The Harper Government: True Blue Conservative or Liberal Lite

TransCanadiana, Apr 2018

Frédéric Boily

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The Harper Government: True Blue Conservative or Liberal Lite

Frédéric Boily The Harper Government: True Blue Conservative or Liberal Lite TransCanadiana - University of Alberta THE HARPER GOVERNMENT: TRUE BLUE CONSERVATIVE OR LIBERAL LITE1 Has the Canadian ideological landscape changed dramatically since the first Conservative election in 2006? Recently, two distinguished commentator s, Darrel Bricker (pollster for Ipsos) and John Ibbitson from The Globe and Mail, wrote a book with a an evocative title: The Big Shift (2013). For them, the 2011 election revealed a great change in the ideological and political nature of Canada. After a L iberal Canada, these authors claim we are witnessing the dawn of a new conservative era, where the western Canadian provinces have become more important in the political economy. Yet, the precise nature of this political or ideological change is not clear. In the first part of this paper we examine the political ideas of Harper’s conservatives, and we focus on their conception of the government’s, or state’s role. In the second part of the paper, we propose to examine these issues in the context of national identity. Finally, in the third part, we will consider the Conservative government against a larger backdrop, that is, the so-called “Anglosphere” countries, in order to better discern the particularities of the Canadian government’s brand of conservatism. Finally, we conclude that it is too early to asset that Canada turned to the right. Résumé A le paysage idéologique canadienne a considérablement changé depuis la première élection des conservateurs en 2006? Récemment, deux éminents commentateurs, Darrel Bricker (sondeur Ipsos) et John Ibbitson, du The Globe and Mail, a écrit un livre avec un titre évocateur: The Big Shift (2013). Pour eux, l’élection de 2011 a révélé un grand changement dans la nature idéologique et politique du Canada. Après un Canada libéral, Ces auteurs affirment que nous sommes à l’aube d’une nouvelle 1 I’m very grateful to Natalie Boisvert for her help to transform my French thoughts into real English. ère conservatrice, où les provinces de l’Ouest sont devenus plus importants dans l’économie politique. Pourtant, la nature précise de ce changement politique ou idéologique est pas claire. Dans la première partie de ce papier, nous examinons les idées politiques de conservateurs de Harper, et l’accent mis sur leur conception du État ou au rôle de l’État. Dans la deuxième partie du document, nous proposons que l’examen de ces questions dans le contexte de l’identité nationale. Enfin, dans la troisième partie, l’examinera le gouvernement conservateur dans un contexte plus large, qui est, les pays dits “Anglosphère”, afin que mieux discerner les particularités de la marque de conservatisme du gouvernement canadien. Enfin, en concluent qu’il est trop tôt cet actif Que le Canada se tourne vers la droite. Has the Canadian ideological landscape changed dramatically since the first Conservative election in 2006? In 2013, two distinguished commentators, Darrel Bricker (pollster for Ipsos) and John Ibbitson from The Globe and Mail, wrote a book with an evocative title: The Big Shift (2013). For them, the 2011 election revealed a great change in the ideological and political nature of Canada. “The 41st Canadian General Election is a fracture in time. Looking back, analysts will consider the years that came before it as part of one era, and the years that came after as part of another” (Bricker and Ibbitson 27). After a Liberal Canada, these authors claim that we are witnessing the dawn of a new conservative era, where the western Canadian provinces have become more important in the political economy. More than a “fracture in time,” other political scientists see in this shift a “fracture” in the Canadian ideological spectrum because, in their view, Harper is not just a conservative but a neo-conservative who made “the country unrecognizable” (Gutstein 246). Yet, the precise nature of this political or ideological change is not clear. In this context, several questions surround the ideological orientation of Stephen Harper’s Conservative government. Has he broken with traditional Canadian conservatism in favour of American-style neo-conservatism? To what extent does this Conservative government differ from its Liberal-era predecessors? For many intellectuals, the answer is very clear: the present government is the most conservative government in Canadian political history. But these questions about the nature of the recent evolution of Canadian conservatism are complex; they present many dimensions and involve a wide range of topics. In this paper, we will examine three of them. In the first part, we examine the political ideas of Harper’s Conservatives, and we focus on their conception of the government’s, or state’s role. In the second part of the paper, we propose to examine these issues in the context of national identity. Finally, in the third part, we will consider the Conservative government against a larg (...truncated)


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Frédéric Boily. The Harper Government: True Blue Conservative or Liberal Lite, TransCanadiana, pp. 13-31, Volume 7,