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Saturday, May 30, 2009
A conservative should not vote for PC Nova Scotia
A few weeks ago I wrote a post claiming that the PC Party of Nova Scotia deserved to lose the provincial election. This sparked a bit of a debate which ended with me saying that I will wait to make final judgement. With the election on June 9th, I thought that now was a good time to take a look at the party platforms.
There were some good points in the PC Party’s platform. They propose to cut business taxes in half and to hire more police to deal with gang activity. They also propose to freeze MLA’s wages, a mostly symbolic gesture but a nice one.
That is about all the good I can say for the PC Party. It does not on balance counterweight all the crap that they are shovelling.
They wish to increase funding for programs that encourage people to buy local food, and they want to launch a $350 000 media campaign to promote local agriculture. I don’t want to go on a long rant about agricultural protectionism and how it hurts the poorest in society. Let us just say that this is hardly a free market sort of solution that I would hope for.
There are other corporate welfare strategies being promoted by the Progressive Conservatives. They want to give more money to tourism, fund art projects, and give rebates to businesses that hire apprentices. None of these are horrific. I could usually forgive a party for these sorts of things if they had policy that was so good that I could ignore it, sadly they do not.
Instead they have a policy that makes my blood run cool; a curfew for everyone who is under the age of 16. If you ever doubted that the PC Party was an anti-freedom big government intrusive party; then simply consider the prospect of citizens being arrested for walking the street.
Rodney MacDonald deserves to lose.
Posted by Hugh MacIntyre on May 30, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
The crazy thing about Maritime politics is that the Liberals often govern to the right of the tories. Frank McKenna sure did. Shawn Graham in NB has been governing from the centre-right & the NS Liberals, while far from perfect, have more conservative elements in their platform than the PC's have in theirs.
Posted by: McGuire | 2009-05-30 11:00:54 AM
a conservative should not vote for PC Alberta.
heard Comrade Stelmach's latest bilge today?
you will shortly.
Posted by: shel | 2009-05-30 8:19:27 PM
I'm not a supporter of the PC's this time around, but rather the Liberals, regardless I'm one stretch of water away, and my mom is from Cape Breton (not quite enough merit to vote in their election lol), but different provinces have different needs and ideals, and I think that canadians in central canada need to understand that. This region of Canada is oen of the most historically and culturally rich regions on earth with a declining culture that has been ingrained there for centuries, and due to american mass media and likely actions from Ottawa they are losing it, so I dont think its terribly bad for the government to help boost and promote such business. In addition to that, much of the traditional economy was ruined through central canadian mismanagement, so areas such as tourism, art, etc have become large scale employers. I dont think id be wrong in saying that it makes more sense for the government to invest money in profitable and employing industries, rather than have these people go out of work, have to take govenrment benefits and have to eventually move out west. Conservatives are willing to subsidize security, infastructure, etc but culture is just as important to livelyhoods of these peopleas the aforementioned areas, and I think among conservative cirlces there is a good deal of, well, "discrimination" amongst certain sectors asuch ads the arts, that, and we seem to be getting very little conservative though from east of Ontario, and those confined left are taking it purely from their regional grounds.
Posted by: Jack Dreaddy | 2009-05-31 12:37:04 PM
amongst certain sectors such as the arts, that and we seem to be getting very little conservative thought from east of Ontario, and the conservatism we define is coming all from the west and Ontario, but Conservatives, and eventually the Federal Conservative party are going to have to realize that eastern Canada, even conservatives, take the arts seriously**** (Apologies for correction*
Posted by: Jack Dreaddy | 2009-05-31 1:39:28 PM
Jack, a culture is defined by its people. No one is responsible for its decline and fall save that people. Blaming Ottawa or the Americans doesn't wash. American culture is ubiquitous because they believe in it and they promote it. Québecois culture persists in spite of all odds because they believe in it and promote it. Would that the "declining" cultures of the world took a lesson from that.
