BRISBANE, Australia, July 5, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A university professor who has lived and worked overseas for 20 years, while on a return visit to Canada, described the Canadian misconception that the Conservative Party is “too right wing” as “disorienting,” when he compares the party to other conservative parties such as those in the UK, New Zealand, Australia and the US.
“It was disorienting to return to Canada and to be met, continually, with this total lack of global perspective,” James Allan wrote in his op-ed, “It’s time for a global perspective,” that appeared in Monday’s National Post. Allan explained that, while in Canada, every time he expressed the opinion that perhaps Canada was due for a change in government after nearly 40 years of Liberal domination, was met with the reply, “But Harper and the Tories are so right wing. We agree in theory, but really, no one could vote for them.”
Allan described that the same message was universally preached from the media, particularly the CBC. “But here’s the odd thing,” he wrote. “In global terms, it’s simply not true. Take today’s Tories and Stephen Harper out of Canada and plunk them in New Zealand and they would be to the left of Helen Clark’s Labour government.
“The same goes for Australia,” Allan continued. “Compare the policies of the left-wing Labour Party there (on defence, immigration, the environment, health, education, you name it) to Canadian Tories’ policies and Harper consistently stands to the left of Australian Labour, not the right.”
“All I can say to that is that people down in Australia and New Zealand, even in the U.K., must be made of sterner stuff,” Allan concluded. “They would never rejoice in such self-emasculation. Thank God for the natural beauty of Cape Breton and Algonquin Park. As for the politics, Canadians clearly deserve what they get.”
Read Allan’s article:
https://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=3341a995-81e1-4bce-837e-565316e04ee2
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