The Conservative In Canada

Conservatism in Canada explores the ideological character of contemporary Canadian conservatism, its support in the electorate, its impact on public policies such as immigration and foreign policy, and its articulation at both federal and provincial levels.

A provocative and timely call to action for civic-minded Canadians yearning for a more competitive political system ane better government. Canadians everywhere are asking: what's wrong with the Conservative Party? The Liberal Party of Canada has held power for 70 of the past 100 years--a feat unrivaled by any other political party in the Western hemisphere. This dominance has caused a great deal of frustration on all political fronts, especially on the right. In the past two years, the long-awaited merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives has not achieved the results many were expecting. Despite the explosive revelations of the sponsorship scandal, and attempts to improve his party's image, Stephen Harper's Conservatives still trail in the polls. In Rescuing Canada's Right, the authors examine the problems facing the Conservative Party and the broader conservative movement, and offer concrete solutions on how to fix them. Some of the issues the book will address: Why the Conservative Party and its predecessor parties have such a poor electoral record; Why today's Conservative Party is not really conservative. Why a new political vision is necessary to inspire Canadians--and what it should be. How the Liberals use public money to entrench an unhealthy reliance on the state--and how the right has failed to challenge it What Canadian conservatives can learn from the American and British experiences How to build a Canadian Conservative counter-culture in the media, academia, and the law How the right can break through to the young, and to immigrants in Quebec An action plan to end Canada's democratic deficit and level the political playing field. Rescuing Canada's Right will be a hard-hitting and groundbreaking work that will introduce new ideas and a passionate call for change for 21st century Canada.

Stephen Harper is the first prime minister to represent the new Conservative Party, and the first to declare that his goals include nothing less than changing Canada by entrenching conservative values and replacing the Liberals as the country’s natural governing party. After nine years of a closed-door governing style, his agenda is no longer hidden. As Brooke Jeffrey outlines in compelling detail in Dismantling Canada, Harper’s agenda is driven by a desire to impose order and tradition at home, and to take firm stands on emerging issues abroad. With only thirty-nine per cent of the popular vote in 2011, his government appears to have gone a surprisingly long way towards achieving those objectives, with little or no concerted public opposition. Illuminating the importance and influence of British and especially American right-wing conservatives on Harper’s strategies, the book explains how he has achieved so much through a combination of stealth, pragmatism, and ruthless determination. Providing fascinating insight into the origins of a new conservative vision for the economy, federalism, and domestic and foreign policies, Dismantling Canada explores Harper’s successes and failures, and evaluates the likely outcome of his long-term agenda to change Canada into a country most Canadians would not recognize.

Stephen Harper is the first prime minister to represent the new Conservative Party, and the first to declare that his goals include nothing less than changing Canada by entrenching conservative values and replacing the Liberals as the country's natural governing party. After nine years of a closed-door governing style, his agenda is no longer hidden. As Brooke Jeffrey outlines in compelling detail in Dismantling Canada, Harper's agenda is driven by a desire to impose order and tradition at home, and to take firm stands on emerging issues abroad. With only thirty-nine per cent of the popular vote in 2011, his government appears to have gone a surprisingly long way towards achieving those objectives, with little or no concerted public opposition. Illuminating the importance and influence of British and especially American right-wing conservatives on Harper's strategies, the book explains how he has achieved so much through a combination of stealth, pragmatism, and ruthless determination. Providing fascinating insight into the origins of a new conservative vision for the economy, federalism, and domestic and foreign policies, Dismantling Canada explores Harper's successes and failures, and evaluates the likely outcome of his long-term agenda to change Canada into a country most Canadians would not recognize.

A provocative case for the special balance and uniquely Canadian nature of the Conservative imperative throughout our history. In a manner that reflects his long-time academic and practitioner's association with conservative politics and ideas in Canada, Hugh Segal traces the deep historical roots of Canadian conservatism and the themes that unite its pre- and post-confederation reality with today's challenges and issues. The Right Balance connects the historical roots and exclusive intellectual principles of Canadian conservatism to the fundamental idea of Canada with a new and insightful perspective. Provocative and timely, this book puts the present Stephen Harper-led Conservative Party of Canada into a dynamic historical context and gives readers fresh insights into how Canadian conservatism is different and why, providing depth and texture to today's headlines. The Right Balance will appeal to both adults and students who are interested in the economics, ideas and DNA of our present political debates.

“The laws of Smoke are complex. Not every lie will trigger it. A fleeting thought of evil may pass unseen; a fib, an excuse, a piece of flattery. Next thing you know its smell is in your nose. There is no more hateful smell in the world than the smell of Smoke.” England. A century ago, give or take a few years. An England where people who are wicked in thought or deed are marked by the Smoke that pours forth from their bodies, a sign of their fallen state. The aristocracy do not smoke, proof of their virtue and right to rule, while the lower classes are drenched in sin and soot. An England utterly strange and utterly real. An elite boarding school where the sons of the wealthy are groomed to take power as their birthright. Teachers with mysterious ties to warring political factions at the highest levels of government. Three young people who learn everything they’ve been taught is a lie - knowledge that could cost them their lives. A grand estate where secrets lurk in attic rooms and hidden laboratories. A love triangle. A desperate chase. Revolutionaries and secret police. Religious fanatics and coldhearted scientists. Murder. A London filled with danger and wonder. A tortured relationship between a mother and a daughter, and a mother and a son. Unexpected villains and unexpected heroes. Cool reason versus passion. Rich versus poor. Right versus wrong, though which is which isn’t clear. This is the world of Smoke, a narrative tour de force, a tale of Dickensian intricacy and ferocious imaginative power, richly atmospheric and intensely suspenseful.

An unparalleled portrait of the Conservative Party and each of its nineteen leaders, Blue Thunder rollicks through 141 years of Canadian Conservative leadership. A sprawling, page-turning exposé, Blue Thunder draws upon a wealth of public and private material that Plamondon has enriched with fresh insights. Make no mistake. Blue Thunder is no hagiography. This is a warts-and-all portrait that examines in compelling and revealing detail the lows as well as the highs. Along the way myths are exposed, blame is assessed, and heroes are chosen. More analytically, Plamondon boldly sifts from the record what today's Conservatives need to learn from the past to be successful in the future. A captivating, entertaining and definitive look at the accomplishments and failures of Canadian Conservative leadership, Blue Thunder is a must read for anyone who follows Canadian politics today and an invaluable reference source for decades.