Posted by: Shane Matthews | 2009-05-31 2:09:01 PM
A culture is beliefs, history, lifestyle, and the people are merely the ones who create and "inhabit it". Central Canada has had a tendency to destroy industries which are part of the culture (re: fishery), and have a desire to integrate Atlantic Canada (re: Newfoundland education system). these businesses and programs help keep alive their traditions, language, history, etc their way of life, which is just as important to them as economic policy, infrastructure, health care. And again, our Conservative party, the embodiment of Canadian Conservatism has to learn that or they will continue to get 10% of the seats east of Ontario
Posted by: Jack Dreaddy | 2009-05-31 7:21:15 PM
Jack, voters east of Lake of the Woods are crazy. Look at their choices: Pierre Trudeau, Danny Williams, Pretty Boy McGuinty, Dan Miller, and the Bloc Quebecois. This is over-simplifying somewhat, but the really do seem to have something against moderate, sensible governments that actually work.
Posted by: Shane Matthews | 2009-05-31 7:33:42 PM
Crazy east of the woods ? Well, that should just be ignored....
You didn't answer the issue, I brought up the arts, a relatively cheap expenditure I may add, and you just crazy, the people the leaders, etc
What all these leaders have is an understanding of their people and high popularity, some like Danny Williams, are the most capable politicians in this country
Posted by: Jack Dreaddy | 2009-05-31 8:34:33 PM
Actually, Jack, Harper's Conservatives increased total funding for the arts by far more than that one measly cut they made. The fact that people made such ado about nothing shows how skewed their perceptions are. Who cares if the candidate is a skilled leader and a competent Parliamentarian? Who cares if he gave more than he took away? Forget all that, and act like the world is ending. Catering to the lowest common denominator may win votes, but it's a terrible way to make policy.
If these politicians are so skilled, why is their part of the country trapped in permanent economic doldrums? Ontario officially joined the Rust Belt this year. The last time Québec was in the black, Duplessis was premier. And the Maritimes have been an economic basketcase since the end of the Second World War. But hey, at least we have pretty pictures.
Posted by: Shane Matthews | 2009-06-01 12:31:18 AM
Thats what the pundits on Question period keep saying, but when they all said, and what i will use to counter is that the funding was purely for the Quebec City celebrations for their 400th anniversary, while funding to other arts was cut.
As for the economic position of Quebec, well, why show fiscal prudence when Ottawa subsidizes you through the nose ? And it is somewhat incorrect that Atlantic Canada has been an economic basket case since ww2, or that any poverty really started beforehand. It has largely been gross government mismanagement of their resources which has led to poverty, just to clarify, but alas, lets stay on topic
Posted by: Jack Dreaddy | 2009-06-01 9:03:22 AM
Apart from seafood, what resources did the Maritimes have, Jack?
Posted by: Shane Matthews | 2009-06-01 4:08:16 PM
Oil, hydro, agriculture, manpower, ore to name a few
Posted by: Jack Dreaddy | 2009-06-01 11:32:57 PM
Those are only assets if they have enough to export, Jack. The country's greatest mineral riches are in the Canadian Shield, not the Appalachians.
Posted by: Shane Matthews | 2009-06-02 12:25:43 AM
"Apart from seafood, what resources did the Maritimes have, Jack?"
Some of the finest call centres this side of the philippines, Shane!
Oh yeah, Halifax does have the best night life for a city its size in Canada (and much better than anything Alberta has to offer!).
But in a way you're right Shane, poor old NS doesn't have a helluva lot to offer, in economic terms. Thats why I moved to Alberta back in 2006, after I graduated from SMU and ended up making $12/hr at a call centre on the waterfront (and voting for the Green Party as a protest vote because I knew that a nothing good would come of electing a fiddle playing gym teacher as premier).
Although I don't regret moving to Alberta, I find I miss Halifax more and more everyday, I just don't know if I could ever live in an NDP provingce!!!
Posted by: Helen Creighton's illigitimate great grand son | 2009-06-02 8:00:14 AM
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