Monday, January 16, 2006

The Prospect of a Conservative Government in Canada

Recent opinion polls about the upcoming Canadian federal election, show the Conservatives leading the Liberals by a comfortable margin. Is it possible that, a week from today, we could have a Conservative government?

I'm a cynic. I believe that most people tend to vote with their feelings rather than with their minds and that many Canadians simply find the prospect of a Conservative government 'scary.' Yes, that is the word often used by individuals caught in those man-in-the-street interviews when asked about the conservatives generally or Stephen Harper, the Conservative Party leader, specifically. Scary.

Scarier than Jean Chretien? Oh, he's gone now isn't he. OK then, scarier than Paul Martin, Chretien's replacement? Scarier than New Democratic leader Jack Layton?

Really?

Harper seems like a likable guy. Sure, he's a bit stiff and he isn't quite comfortable with speaking extemporaneously, but he is bright, focused, and principled. You may not agree with his principles, Jack Layton certainly doesn't, but Harper is less likely to steal from you, via taxes, than either Martin or Layton.

At least in theory. Once a particular group or gang is elected into political power, they often fall prey to the perceived need to meet the demand for government goods and services that the public clamour for in return for their votes. And then they tax and spend, tax and spend and tax and spend, until there is no money left, there are huge annual deficits, an escalating national debt and an eventual economic collapse.

But maybe Harper will be different. I'm willing to give him a chance. His bunch certainly can't be any worse than the Liberals and they would be a huge improvement over a New Democratic government. Yep, I find that scary: a New Democratic government under Jack Layton. Thankfully, that appears to be unlikely this time around.

In a perfect world, of course, we would elect a Libertarian government. But the world isn't perfect, is it.

If the Conservatives should happen, by some miracle, to find themselves with a majority government, here is what they should do:
  • Get rid of the National Wheat Board
  • Get rid of the National Gun Registry
  • Stop any and all corporate subsidies
  • Get rid of capital gain taxes
  • Institute a flat rate income tax
That should keep them busy for the first 30 days of their mandate. They can contact me directly for suggestions on how they should proceed after that.

You're welcome.

3 comments:

  1. They could always institute the Fair Tax proposal of Neal Boortz and John Linder: link


    That should certainly keep the NDP and Liberals at bay for a while.

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  2. It would be great if their first official act was to lower all Canada's taxes to a flat 8.33%, freeze gov't hiring and start a plan to phase out all taxes on production, along with redundant bureaucracies that deal with anything the Provinces already cover.
    You'd probably have a federal gov't that was actually back in the black again...Unlike these United States!
    Of course, after they're elected is when you'll find out whether or not they're actually "Conservative" or not. Here in the States, we've long since discovered "Conservative" means liberalism-"lite".

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  3. Good points, both. Actually, under the Liberals, we have been running federal surpluses for years and have even been paying down the national debt, if somewhat too slowly for my liking. We do, however, still have a bloated federal bureaucracy and the Liberals like to treat the federal coffers as their own personal piggy bank.

    ReplyDelete