OTTAWA, Aug 15, 2001 (LSN.ca) – Former Reform Party Leader and founder and current Canadian Alliance MP Preston Manning released his “blueprint for uniting the right” in today’s National Post. Manning also announced that he will be resigning his seat at the end of the year “to pursue his political ideals and other interests from a less partisan base.”
Most significant in the ‘blueprint’ are Manning’s comments related to the core issue of social conservatism. “In my judgment, the ‘principled ground’ on which there is the best prospects for agreement and co-operation between Alliance and Conservative MPs at the present time is that defined by the principles of fiscal and democratic conservatism,” writes Manning. “Only after effective co-operation has been achieved on this ground should exploratory efforts be made to find common ground respecting certain principles of social and constitutional policy.”
Historically Mr. Manning has tended to place contentious social conservative issues on the back burner. While he has professed a personal pro-life belief, he has never been able to confirm the courage of his convictions. In the Reform Party, social conservative issues such as legal protection for the unborn were left to referenda to decide while constitutional initiatives such as the triple E Senate and recall were clear party policy.
Social conservative leaders across the country expressed great disappointment with Manning’s comments in the National Post. Campaign Life Coalition spokesman and LifeSite Director Steve Jalsevac responded, “This is even further confirmation of our worst fears about Mr. Manning’s strategy. It appears that political power and money into the party coffers are Preston’s main priorities. The large number of Canadians who cherish life and family will be left without representation by a major party if Manning gets his way.”
The Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL), compared the ‘unite the right’ movement in Canada to the movement in the United States. “It is a shame that conservative leaders in Canada ignore the ascendancy of the US Republican Party. That strength in the polls has been in part been driven by its willingness to accommodate social conservatives and fiscal conservatives in its tent,” CCRL National Vice President Philip Horgan told LifeSite. “The big bus of Canadian conservatism should not relegate social conservatives to the back seats.” Mr. Horgan commented that the timing of Manning’s blueprint – being less than 48 hours after Stephen Harper signaled he would run for the Alliance leadership – was “perhaps an expression of his own interest in running.” However, given Manning’s views, says Horgan, “perhaps social conservatives will have to look elsewhere to find their leader.”
Manning’s desire for unity on fiscal issues may well prove illusory since many religiously-motivated groups, while officially neutral on matters of fiscal policy, are conservative on social issues such as those affecting life and family.
Gary Walsh, President of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada told LifeSite that while Evangelicals in Canada include both fiscal conservatives and fiscal liberals, they are conservative on these social issues. “If MPs are persuaded to put aside social policy for whatever reason we regret that important national policy will be overlooked,” he said. “We would be disappointed that there wouldn’t be an organized presence in the House voicing conservative responses to social issues.”
Gwendolyn Landolt National Vice President REAL Women of Canada, told LifeSite that “In his anxiety to co-operate with the Tories, Preston Manning has exposed himself as an individual devoid of personal principles himself, since he is prepared to exclude social conservative policies from his co-operation plan.” Landolt criticized Manning’s plan of “cooperation with the Tories at any price”, adding that “He and his followers should move over to the Tory party, and leave the genuine members of the Reform/Alliance to get on with the important business of repairing their party so that it represents, once again, a distinct and independent party upholding firm moral values.” Landolt said, “Mr. Manning knows or should know that the strength and success of the Reform/Alliance Party has always been the grassroots people who have retained their values and who wish these values included in the party platform.”
A common complaint about Mr. Manning’s handling of the Reform Party was his exclusion of many social conservative individuals and groups from any significant influence on the party’s inner circle. Manning allowed his staff and advisors to regularly obstruct meaningful access to him by pro-life leaders while at the same time professing pro-life ideals. Moreover, Manning’s backroom crew which included Rick Anderson and Cliff Fryers, excluded even grass-roots members from having any meaningful say.
Brian Rushfeldt, President of the Canadian Family Action Coalition called Manning’s blueprint “a sell-out” and a “betrayal of the social conservatives that helped him build the party.” Rushfeldt told LifeSite: “I cannot support any party which is not going to consider social conservatives or social conservative issues. If we don’t have social conservative principles and policies this nation is destined to go down the tubes.”
Manning’s determination to continue to push social issues onto the back burner of any new ‘conservative ’ political unity movement and his by-passing of Alliance constitutional principles will come as a shock to the many Alliance members for whom these issues are of great importance. Finally, his current support for exclusive top-down, backroom process at uniting the right betrays his often touted populist stance.
Family Coalition Party Leader Giuseppe Gori told LifeSite: “The abandonment of conservative social policies and constitutional dialogue necessarily directs a government towards socialism, centralization of services and tyranny. We have tried such an administration in Ontario and British Columbia. It was labelled ‘NDP’.” Gori warned that “By shelving these principles and going after popularity such a party might do well in Ontario and Quebec, but will frustrate the West. We already have such a party. It’s labelled ‘Liberal’.”
See Manning’s blueprint for uniting the right in the National Post at: https://www.nationalpost.com/commentary/story.html?f=/stories/20010815/646297.html