Conservatives waving an ideological white flag

OAKVILLE, ONT.—When Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole decided to impose a carbon tax (I know he says it's actually a “price on pollution” but you and I both know it’s really a tax) he basically loosened the last tether connecting his party to its ideological moorings. Indeed, the party has been gradually disconnecting itself from its principles for years. Now the job is complete. From here on, when it comes to ideology, the Conservative Party will drift aimlessly, its course set by the vagaries of whatever political currents it happens to encounter. Of course, if you’re a Conservative who doesn’t care too much about ideological purity, then this doesn’t really matter, but for the true believers in the party, this must be a demoralizing time. Keep in mind, when the Conservative Party was first formed back in 2003, many conservatives believed and hoped it would evolve into an unabashed and politically powerful proponent of conservative values and ideals. And why not? The party, after all, was a merger that combined the Progressive Conservative Party’s Eastern roots and Establishment credentials with the dynamism and ideological fervour of the Canadian Alliance. Plus, its first leader, Stephen Harper, was a man who gained a reputation as a tough as nails, conservative ideologue, who would always put principles first. Yet, almost from the beginning the Conservative Party seemed to relegate ideology to the back-burner. When Harper was prime minister, for instance, he actually did precious little to advance much in the way of a true-blue conservative agenda; if anything, his economic policies were basically wishy-washy, middle of the road, Liberal lite fare. Anybody remember the economic action plan? My point is, Harper, showed himself more than willing to sacrifice conservative doctrine on the altar of political pragmatism. Nor did it take long for his successors to follow suit. His immediate successor, Andrew Scheer, for example, seemingly motivated by purely pragmatic political calculations, eagerly embraced and lauded Quebec’s dairy supply management system, an institution that’s an anathema to most free-market, libertarian conservatives. Certainly, under Scheer’s leadership it was hard to imagine the Conservative Party as a principled voice for smaller government. Then, after losing the 2019 federal election, Scheer himself was toppled in the name of pragmatism. More to the point, he was accused of allegedly espousing politically unpopular viewpoints, i.e., he was a social conservative. As former Conservative cabinet minister Peter MacKay bluntly put it, Scheer’s religious beliefs were a “stinking albatross” that cost the party the election. So, social conservatism was thus deemed a liability. Anyway, after all this ideological purging, when O’Toole ultimately took over the reins, the party’s only remaining stance still rooted in conservative ideology, one that distinguished it from the Liberals, was its absolute opposition to any kind of new tax. Conservatives were especially adamant that a carbon tax was wrong. Heck, Conservative premiers even went to court (unsuccessfully) to have the Liberal carbon tax overturned. But now, with O’Toole’s proposal to implement his own version of a carbon tax on the table, even that last shred of conservatism has gone out the window. And yes, this is a massive shift in the Conservative Party’s brand. As American columnist Robert Novak once put it, “God put the Republican Party on earth to cut taxes. If they don’t do that, they have no useful function.” The same could be said of Canada’s Conservative Party. If it’s now in favour of raising taxes, what’s its useful function? It’s not libertarian, it’s not social conservative, it’s not even anti-tax. Essentially, in the battle of ideologies, the Conservatives have waved the white flag of surrender. Gerry Nicholls is a communications consultant. www.gerrynicholls.com The Hill Times