Proposed Platform for the Conservative Party of Canada

These proposals are perhaps radical, but I think they are realistically marketable. Unfortunately, politicians tend to bow to popular opinion and, even worse, the consensus in the press, instead of advocating for policies and trying to change opinions. The latter is real leadership. It was what Reagan, Thatcher, and Churchill were so good at. But it is very hard to do: you have to be an exceptional communicator to bypass the press.

National Unity

Move the capital to Montreal. I would propose doing this slowly, piece by piece, to keep the costs down. First up: the GG’s residence and the Houses of Parliament. Government departments can remain in Ottawa for the time being, but any new physical plant, as needed, is in Montreal. The reasoning for this has been given elsewhere: it makes Quebec separation almost unthinkable.

Reform the Senate: make it elected, but have senators elected not by province or region, but by proportional representation from a Canada-wide franchise. Everybody votes for all senators. The Senate becomes the house of national unity. Bypasses bickering about how many senators per province, too.

Promise to appoint only non-political figures as GG and LG. In practice, appoint distinguished actors, for reasons given elsewhere. The GGship, in the hands of a skilled actor, can be a powerful image of nationhood and a force for national unity.

Give preference for immigration to Christians and Jews. This ought to be uncontroversial: we similarly give preference to those who already speak English or French, because they will more readily fit in. In the same way, Christians and Jews will more readily fit in than others, because they share a crucial element of culture with the existing majority. This is not religious discrimination under the Charter, because the guarantee of freedom of religion legally applies to citizens, not foreigners. This would allay some of the fears in Quebec which have generated the Quebec Charter of Values. It would also be justifiable on grounds of human rights, because currently, Jews and Christians face widespread discrimination and physical danger in large parts of the world. In the meantime, shared values really do make for a more unified nation.

End all funding to “multiculturalism.” Canadian government money should only be funding Canadian culture.


The Economy

A no-brainer, and no longer even controversial: seek free trade deals wherever possible.

End all subsidies to corporations. This, David Lewis showed years ago, can be sold as “ending corporate welfare.” It is a waste of money for the government to try to manipulate the free market by subsidizing this or that industry or player. It is also obviously unjust. And it is an open door to graft and corruption. One reason why it is so popular with politicians. End it, and the economy should benefit quickly from the lack of this distortion.

Simplify the income tax code. I’d say “introduce a flat tax,” but nobody really wants a flat tax in the literal sense. The idea is to simplify the tax code as much as is realistically possible to reduce its distortions of the economy and to reduce the huge costs in money and time in conforming to it.

Remove the right to strike for all public employees. The idea of a strike against the public is an ideological mooncalf, nonsensical on any respectable theory of government. This should prevent disruptions to the economy and reduce the costs of government.

Legally limit compensation for public employees to a fixed percentage of the average compensation for Canadians performing the same or a similar job in the private sector. Do the same for public employee pensions. As a matter of course, public servants should make somewhat less than those in the private sector, in return for their relative job security. They now make more--creating an unelected ruling class. Of course, this will also save money, and should boost the economy.


Health Care

This is a growing issue as the population ages; savings are needed. Health is, of course, properly under provincial jurisdiction, but the Federal government has taken a major role with the Canada Health funding mechanism.

First, allow pharmacists to prescribe. This will drastically reduce the need for doctor visits, and so drastically reduce the costs of health care.

Second, permit a small deductible to Canada Health, to discourage frivolous use. Maybe $5 per visit or procedure? Not much more than a city bus ride, after all.

De-fund abortion and contraception. These are obviously, at a minimum, elective procedures, not to mention unrelated to health and a violation of freedom of religion if government funded.

Allow private hospitals or clinics to collect from Canada Health. This simply introduces the element of competition, and is standard throughout Europe. It is disastrous not to allow it, especially now that Canadians may soon no longer be able to go to the US for procedures.


Human Rights

Abolish the hate laws. They are an obvious and automatic violation of freedom of speech.

Abolish all “affirmative action.” As American Chief Justice Roberts put it, “The way to stop discrimination is to stop discriminating.”

End all federal funding for advocacy groups. Government funding for advocacy groups is a violation of equal protection. Save money and end graft at the same time.

Pass common-sense restrictions on abortion: no abortion after the first trimester, say. While I would prefer a stronger ban, I bow here to political realities. But Canada is one of only four countries in the world that have no restrictions at all on abortion. And two of the other three are not good company.

Decriminalize marijuana use; “look into” decriminalizing other drugs. A bow here to the libertarians—a constituency we want to nail down. The “war on drugs” has been about as effective as Prohibition, for all the same reasons. It is time to wake up to this and move on. Doing so should sharply reduce crime and violence, and boost the economy (tourism from the US, for example…not to mention BC agriculture…). I’d rather decriminalize all drug use; but that is probably too radical politically. Decriminalize cannabis for now, and strike a commission to start the national debate.


Foreign Affairs

Don’t abolish the CBC; turn it into an international service. At home, it is an unjustifiable intrusion into the free market; not to mention being totally unnecessary in this era of low-cost media. Beamed abroad, however, it could be a useful experiment in “soft power”: establishing and promoting the Canadian brand, Canadian influence, and the popular desire for Canadian products. No harm in letting Canadians pick it up on cable and satellite as well; but the mission statement needs to change.

Key foreign aid strictly to human rights. Canada is in an enviable position; it can afford to really do this. Big powers cannot; they have too many geopolitical interests to protect. By doing this consistently, we again boost the Canadian brand and soft power throughout the world.

Be nice to the Americans. It is puerile to cause them any unnecessary grief—and it looks like that to the rest of the world. Aside from anything else, being a good neighbor is just good manners.