Fiscally-Responsible Grassroots Conservatives Head to Montreal

March 9, 2005

In the week leading up to the Conservative Party of Canada’s first-ever policy convention in Montreal, it seems there’s a great deal of controversy surrounding everything our party is doing. That’s understandable and expected.

Our convention is an opportunity for Conservatives to reflect upon our party’s direction and refine our policies. During that process, we’re hoping Canadians will also put us under close scrutiny. I’m confident they’ll like what they see … particularly if they can access fair, responsible and unfiltered coverage.

It’s a risk you accept in any type of public event. We’re fortunate to live in a society that encourages freedom of speech and freedom of the press. When large numbers of individuals congregate to exchange views, it’s inevitable someone will say something viewed as offensive. That’s their right. If the media chooses to heavily emphasize that controversial remark, that’s their right.

It’s my hope such an occurrence won’t overshadow all other policies and issues discussed. However, any attempt to eliminate that possibility by censoring delegates or the convention program would of course be unacceptable.

There are allegations our party leadership is making efforts to shut down or muzzle debate at the convention. Nothing could be further from the truth! As the Official Opposition House Leader, someone working daily and very closely with Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper, I can assure my constituents and all Canadians that this will not happen at our convention.

In contrast, during last week’s Liberal Convention in Ottawa, a resolution on missile defence was withdrawn by organizers. They also replaced at the last minute, a proposal by the Liberal caucus on mandatory greenhouse gas emissions targets. A resolution passed at a policy workshop calling for the legalization of marijuana mysteriously never made it to the convention floor. And Paul Martin bluntly refused to even allow a resolution to decriminalize prostitution.

At the Conservative Party Convention, we’re anticipating frank, open and honest debate on a wide-range of issues. Party delegates will address more than a hundred resolutions. The issues range from tax relief, support for farmers, the gun registry, the military and healthcare. They’ll all be openly debated.

In fact, resolution P90, put forward by our caucus, proposes to ensure that social issues like marriage, abortion, capital punishment, etc. would be addressed by the Conservative Party in a free vote without risk of discipline. That’s exactly how we are handling the debate on same-sex marriage, Bill C-38, right now. That’s the same policy I’ve operated under for the past 12 years. On social policy issues I will always endeavour to represent the wishes of the majority of my constituents.

Nevertheless, the predominant “water-cooler talk” following the Conservative convention should be that we are the fiscally-conservative alternative to the high-spending, high-tax Liberals.

On the heels of a budget that gives Canadians a tax break of just $16 next year, I believe we’ll emerge from the convention with a renewed sense of purpose and re-energized by the exciting progress made in the evolution of the Conservative Party of Canada.

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