Let’s Talk about What’s Happening
According to many long time members we are witnessing something that is unprecedented in the Conservative Party of Canada since it was founded on December 7th, 2003. Single issue groups are getting involved in the election of our National Councilors in BC.
It is the very nature of politics for people who feel passionate about an issue to seek to persuade others, to share their views, and to do something about it.
- The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has been pushing lower taxes and deficits for many decades. Their heads are exploding at Trudeau’s COVID spending and how it will burden Canada with unsustainable debt for generations killing growth and prosperity.
- The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights is mounting an all out attack against Bill C-21 which is a huge step back for gun ownership in Canada. Criminals with illegal guns are given kids gloves treatment while law abiding citizens are being stripped of their ability to defend themselves.
- An army of organizations are pushing back against Trudeau’s treatment of the oil and gas industry. Businesses are dying, towns are dying and people are literally killing themselves in despair.
These are all huge issues, in many cases life and death, and yet not one of these organizations has sought to run delegate slates with the purpose of electing National Councilors.
I have not been asked one single question by delegates on my views on the above issues as a condition of getting their vote. Yet I have been asked at least 50 times about my views on pro-life issues and I still have a long ways to go to get through the list.
Danielle Smith
Danielle Smith Weekly Newsletter 2: January 24, 2021
“Candidates need to have some self awareness: If you are passionate about a single controversial issue, start an advocacy group or blog about it. If you want to be on the ballot and say whatever the hell you want, run as an independent. If you are unelectable, don’t run at all. Don’t ruin the re-election chances for everyone else.”
Improper Influence of National Councilors
The job of a National Councilor has very little do with policy. (Read Section 8.7 of our Constitution for a list of powers and responsibilities.) It’s role is more governance related.
The one area where National Council may have an impact is with its handling of candidate nomination disputes. So if a single issue organization is endorsing National Council candidates based on this duty it would be fair to assume that candidates who have accepted these endorsements have agreed to put their finger on the scale for this issue. They no longer represent the big tent of Conservatives but one particular segment. Even if they have not there is still an appearance of bias. This should not happen.
Social Value Conservatives vs Single Issue Advocates
As a result of the last leadership race the Conservative Party membership swelled to a record 280,000. These should be our greatest resource and not just for fundraising. I have an extensive post on how we can better support and utilize our new members at this link.
Many of these new members joined because of certain social issues. Here’s how I see the options.
Social value Conservatives put the Conservative Party first.
Single issue advocates put their issue first.
Social value Conservatives contribute to the Party by volunteering, donating, sitting on boards and running for office.
Single issue advocates only help single issue candidates and policies.
Social value Conservatives understand they are one part of a broad coalition, by working together they will get a little of what they want. Otherwise we all go backwards with Trudeau in power.
Single issue advocates are just using the Party as vehicle to further their cause.
Social value Conservatives want people who do the volunteer work to be rewarded with the convention delegate spots.
Single issue advocates only want single issue delegates, even if they have just joined the Party.
But Derek Sloan
I understand people are very upset at how Derek Sloan was treated. Using the $131 donation as an excuse is weapons grade stupidity which should result in those who came up with it to be permanently exiled to the North Pole. But at the end of the day it was the Conservative Party Caucus that voted to expel MP Sloan. Many of these are social values Conservatives. The BC Caucus is mostly social value Conservatives. MP Ed Fast who is a social value Conservative was just given the top job of Finance Critic. It is not fair to say that there is no place for social values in the Conservative Party.
Our Future?
If single issue advocacy organizations are successful in electing National Councilors you will see a huge change in the future. Other advocacy groups will organize for the next convention. We will then be selecting National Councilors based on narrow policy issues and not whether they are the best to help the Conservative Party of Canada win.
An election is expected shortly. We need to focus on beating Trudeau.
Hello Fritz,
Thank you for your consideration of my response to your email. Here it is:
There are some issues that are so important and foundational they demand special consideration over others. An historical example of this is slavery. Slavery was utterly offensive to the core of what we are as human persons, our dignity and worth. It became the defining – and extremely divisive – issue of the times.
Those for whom slavery was their “single issue” worked to get elected to all levels of government. Likewise, the “single issue organizations” you refer to are indeed working to get as many like-minded individuals in positions of power (like National Council) as they can.
My experience has been that many pro-lifers are tired of being treated like second-class citizens in our own party. We feel like the CPC has taken our support for granted. We have had nowhere else to go and they know it. Leaders make meagre promises to us during leadership races and general elections, and then turn their backs on us after we help them get elected. Well now it seems we will be flexing our political muscles at the Convention. Good for us.
But back to why the “single issue” of abortion is so important to us.
There were other important issues when slavery was legal: taxes, immigration, economy, independence, but slavery had a more fundamental importance. Whether the people recognized it or not, it was slowly and insidiously tearing at the foundation of the nation, threatening its very existence as a civilized society. Indeed, It was at the crux of the larger battle between good and evil itself, and the same is true with abortion today.
Slavery made the abhorrant claim the slave was not a full person deserving of liberty and equal protection under the law. Today, abortion makes the same claim on the helpless, voiceless child in the womb.
Relegated to mere property of the pregnant woman, the pre-born child can be legally dismembered to death at any point during pregnancy in this, the “true north strong and free,” and 100,000+ of them are every single year.
Abortion is our national shame. You may not recognize it today, but be certain future generations will look back on our complicity with it with outrage and shame.
“But we live in a “pro-choice” nation and taking a stand against abortion will doom us to defeat,” claim some. Are they right? Some say yes, the media certainly wants us to believe that, others argue no, so what is the CPC to do?
Refuse to stand in defence of the most defenseless among us and push pro-lifers to the back of the bus by telling us to “be quiet or we can’t win”? Expunge us from the party completely and risk a mass exodus of members and votes? Or, ought we get together under the “big tent” and agree to adhere to and defend an eternal, good, and just principle. Can we have faith that if we do the right thing, good fruit will be borne of it?
I vote for taking a strong and firm stand in defense of the dignity of the human person from conception to natural death, and the let the cards fall where they may. I’m not saying to ignore all the other issues, but let’s get this fundamentally important principle right, now.
Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms reads: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.” Are the unborn not innocent members of the human family? Ought they be excluded from “everyone” as to grant the strong their “choices”?
There are none weaker than the babe in the womb, and government has an obligation to defend the weakest among us. Certainly, we will be judged by how we have met that obligation.
While some are sounding the alarm over it, I’m excited and encouraged to know that so many pro-lifers have decided to be delegates. Frankly, It gives me hope for our nation.
If we don’t take a strong stand on this most basic issue, the CPC will be a party with a compromised moral compass and no real distinction from the Liberals and all the other morally deficient, uninspiring parties that are wholly undeserving of our support. I intend to vote for life at every possible opportunity, and I hope you do too.
Marlon Bartartram