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Friday, January 06, 2006
Growing young with Canadian conservatism
I've featured a new Tory candidate at my blog every morning since the writ drop, mostly in an effort to get the good word out about the CPC's exceptional slate of candidates. This endeavour has turned out to be a fortuitous one for me, as I've had the opportunity to learn about some Bright Young Tories who share many of my values and eased my weary cynicism. The excercise has renewed my enthusiasm and interest in politics. It was comforting to me to discover that yes, there are people who share at least some of my values, and they are running for the Tories in large numbers.
Today I listen to music with a certain measure of detachment. I'm a professional and I make my living commenting on it. There are months when I hate it, going through the routine just as a shoe salesman goes through his. I follow films with the passion that music once held for me. But in my own moments of greatest need, I never give up the search for sounds that can answer every impulse, consume all emotion, cleanse and purify -- all things that we have no right to expect from even the greatest works of art but which we can occasionally derive from them. - Jon Landau, "Growing young with rock n' roll", 1974
For background: I voted Progressive Conservative in '88 and like many others jumped ship in the next election for a variety of reasons. The ensuing ten years did little to excite me politically; the right was divided here in Ontario and there was little hope that things would get better anytime soon. It's easy to despair when one doesn't have a political home. Mike Harris came and went, so did Preston Manning, neither of whom resonated with me.
Still, today, if I hear a record I like it is no longer a signal for me to seek out every other that the artist has made. I take them as they come, love them, and leave them. Some have stuck... but many more slip through the mind, making much fainter impressions than their counterparts of a decade ago.
I don't make my living commenting on politics but I can empathize with the feeling Landau expresses here and I suspect so do many Canadian voters: The candidates and particularly the party leaders on either side of the spectrum haven't connected with the public over the past decade.
But tonight there is someone I can write of the way I used to write, without reservations of any kind. Last Thursday, at the Harvard Square theatre, I saw my rock'n'roll past flash before my eyes. And I saw something else: I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time.
Well
that's how I felt when I first read Ajmer Mandur's blog. Folks, if
anyone has elucidated a more eloquent and virtuous vision of Canada
than the CPC candidate for Kitchener-Waterloo then I have yet to see it: I am, like many of you, a 20th century parent trying to raise 21st
century kids. I realize that my responsibility for them does not end
once they have come of age and I bundle them up to send them off into
the world on their own. If we expect to succeed, if we expect our
children to succeed, we must look to ourselves and not to Ottawa to
raise our kids, start our business, or provide for our family. What
Ottawa can do is give us the tools we need and let us put our hopes
into action. Hard work, personal sacrifice,
social responsibility, respect for others, education, integrity, the
foundation of family and, as it says in our constitution, "peace,
order, and good government" have always been and will be our national
strength. That is the greatness of Canada, and that is why I am running
for Member of Parliament.
That's my vision
of Canada, and it does not escape my attention that my appreciation of
Canada is most fully stoked by a man who grew up overseas and came to
Canada at age 14. In fact, it seems to be a common theme as I go
through the Tory candidates that the ones whose vision resonates with
me the most don't have surnames like Macdonald and Cartier.
The greatness of Canada has never been measured by the TSX, the gross
national product, or the combined value of our individual and corporate
checkbooks. The strength and the true greatness of Canada is in the
moral fiber of Canadians, in the integrity of Canadaís leaders and the
federal government, and in how we treat those who have the least and
most vulnerable in our society.
Another B.Y.T. whose message made me feel like there were others out there who share my values: our man in Brossard - La Prarie, Tenzin Khangsar. From his website:
"I would consider myself a new Conservative," says Khangsar, a 33 year-old who has lived on the South Shore for 20 years. "The whole idea of political spectrum, left or right, I think has become a foreign concept. Left and right are good concepts when you're driving."
Khangsar, recently married for the first time, says that as a member of a young family, and as an entrepreneur who co-founded a successful software company, he has experience on issues thai affect many in Brossard. "I'm very familiar with issues involving small and medium-sized businesses," Khangsar says, pointing out his party has vowed to cut taxes for that sector of the business community. "I've lived it. That's why I don't have any hair anymore."
As an aside, if the Tories don't win this election they should consider doing a Yuk Yuk's tour or at least a one night gig at Just For Laughs.
Tenzin, when not busy founding software companies, also happens to be the National Coordinator of the Canada-Tibet committee and was heavily courted as a candidate by other parties. Why did he join the Tories?
"I used to always vote Liberal. It was almost like a knee-jerk reaction," he said. "But from my perspective, it's very simple. Trust is the foundation of all human relationships. And as a person, I don't trust the Liberal Party."
Well stated, old chap! More:
"Even if I don't win, I want people to see that there are some good people that don't have any aspirations for power but want to make a positive difference for society."
Yes! Hit me one more time with that sweet dhamma funk: "I don't know what this sounds like to you or to the average person but
I just want so badly to make a difference, a positive difference."
It sounds inspirational, to me at least.
