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I would like to give you an accurate analysis on what's going on in Canada politically from a conservative perspective.

Let's clear the air about Conservatives. There is a new Conservative Party of Canada, just over one year old, which is a merger of Canada's two right-wing parties, stopping the vote split on the right. I am very active in Conservative Party of Canada, a true right-wing conservative party founded on principles of individual rights and responsibilities, smaller government, economic strength, etc, all conservative principles. For your information, we are NOT left of the Democrats. When I listened to Arnold's speech at the GOP convention, you could have replaced the phrases "I am a Republican" with "I am a Conservative" and it would have rallied Canadian Conservatives just as much.

In Canada we are in a situation where successive Liberal governments have continually entrenched soviet-style management in the executive branch. We have media censorship (very literally, like in third-world dictatorships), appointed partisan judges that have been given legislative tasks by the Liberal government, government departments that create financial safe-havens where the Auditor General cannot audit the government books adequately, Liberal patronage across the board, appointed partisan senators wielding large Liberal rubber stamps, expensive leftist policies that don't even accomplish the stated goals (like most leftist implementations), a newly proposed government daycare program to compliment the state-run public schools and universities so that everyone born in Canada will be fully indoctrinated Liberal from birth to age 25, no national defense, no economic incentives, no accountability, thanks Liberal Party of Canada.

Conservatives in Canada are fighting harder than ever to end the tyranny of our elected dictatorship. Unfortunately, the Canadian public seems to be apathetic to all of this, no doubt a product of two generations of state-run propaganda in broadcasting and ever-empowered partisan socialist union-pulling school teachers. It is an up-hill battle for Conservatives but we are charging forwards and making serious headway.

Since the merger of Canada's right-wing parties, we are now under one Conservative banner and have ended the vote splitting on the right. We recently had a national convention and even the typically leftist media were giving us rave reviews. The Liberals had better watch out because there is a tory train steaming ahead right to the Prime Minister's Office. Conservatives are growing in strength, numbers, passion for change in Canada, and good old conservative principles.

Sorry...In reply to your posting, I will also play the game we in Canada like to do and as you have done,
i.e.) who we know, our importance/associations and our purported access to priviledged information; this is suppose to tame me, shut me up, assume I am wrong...this is what Canada, from the top down, attempts and so often succeeds in, so effectively. I will also validate my "posting" by stating; based on MY extensive years living and working as a Canadian Citizen in Canada and many years living and working legally in the U.S., combined with my various private and public sector employment tenure's, in both countries, in reply to your comment on my "Left of U.S. Democrats" comment, it is my opinion and belief, the NEW Canadian Conservative Party is a joke and definitely "far left" of the U.S. Democrat Party ideologies and method's of operation. WAKE UP CANADA!! signed: An Informed Canadian

There hasn't been a government in Canada or the United States that hasn't had some kind of scandal. It is the nature of of politics to attract self-interested and corrupt people. It is almost impossible for an honest person to get elected to any position of power, in either country. This is not a defense of the Liberal party or their activities. As a life-long Liberal, I want more than a political scandal, I want people to go to jail... the really bad jails where they'll be someone's bitch.
But to all those Conservative Canadians who are congratulating themselves right now, keep this in mind. You lost power in the early 90's because of a perceived abuse of power by the Conservatives in the 80's. You continue to lose because you are perceived as either stupid hillbilies, or angry bible-thumping racists. The PC's used to be respectable when they were the party of business, of the entrepreneur, of fiscal responsibility. The PCs racked up more debt in the 80's than all other governments combined before them. So much for fiscal conservativism, and so much for credibility.
The Liberals aren't in power because a majority of Canadians voted for them (or even all the immigrants). They are in power because the traditional conservative power-base in central Canada has no party representing their views, and so they don't vote. If the PCs are ever going to regain any credibility and ever get in to power again, they need to put away the bibles, stop yelling racist comments, take a big breath so their faces stop turning red, learn to speak French, and try to act like nice intelligent people. No one wants to be lead by an angry person, except maybe a fascist. That isn't a political statement, so much as it is a statement about public relations. It does matter how you look on TV, and that isn't a function of liberal bias. Look in the mirror.
Having said that, as a Liberal, I would like to see a stronger Conservative party. Without credible opposition, any party will fall in to corruption. Please, Conservatives, get your act together. The country needs you strong.

Looks like lugger11 has all the answers that Canadian Conservatives need! (post #59)

LOL, I always enjoy it when a lefty tells Conservatives why they lost, what they must do to win, yada, yada, yada.

One of my favorite lefty postures is when lefties strip the military, then when the Conservatives have to spend the $$ to reconstruct it, they start calling out, like little children: "See, you're not really fiscally conservative like you said you were. We lefties didn't spend that much money when we were in power. naner, naner, naner."

Keep the faith (literally and figuratively) and keep on sloughing forward. It won't be easy, or necessarily quick, but i believe you will prevail.

Two generations of Liberal government? Go back to your history books friend. What of the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney that chose to make an alliance with Quebecois separatists to win? Prior to that the Conservative governments of Clark and Diefenbaker, both within two generations (54 years). The Mulroney government had its scandals and was nearly obliterated when Mulroney stepped down and handed the reigns to Kim Campbell. Apathetic Canadians? Ask the conservatives.

Western Conservatives dismayed at what they felt was a snub of their "special interests" (and almost slavish devotion to right wing politics in Alberta - that voted almost uniformly Conservative for more than two generations) split the right when they conceived and created the Reform party under the leadership of Preston Manning. The right has no one to blame other than their own infighting for the current situation.

The Liberals under Chretien were able to effectively win elections when Reform and Conservatives split the vote in Ontario and Eastern ridings. Under the first past the post system, Liberals were able to win ridings with less than 50 per cent of the vote.

The problems are more systemic. When one party has a massive majority - the old cliche that absolute power corrupts absolutely will always come into play to the detriment of all.

Responsible government is always a result of checks and balances, normally achieved through minority coalitions and strong oppositions. Unfortunately in Canada we have had neither. The constant confusion on the opposition side of the house between the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois allows the Liberals to make their deals with the socialist activism of the NDP and it is a fait accompli.

Conservative majorities are no different - average Canadians can see this - they are not blind and when given the choice of the devil they know or the devil they don't - guess what? Voter apathy isn't the result of an abundance of choice - its the result of both parties acting the same when in power.