REFORM AND TORY DEBATE UNITING CANADIAN CONSERVATIVES

OTTAWA, July 31 (LSN) – On Wednesday, Former Tory cabinet minister John Crosbie, Reform MP Jason Kenney, Tory and newspaper executive Peter White and political scientist William Christian debated the Reform plan to unite Canada’s conservatives.  The debate showed showing that the Tories are more interested in bashing Reform than having a conservative government in Canada. Crosbie attacked the Reform Party calling it “a boil that has to be lanced,”“a party based on extremist views,” and “It’s too bad that 90 per cent of Reformers give the other 10 per cent a bad name.”  William Christian said that Reformers could not accept traditional values of the Conservative Party which he said were “civility, diversity and choice, freedom and order and compromise.” Crosbie claimed that the survival of Canada depended on the “need for compromise, conciliation and moderation.” Showing himself more a liberal than small “c” conservative, Crosbie suggested he would prefer the Liberal government to a Reform one.  Reacting to the vicious attack on his party, Reform MP Jason Kenney said, “With all due respect, if you’re going to say things like that, don’t pride yourselves on your moderation, your open-mindedness and your civility.” He went on to present the benefits of a conservative political union. Tory Peter White mentioned that he favoured a conservative union.