In Their Own Words collects quotations by and about Canada's Conservatives, as well as quotes about Canada by well-known American conservative pundits. More about the site...
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In Their Own Words collects revealing and sometimes frightening quotations from members of Canada's Conservative, Alliance, and Reform Parties from the past ten years -- as well as a few comments from American right wing pundits about Canada. The site began in 1999 collecting the wisdom of then Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day and is now home to more than 150 quotations submitted by readers all across Canada. In Their Own Words is not affiliated with any political party or movement, but created and managed by the small but energetic In Their Own Words Collective. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

The Devil We Don't Know

What is the Conservative Party? According to the Conservative Web site, the party is "broadly based" and "balanced," a true centre-right alternative to the governing Liberals. The result of the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance, the Conservatives purport to combine the best elements of each party. Many Canadians want a change; the Liberal government, in power for more than a decade, is attempting to manage a scandal of epic proportions, and the new, more centrist Conservatives appear to be a viable alternative.

But in reality, the Conservative Party is, to paraphrase former Tory leader Joe Clark, the devil we don't know.

For the most part, the new Conservative Party is made up of members of the former Canadian Alliance and the now dead Reform Party. While the agreement that brought the PCs and Alliance together declared that the merger was between equals, the bulk of the Conservative MPs are former Alliance MPs. From the start, the push to unite the two parties has come primarily from the Alliance, which had more members and more money.

Many long-time Progressive Conservatives, including former Prime Minister Joe Clark, New Brunswick MP John Herron, and Quebec MP Andre Bachand, won't sit as part of the new Conservative Party. Nova Scotia MP Scott Brison left the Conservative Party in December and crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party. The MPs leaving, and the members most opposed to the merger in the first place, are the progressive "Red Tories" who believe that national government should have a role in promoting community well-being.

Joe Clark has been particularly outspoken. In an interview on CTV, Clark was asked who he would support in the next federal election. His response: "I would be extremely worried about Mr. Harper. I personally would prefer to go with the devil we know." Clark said Harper and Conservative Party will not get away with the "masquerade" that it is the Progressive Conservative party of the past. The old PC party offered Canadians a "broad, national alternative," he said, while the new party is little more than the Alliance in disguise.

With much of the progressive part of the party gone, the Conservatives are heavily dominated by former Alliance members and Reformers. Stockwell Day, the former leader of the Alliance known for his far-right socially conservative views, is foreign affairs critic. Rob Anders, the MP who called Nelson Mandela a terrorist, is Conservative critic for National Defense. Agriculture critic Ken Epp has railed against "obscenity" on CBC Radio that he claims is causing violence against women and children.

The Far-Right Option

It is no stretch to suggest that most of the MPs of this "new" Conservative Party favour privatized health care and capital punishment, want to eliminate official multiculturalism, and oppose full rights for gay couples and a woman's right to choose. If the current crop of Conservatives had been in power in 2003, it is very likely that Canadian troops would be fighting in Iraq right now. How do we know? Because Conservatives, including leader Stephen Harper, are on the record sharing these opinions. Some have publicly suggested criminalizing homosexuality, while others have attacked immigrants and suggested we are facing an "Asian invasion."

What are the official policies of the Conservative Party? We don't know, because the new party won't be holding its critical policy convention until after the coming election.

So, what is the Conservative Party? It is, for the most part, the Canadian Alliance, with the same leader, same MPs, and mostly the same platform. The party can change its name, but it can't change the opinions of the people who make up its membership and its members of Parliament.

Before you vote in the next federal election, think carefully.