May 30, 2000
The race to lead the Canadian Alliance - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- In less than a month, (June 24, 2000, to be exact) rank and file members of the Canadian Alliance, formerly CCRAP, the United Alternative, formerly Reform, will vote on a new leader. In the race: the former leader of the Reform Party, Preston Manning. Alberta’s Treasurer, Stockwell Day and Ontario back room boy Tom Long. Dr. Keith Martin of BC is also in the race, but he’s a little too sane for the party to consider. (A late-bloomer just entered on Friday is John Stachow. No one’s heard of him, even folks in the Alliance, so I guess who gives?)
A political lesson, for a moment. The Canadian Alliance is going an interesting route in selecting the new leader. Every membership sold, at 10 bucks a pop, guarantees a vote on June 24th. I think the federal Tories went this route a couple years ago. The BC NDP did not last February, and we all know they aren’t sticklers for democracy.
The candidates, Manning, Day, Martin, Long and Stachow are the fate and future of conservative politics in Canada. I was chatting the other day with a keen political observer and he and I both agreed that for whatever it’s worth, the Tories have no where to go, especially with Joe Clark as the captain of that ship.
The Canadian Alliance is probably the last chance Canadians have in altering the political scene in Canada. If we are to look at the pulse of the governing Liberals, they are probably scared of the emergence of CA in Ontario. The recent, quiet and secretive motion to ensure sitting MP’s a sort of severance package should they lose their seats in the next election, is clearly the fear eroding the Liberal’s grasp on power. If the Liberals loose seats to the CA in Ontario, in the next election, it’s clear the Liberals will govern with an ultra slim majority. Going as far to hope that the Liberals actually lose power.
There are no clear front-runners, yet. I’m predicting at the end of the day, Preston Manning will lead the Alliance into an election, but that Alliance will simply be the Reform Party with new clothes. What’s really anxious is the emergence and subsequent disappearance of Tom Long. If Tom Long doesn’t win the leadership and it’s Preston’s job, then the Big Blue Machine of Ontario will vacate the party and CA is left with nothing but Western Canada. On top of that, if the Canadian Alliance compromises too much on its own principles, thus alienating Western Canada for the sake of appeasing Ontario, then CA is screwed.
If the Canadian Alliance does endorse Tom Long, (which it shouldn’t because Long isn’t a politician and the game is politics,) it’ll be because of the Long team’s ability to sign-up members in a frenzied blitzkrieg of PR and telemarketing. Dubbed “Telephone Tom” by Allan Fotheringham, it’s clear Long is good at backroom politics, rather than the traditional approach.
If the Canadian Alliance does endorse Preston Manning, (which it shouldn’t because Manning hasn’t changed and he’d only be compromising his own principles,) it’ll be because the Canadian Alliance is just the Reform Party with a new name. If CA is simply the Reform Party, then why the hell would Ontario want the Reform Party as government?
The front-runners if there are any are Long and Manning. Long has attracted a slew of new CA members and if he keeps it up, he’ll win the leadership. Manning has the backing of the long-time Reformers. They will stay steadfastly behind Preston, because that’s all they know how to do.
Where’s Stockwell Day? Good question. When the man first came to national prominence at the first UA conference a year and a half ago, he was considered to being the future of Canadian politics. Young, bright, fresh, bilingual and appealing, the press christened him with the legacy of being the next Pierre Trudeau. When at the last UA conference, Mr. Day, in kung fu garb, broke that piece of wood, people swore they saw the spirit of Trudeau in Alberta’s Treasurer.
Where he currently stands in the race is slightly suspect. A guy of his stature and appeal should be at the top of the list, but he’s falling behind. Day’s record as Alberta’s Treasurer should give all Canadians hope if he’s the man elected. We’d actually have a good economy, with Stockwell Day at the helm. But, his social policy stinks. He’s practically intolerant and anti-everything and their sister. He’s marrying religion and the state and that is a most unacceptable and messy union.
What he does have going for him is the fact he presents a new vision. Hope. It’s a new breed of political animal and the grassroots approach is both appealing to the grassroots and the ones above board. What Stockwell Day has and the other candidates don’t is political service, within a government. Preston’s been lounging in the opposition benches for nearly a decade and Tom Long’s been busy kissing ass in the backroom’s of Mulroney and Harris.
Perhaps, Canadians need a tough, abrasive, intolerant man like Stockwell Day, for no other reason than to destroy the apathy in this country, and for once getting Canadians bounded together to fight the wrong in our land.
I won’t be surprised on June 25th if they need a second ballot, because the vote will be split three-ways.
Questions and comments may be sent to: editor@thecommentary.ca
An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .