Thursday, June 09, 2011

It's the CPC Convention!

I know it's going on because I read it on Twitter.  But I don't know where. I'd assume Ottawa. Ok, Ottawa it is.  And coming off a big win, it's probably going to be a big beer fest.  Fun stuff.

The only convention I ever went to was in Edmonton in 2002.  I was doing stage security while Mr. Harper spoke and I fended him off from photographers.  That was back in the Canadian Alliance days.  Back when he said (and I remember because I was the closest person to him), "The Canadian Alliance is strong and the Canadian Alliance is here to stay!"   I didn't believe a word of it.  I, like him, knew that unless the PCs and Reformers merge, this wouldn't work.  I knew right away when they named the party CRAP.  Who missed that?  Geezus!  So when the knives came out for Stockwell Day, I hoped Harper would step up.  And he kinda did, didn't he?  So I got involved on his leadership team, which morphed into Laurie Hawn's team.

Anyway, so now with the coveted majority, you'd think that some pretty smart people would propose some good policy that will easily become gov't policy, yes? So what policies are on the table for the Conservative Party of Canada this weekend?

Let's have a quick look shall we?


Leadership vote one-member-one-vote vs. equally weighted constituencies?   WHAT?  I thought they settled that?  So must be because there's a looming leadership race, right?   Oh, nope, Scott Reid, MP is proposing a more balanced approach formula than balanced ridings.

So with these pressing matters, there's some actual policy.  Here are the three policy streams for your perusal:

  1. Canada's Social Fabric
  2. Role of Gov't, Taxation, and Crime
  3. Economic Development
So now we're going to go through each policy item and discuss it.  Wait, let's not. What's the point?  Barely any of these are ever going to become gov't policy anyway.

I don't ever remember calling Quebec "a nation" ever brought up at a convention or heck, even discussed.  I don't ever remember this idea of the Tax Free Savings Account.  Maybe it was, but no one remembers.

So what's the point of these conventions?  Well, it's to keep the grassroots old Reform policy wonks happy, like they think they'll actually make a difference.  Maybe they will now with this majority--it was REALLY pointless back in the Reform days.

In the meantime, it seems like I'm missing a really good beer fest.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think we need a discussion of why the heck Canada is expending blood and treasure in Libya. What is Harper thinking? Have we learned nothing in the past decade about intervention in these lunatic asylums?

L said...

Please don't junp on the bandwagon - I am at the convention and it is fun. I am grass roots but was a conservative before you were born. Stop the sterotypes!!! Most of my policy preference are to limit spending and to not introduce anything much, especailly in provincial domains. I want them to reform the refugee program. I do not want abortion legislation of any kind. Be careful about your assumptions - I have met no frothing freaks, but I have met a lot of cool conservatives who want their cheues written from their own bank accounts, not the Gov't of Canada.