western alienation Archives

Quebec as nation policy resolution scrapped

I’ve learned that the Conservative Party scrapped a motion before the convention that sought to affirm as Party policy the status of Quebec as a nation within a united Canada.

Political observers remember that last year, in a move of political brinkmanship against the Bloc Quebecois, the Prime Minister pre-empted a Bloc motion of Quebec’s nation status by including the distinction that Quebec as a nation exists within a united Canada.

Policy officials of the convention didn’t want to have a policy resolution go to the floor in plenary which would be voted up by Quebec delegates and voted down by Western Conservatives that some observe as resentful of la belle province for not delivering more seats for the party during the previous election. People close to the process concede that such a move could have been political dynamite and may have had the deleterous effect of putting shockwaves through the national media and within the province of Quebec.

As one policy official told me, the gain would be minimal and potential damage significant. The policy itself was redundent as the party itself moved and passed the similar motion in the House of Commons.

This Ontarian understands Western alienation

I was born in Vancouver and lived there for the first four years of my life before I moved to Ontario. Whenever I feel the need to show Western credentials, I laughingly pretend that these formative first years give me enough ‘cred’.

The rest of the truth is that I’ve lived most of the rest of my life so far in the province of Ontario. I joked with a friend out West today that being a Conservative in Ontario shows that by not being a Liberal by default in this province, my type is serious about bringing change in the province and to the rest of Canada.

Anyways, to my friends out West (many of whom I haven’t met yet), I understand what you’re going through because I read it today in the Globe and Mail.

Take a look at this article and, if you’re from Ontario (and not a twit driven by a false sense of entitlement), you’d be likely to empathize with the alienation that Westerners are feeling.

I’ll cut right to the worst of it:

Alberta’s energy riches are propelling its surplus toward $7-billion, raising questions about how the province will use its windfall while not creating jealousy among the country’s cash-strapped provinces.

“there are concerns about how the Ralph Klein Conservatives will use the riches“

However, if the wealth is largely hoarded by Albertans, [Gibbins] predicts there could be national consequences.

“That guy in downtown Toronto who is pumping $1.10 litre gas into his car is going to react quite differently,” Mr. Gibbins warned. “He is going to make an argument that something is fundamentally wrong.”

Seriously, who writes this way and gets away with it? Apparently Patrick Brethour and Katherine Harding, that’s who. They win the biased media prize of the day.

Liberals have a new logo

The Liberals are desperately trying to reinvent themselves. The obvious programme of Liberal “renewal” is in full gear this week as Sheila Copps and Steve Mahoney were recently jettisoned from the sputtering Liberal machine. In fact, the mumblings within the Liberal camp have pointed out that the upcoming election is going to be about nothing else except for Paul Martin, Paul Martin, Paul Martin. Nevermind what party he’s running for, it’s all about Paul. Indeed, the Liberal Party of Canada is trying to reinvent itself as the Paul Martin Party of Canada. They’ll ask us to forget the Sponsorship Scandal, Swawinigate, and the HRDC and gun registry boondoggles. Forget VIA Rail, Canada Post and the corrupting of the RCMP. From western alienation to the self-destruction of our military: please remember, it’s all about Paul now.

So, how fitting for the Liberal Party to cap off such an interesting week of purgings by purging the old logo. The new logo falls short of my expectations, but setting aside my obvious bias, I don’t believe that this new image will help the Liberal Party.

The most striking difference is the new font of the logo. It appears as if someone has taken a big bite out of the “b”. Is this indicative of the faltering support for the party? My favorite feature is the leaf/arch over the “era”. This stylistic feature makes it appear as if Canadian popular support is setting like the sun over the Liberal era. Poetic isn’t it?

I hope that the Liberals don’t believe that Canadians will be fooled by a revamped image of the Liberal Party of Canada. The only thing that will save that party from a thrashing in the next general election is the absolute truth, yet it is unlikely that they will find it vindicating.