Friday, March 10, 2017

Not my kind of conservative

Over the years, I have written about both my own personal values, and about Canadian values in general. On some of these issues, my position has changed, as has the party in power, at least twice since I started this blog. Regardless of which party was governing, I felt comfortable expressing my opinions.

Many of the posts linked to in that first sentence or so are lamenting the Liberal tendency to define Canadian values by what they themselves believe. I felt excluded. I felt vilified. It frustrated me that my own government could say that my beliefs on say, abortion or criminal sentencing or whatever -- were un-Canadian. While it bothered me that they might say that my view were un-Canadian, never once did I feel the need to change my opinion or hide from my belief system.

Leadership hopeful Kellie Leitch is tone deaf when it comes to the issue of immigration and values. Much as I believe we must be vigilant when granting citizenship, and I believe that terrorism is reason enough to strip citizenship from a new Canadian, some arbitrary, bureaucratic 'values' test that many Canadian born people might not pass, is insulting to all Canadians, and particularly to conservatives -- the people 'expected' to support such an asinine idea.

I can't stand PMJT. I think he's narrow minded, elitist, smug and stupid. I believe his policies and will damage the economy. I think  wrong headed on immigration. I believe he is self serving and foolish.

If Kellie Leitch were Conservative leader during the next election, I would vote for Justin.
If we must have an opponent in the seat of government, let him be one we can actually oppose and for whom we are not responsible.
                                                                                    Alexander Hamilton
Happily, it seems most conservatives agree. Now let's just hope Kevin O'Leary isn't made a serious candidate by the media the way Trump was in the US.

canadianna

3 comments:

Dollops said...

We can only dream that a Donald Trump could be found hanging out in Canada instead of having moved to to someplace more dynamic and free. Were we to find such a proven winner across a spectrum of endeavours, he/she would be smart enough to realise that Canadian voters are so enveloped in a fog of leftist agitprop they wouldn't dare put a "nazi" (person who talks about real things and gets useful things done) in power. Despair, Conservatives; the best we can hope for is Liberal-lite.

Anonymous said...

I do not support Kellie Leitch for the leadership of the Conservative Party … but not for the reasons you outline. In today’s climate, what wins is image. Kellie Leitch would probably be mercilessly mocked because of her nasal delivery of speeches and her very poor French language skills, among other things the media & her opponents would find objectionable. The critical reception her recent videos received are but one example. Don’t forget, Conservatives are always judged by a different standard than the one used for “progressives”. One need only look at the 2015 election: Stephen Harper? serious, staid, stolid, hardly ever given to emotional responses nor given to using touchy-feely buzzwords -- and someone who probably could stand to lose a few pounds & dress better. Justin Trudeau? slim & stylish, dreamy eyes & glorious hair, promising the moon but delivering only moon dust. Practically every second word followed by an “um” whenever he’s unscripted? Hey, no problem! His delivery of written speeches, balanced with just the right mix of drama, compassion & scorn for the previous government is usually flawless. What's not to like? Substance? Pshaw!

But what about Kellie Leitch’s “Canadian values”? Well, listen to any politician & invariably, he/she will invoke standing for Canadian values. Why are they real when voiced by others but not by Leitch? Is she really so off the mark?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/anti-canadian-values-test-leitch-1.3925420
“Leitch's controversial platform, which has been targeted by opponents, includes conducting face-to-face interviews with immigrants for values including equal opportunity, hard work, helping others, generosity, freedom and tolerance.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/09/07/kellie-leitch-immigration-values-test-muslims_n_11887654.html
“She said she believes in a "unified Canadian identity" that includes equality of opportunity, hard work, giving back to the community, equality of men and women, as well tolerance for all religions, cultures and sexual orientations and the rejection of violence as a way to solve problems."

Are those values really so inimical to conservatives? Mind you, as some critics have pointed out, what guarantee is there that potential immigrants or refugees would answer those questions truthfully? So what practical purpose would the "Canadian Values test" serve? Thus, Ms. Leitch’s main plank is impractical, IMO, not necessarily “an asinine idea”.
-- Gabby

Canadianna said...

I don't disagree with what you've said at all, Gabby. Maybe it's because conservatives are always going to be judged to a different standard, and maybe I'm fairly sensitive to that having lived around Liberals and progressives all of my life. The whole values thing becomes silly because it's so easy to answer to the test and say what the examiner 'wants' to hear. It's meaningless and just puts another layer of 'racism' and exclusion onto conservatives trying not to be mired in that sort of conversation. Our immigration/refugee system is not perfect, but it is not as flawed as some. Tighten it up, but let's not give fodder to those who believe that all conservatives want to keep out people 'not like us'.