Stephen Taylor

The Conservative Party finished riding the Parliamentary rollercoaster this week as the week started out with Stephen Harper’s foot on the throat of a dying Liberal minority government facing certain defeat on its budget butchered-by-Buzz.

Then from the Right, the bottom fell out as a blond precocious Parliamentarian bolted to the Grit benches so fast that the ink was not yet dry on her ten-percenter sent out to her constituents ripping the Liberals on “government corruption”.

And then the budget vote, lost by the most narrow of margins. It was a budget that I almost expected Ralph Goodale himself to vote against. It wasn’t to be and the Conservatives will fight on another day.

But how should we fight? What should we do now as Conservatives?

First, get Stephen Harper into Quebec, about three or four times a week. What’s the game-plan in Quebec? Talk about how la belle province and how la oil-well province are similar and how their fight is the same in Ottawa. Bring the message to Ottawa: “It’s the fiscal imbalance, stupid”.

Second, have Stephen Harper do one of those fluff news pieces where a reporter, cameraman, Harper, Mrs. Harper and say Peter Mackay go out on the town (get Rona Ambrose to babysit) and have a couple of pints and talk about a range of topics from raising their own children to rugby to favourite rock groups from the 80s. Those of us in the party know that Harper is human and a Helluva Guy. It’s time to let the country know. It’s a human interest piece and no network would reject it unless the board of directors has a hidden agenda.

Third, continue to press the Liberals on Adscam in Question Period, however, use Ablonczy, Jaffer, Ambrose and some of the other secondaries. Use Harper and Mackay to press the Liberals on Conservative issues (ie. set the House agenda on debating Conservative issues, not Liberals issues). For example, Monte Solberg could ask “Mr. Speaker, what does the Minister of Finance have against the Conservative plan to give Canadians the tax relief that they need in order to raise their average take-home pay for the first time in 15 years?”. When rebuffed by Goodale, Monte could then use up his time by outlining how good the Conservative plan is for Canadians. The point is to change the angle of debate to debate the merits of a Conservative government instead of the merits of a Liberal one (Canadians already know that the Liberal government has no merit — they need to know why a Conservative one does).

Fourth, dominate news coverage. Canadians should not only perceive that the Conservatives represent a government in waiting, they should think that the Conservatives are all but official. The shadow cabinet should make announcements as often as possible if not daily. Failing that, break out the sombreros.

Fifth, don’t close the door to Liberal defectors on principle. A Liberal crossing the floor to the Conservatives gains more ground (significantly negative Liberal press) than rejecting one based on principle (moderately positive Conservative press).

Stephen Harper reiterated yesterday that the Conservative Party needs to present itself as the credible federalist option to Quebecers. He noted that there wasn’t a single non-separatist MP from Quebec that voted agaist corruption when everyone was counted on C-48.

So, I went on a trek through the Quebec blogosphere today and found this reassuring piece from a one-time CPC Belinda Stronach supporter that both wishes her well but also reconfirms his commitment to the Conservatives:

Je continuerai donc à militer avec les conservateurs.

Parce que je pense encore qu’un gouvernement libéral est au coeur de tous les problèmes provinciaux par sa soif d’accaparer 50% des impôts pour 25% des compétences. Parce que je suis encore certain que la gestion libérale est le vrai moteur de l’archaïque mouvement patriotique et souverainiste. Parce que le gouvernement libéral a commis trop d’erreurs et de gaspillage des fonds publics : programme d’enregistrement des armes à feux, scandale des ressources humaines… et bien sûr scandale des commandites… sur le dos des contribuables. Parce qu’aussi, je l’avoue, je supporte très mal l’arrogance de Jean Lapierre.

Parce que le Bloc est l’équivalent d’une ligne ouverte : capable de dénoncer, sans être capable de changer quoi que ce soit. Parce que même si les gens au NDP sont les plus sympathiques, les plus humains et les plus démocrates, ils proposent une plate-forme économique farfelue qui mettrait les canadiens dans un danger r´el de perte d’emploi majeur et d’endettement.

UPDATE: I’ll try a translation hopefully without embarrassing myself too much…

I will therefore continue to fight for the Conservatives

Because I still think that a Liberal government is at the heart of all provincial problems because it thirsts to monopolize 50% of the taxes for 25% of the services. Because I am still certain that Liberals are the actual motor of the old and tired separatist movement. Because the Liberal government has committed too many mistakes and has wasted too much public money: the firearms registry, the HRDC boondoggle… and certainly the Sponsorship Scandal… on the backs of taxpayers. Because, I’ll admit it, I also very badly support the arrogance of Jean Lapierre.

Because the Bloc is like an open line: capable of criticizing, without being able to change anything. Because even if the people in the NDP are the nicest, the most humaine, and the most democratic, they are proposing an eccentric economic platform that put Canadians in real danger of increased unemployment and debt.

Hope I got the translation right!

UP-UPDATE: Check OttawaCon’s translation in the comments section. It’s probably better than mine!

In the most dramatic vote that I’ve ever witnessed, the Liberals just squeeked by with Cadman casting his vote to prop up the government. Kingston Liberal MP and Speaker of the House cast the tie-breaker as per tradition.

Such a deflating week for the Conservative Party of Canada…

However, perhaps this is a blessing in disguise because now Canadians will watch Paul Martin try to keep up with all of his spending.

Belinda Stronach cited passing the ‘important spending in the budget for the citizens of Newmarket-Aurora’ as her primary reason for leaving the Conservative Party. Now that the budget has passed, does she represent anything else in the Liberal Party? What is her purpose now?