The Mike Klanders can feel free to insult Canadian conservatism by suggesting that the CPC uses visible minorites as props or whatever; they dangerously underestimate and misunderstand us. The people that Klander disparages as ethno-props are the ones who are breathing life into the party. They are leaders who are defining Canadian conservatism, on the fly and with little fanfare.
It's no secret that the social values of immigrants are more in line with the CPC than any other party (though this may come as a surprise to readers of Toronto newspapers) and while in elections past the Liberals and NDP could count on the immigrant vote, I argue that the "morality gap" between Liberal policy and the values of immigrants will manifest itself at the ballot box more and more with each election.
When his two-hour set ended I could only think, can anyone really be this good; can anyone say this much to me, can rock'n'roll still speak with this kind of power and glory? And then I felt the sores on my thighs where I had been pounding my hands in time for the entire concert and knew that the answer was yes.
Landau gets paid the big bucks for prose like that; who am I to reinvent the wheel? Change "rock n' roll" to "conservatism" and it accurately describes my newfound passion for Canadian conservatism.
I have seen the future of Canadian conservatism and its name is Ajmer Mandur. And Tenzin Khangsar. And Elizabeth Pagtakhan and Ishrat Alam and Joe Li. I take Preston Manning at his word that it may 20 years to effect the changes we conservatives want to see in our great nation. The good news is that time and demographics are on the side of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Posted by Anonalogue on January 6, 2006 in Canadian Conservative Politics | Permalink
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Comments
http://tinyurl.com/byrsx
"Toronto Star reports that the Liberals field fewest minorities in the Greater Toronto Area."
How can this be? Everyone knows that the CPC are nothing but redneck Albertans! Or maybe the stereotype, like all stereotypes, are inherently wrong.
Maybe they don't want to run for fear of being shot dead in Tronna. It's been known to happen, even to white people.
Posted by: Scott | 2006-01-06 8:50:40 AM
Well because Canadians voted against Preston Manning, I think we lost the one big hope we had in getting this country back on track.
I do hope Mr. Harper wins by a landslide, otherwise we will see this country stagnate due to the Liberals and NDP ganging up on the CPC all through the next few years.
Liberals don't roll over and go to sleep like Joe Canadian voter, they like their gravey train and perks.
If they win this election, they have to go down in history as the best political party in Western Democracy.
And best doesn't mean morals, but leadership, teamwork, planning, stratageies and so on.
cheers
tom
Posted by: tomax7 | 2006-01-06 10:42:35 AM
It seems minority Lieberal party members are encouraged to take their cultural festival (or whatever) money, vote for the anointed Lieberal candidate, and shut up. They consider the Ukrainians in Ignatieff's riding to have staged a hostile takeover of the party. The established Lieberals sign up immigrants then are shocked when they actually want to take part.
Posted by: johnmac | 2006-01-06 10:51:24 AM
TRUST. It's something you earn as an individual and once broken is never fully regained. As an entity the liberal party has broken that trust and those that support that party are responsible. When party ideology trumps thinking and it’s follower’s cease to question the party or hold it responsible your values as a liberal have to be questioned.
Mulroney and Devine. As a strong Conservative I do not to this day forgive Mulroney for breaching my trust. He did not get Canada’s finances under control as promised but continued to spend like a drunken liberal. Because the party did not rein him in I did not support the party. Devines Government was overwhelmingly and unceremoniously thrown from power and so they should have been, that is what honest and respectable people do to corrupt politicians and their parties.
There is a very strong moral and ethics question here that it seems liberals are more than willing to overlook to maintain power. Martin says, my Canada, and I say if the Canada we have today is your Canada martin, it certainly isn’t mine. As one blogger on these pages said there seems to be a gap in the values, ethics and morals of the eastern liberal voter and the majority of the West. Are the majority of this "Canada today, martin's my Canada", moral, honest and ethical?
Posted by: Western Canadian | 2006-01-06 11:24:21 AM
Tomax7, read http://tinyurl.com/8x3pf about, "How even a Conservative minority could change Canada" for a bit of hope. I like how the conservative candidate for my riding talks about the disconnect many people near me have told me they feel: http://www.en.kevinserviss.ca/
John Reynolds
Posted by: jmrsudbury | 2006-01-06 11:41:46 AM
If the total effect of a new CPC government does not"
1) produce an open, accountable,democratic, much smaller government
2) Produce real tax relief and rseform revenue sources
3) get out of my bedroom, living room, work place, church, and duck blind
4) Allow the less populous provinces an equal place at the table in national policy formation.
All the fresh faces and youth in the world won't change the fact the federal party system is incapable of producing real systemic change...and instead changes the party into conformity with the status quo.
Posted by: WLMackenzie redux | 2006-01-06 12:54:39 PM
The Western Standard has sunk to new lows, with "Accusations of Stalking" Anonalogue irrationality.
Sheesh, Ezra, couldn't you at least get an honest conservative to post here more often, like Tarantino?
Tarantino might be a Conservative, but at least he can think. Or even maybe Kateland from The Last Amazon.
Instead, we have another "conservative" who's stock in trade is ad hominem and emoting.
Posted by: Ian Scott | 2006-01-07 7:48:10 PM
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