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Ottawa's New Cowboy
By Horace Cooper
June 29, 2004
We're on the cusp of regime change for our neighbors in the north. If polling trends continue, Canada will throw out the governing liberals and replace them with a party headed by a genuine western conservative.
His name: Stephen Harper; his team: the Canadian Alliance.
Get used to them now, because if you think The New York Times and the liberal U.S. media have been enraged by President George W. Bush's conservative policies, the howls and snarls of the Canadian and European media will likely reach a fever pitch in a few short weeks.
When Paul Martin replaced Jean Chretien as Canada's prime minister earlier this year, few analysts would have predicted that the conservatives would be favored to takeover this summer. Fewer still would have guessed that the winning platform would consist of a pure unalloyed Reaganesque vision that essentially repudiates Canadian style social democracy.
Sounding more like a manifesto, than a party platform, Stephen Harper and the alliance have pledged a commitment to "property rights," "the freedom of individual Canadians to enjoy the fruits of their labor" and "a belief that responsible government should be limited to those responsibilities which cannot be discharged reasonably by the individual."
Limited government, individual rights, and a commitment to wealth creation--these Reaganesque ideas are refreshingly audacious.
Harper and the alliance don't just agree with George W. Bush on the "war on terror," Canada's leading pol is also pushing market-based healthcare reform, tax relief, opposition to "same sex marriage" and an expanded role for immigrant workers. Sound familiar?
He's not just tinkering around the edges either--his push for a 25-percent cut in taxes alone will likely reinvigorate Canada's lugubrious economy and single-handedly reverse Canada's status as one of the highest taxed nations in the G7.
And what about private medical facilities providing healthcare in Canada?
Canada was the inspiration for Hillary Clinton's takeover of the United States' healthcare network. And the alliance is committed to opposing marijuana legalization, gay marriage and gun control.
Harper's support for a new "Registered Lifetime Savings plan" that will allow Canadians to withdraw their money tax-free marks a dramatic turn away from the nanny state. For a citizenry dependent on state pensions and social largesse the alliance platform's commitment to "a belief that the best guarantors of the prosperity and well-being of the people of Canada" are tied to a "competitive economy," "property rights," and limited government are nothing short of revolutionary.
And Harper is a man of faith, too. He's insisting that Canada welcome and encourage their heretofore largely silent faithful community and cast off once and for all Canada's flirtation with European-style post-religiosity.
Perhaps, most disconcerting to the euro style internationalists is Harper's support for a robust foreign policy for Canada. Echoing George W. Bush's threat to the terrorists, "Bring it on!" Harper has announced his intention to implement a "Made in Canada" foreign policy that is developed and implemented primarily on the best interests of Canada including a pledge to boost defense spending and to protect Canada's sovereignty.
Coincidentally, "Made in Canada" looks strikingly western, too. The new policies will also reinvigorate U.S., Australia and British military ties and eschew World Court or U.N.-based approaches.
Imagine, a unilateralist Canada and the entire North American continent governed by market-based conservative policies promoting traditionalist values and ideals. Now that's a new world order.
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(Horace Cooper writes a regular political analysis column for United Press International and GOPUSA.com.)
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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.
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