much time and effort into pandering to the base but that they are putting to much effort into pretending they aren't the Conservatives. They seem terrified of the CBC or people on Reddit hating on them. They need to run as a CONSERVATIVE alternative to the Liberals. Focusing on managing the country well, economic growth and even perhaps a revenue neutral carbon tax. Rather than just the blue "liberals"
This analysis is correct. I think that in the west, more people may end up voting for the Maverick Party as they managed a fair showing in Saskatchewan. Should they be running in Alberta for the election Trudeau has planned, they would get my vote. After watching the emergency debate in parliament on the Keystone XL, there is absolutely no reason that the West should stay within Canada as not only did we not receive any recognition, what was said by the majority was actually demeaning, discrediting and disparaging. Canadians need to take the time to watch what is being said by the parliamentarians in this country during that debate, as they plainly laid out the complete disdain they hold for Alberta. Not just some but the majority all felt the same way toward Alberta and its people. Their goal is to completely destroy Alberta and most of Saskatchewan while raping us through mass taxation so they collect the goods while driving us under. We would be better to combine as one Province with Saskatchewan giving us more power, or stay as we are and seek more anonymity from Canada. They are working on removing our share of the CPP, collecting our own taxes, controlling our own immigration, and removing the RCMP to have our own Provincial police force. I believe there is a Constitutional challenge against the Liberals by Alberta on the Bills they have placed in as law which is against one product, one Province and is unconstitutional. This and the fact that the Provinces are to have control of their own resources which was specifically stated within the Constitution because of Trudeau senior's goal of taking over the resources in certain Provinces. This would leave us more in charge of our lives, as Quebec is. Quebec does not like the Federal Government dictating what they do with their resources or anything else anymore than Alberta and they along with other Provinces could form a collective in making Ottawa stand behind the Constitution to the way it is written. Its Ottawa's over reach and horrific policies that have destroyed any faith that the West has in Canada being a country. The Liberal Government has trampled and spit upon, then crushed into the ground, the very Constitution this country lives by. Little is even said or acknowledged in this fact and the majority of Canadians do not care as it does not effect them personally. So I believe that the Conservatives need to focus on the East as the West is pulling further away from Canada as we speak. What the future holds is unknown but I can see no advantage to being apart of a country that holds such hatred and disdain for those who have given the most to the country, whether they care to acknowledge that or not, it will come out in the referendum on equalization coming in the fall.
These facts laid out only help the Alberta seperatist cause.
Climate has dropped significantly right now in importance. Still needs to have a credible plan, but I don't see a carbon tax being part of it. We need to win lots in 905. Need to get ready quickly, because there likely will be an election in the spring.
I agree with your analysis, Anthony. This gets back to Rahim's piece, "What McConnell means to Kentucky, and why Canada needs a few like him (no, really)." The election is decided is Quebec and the GTA, and there the parties are actively disincentivized to appeal to any disparate regional tastes. This is why steel tariffs or auto manufacturing bailouts are treated as "national" issues and the cancellation of Key Stone XL is "disappointing."
While Anthony's analysis is spot on when it comes to winning elections, I'm not looking forward to the day when whole provinces realize that they don't recognize anyone in Ottawa.