Understanding Poilievre’s conservatism

OAKVILLE, ONT.—When it comes to criticizing Conservative politicians, the left really needs to update its playbook. I say that because there are those on the left who still haven’t figured out that the conservatism of today is evolving into something much different than the conservatism of yesterday. For instance, while campaigning in the Toronto-St. Paul's byelection, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland declared the Conservative alternative to her government was “cuts and austerity." Meanwhile, for her part, Toronto Star columnist Linda McQuaig recently blasted Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, saying “His dream Canada is an austere place that few Canadians would recognize or want to live in.” She also argues that, if he forms the next government, Poilievre would implement severe fiscal cutbacks that would hurt “working people” and that his agenda “seems very much in line with the far-right Fraser Institute.” I should note that the Fraser Institute is a Canadian economic think tank which represents what might be considered a libertarian viewpoint, an ideology which, in simple terms, stands for free market capitalism, minimal government and individual freedom. And, yes, libertarianism can certainly be considered a strand of conservative thought. What’s more, during the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were the world’s most pre-eminent conservative leaders, libertarianism was arguably one the most dominant aspects of conservatism. Free trade, free markets, less bureaucracy were the conservative rallying cries of the day. Former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney’s push for freer trade with the United States in the late 1980s, for example, was certainly part of that pro-free market surge. Anyway, back then attacking conservative politicians for making “cutbacks that hurt working people” at least made rhetorical sense. But nowadays pro-free market libertarianism as a political philosophy is on the wane amongst conservative politicians. Conservatism, in short, is slowly altering its priorities and goals, moving away from the Reagan/Thatcher/Fraser Institute free market/small government viewpoint and towards a more populist mindset. What does that mean? Well, basically it means conservatism is increasingly all about opposing the three main “isms” of the 21st century: globalism, wokism, and elitism. In other words, the conservatism of today is less about “dismantling the state” and more about protecting culture, nurturing a national identity and standing up for "regular” people who feel ignored or forgotten by the system. If all that means sacrificing libertarian principles such as freer trade, so be it. This shift in conservative opinion is also happening on the grassroots level. In fact, Freedomworks, a once influential American libertarian-leaning advocacy group, recently had to close its doors because its message was no longer resonating with its base. The group’s president, Adam Brandon, told the media a “huge gap” had opened up between the libertarian principles of Freedomworks’ leadership and the populism of its members. I’d also note that the National Citizens Coalition, once a strong Canadian libertarian advocacy group, has now seemingly fully embraced a strident populist messaging. At any rate, my point is Poilievre has, like so many other conservative politicians around the world, jumped on the populist bandwagon, meaning he’s not a Reaganite or a Thatcherite or a Fraser Institute devotee. This is why he’s been able to make a concerted effort to win over working-class voters, people who typically support left-wing parties. Heck, he even voted to support a bill seeking to ban federally regulated workplaces from using replacement workers during strikes or lockouts, a move which flies directly in the face of free-market libertarian philosophy. Now you see why I think the Freeland/McQuaig attack on Poilievre misses the mark. Simply put, the brand of conservatism they’re attacking is all but extinct. Gerry Nicholls is a communications consultant. The Hill Times