Neoconservatism in Canada

Neoconservatism in Canada is a newer strand of conservatism found in Canada, alongside the country's more established tradition of Burkean conservatism. The movement somewhat resembles the American neoconservative movement, Blue Tories found within the Conservative Party of Canada are often linked to the movement however they do not self-identify as neoconservatives. The West is often seen as the base root for neoconservative thought within Canada, notably in the province of Alberta, which elected Conservative Party of Canada candidates seats in every single riding in the 2006 federal election.

The new Conservative Party of Canada under Stephen Harper's leadership was initially more conservative than the previous Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC). The old PC Party was a complex alliance of Western conservatives, Quebec nationalists and Red Tories, the latter considering themselves to be fiscal conservatives and social progressives. While the newer form of conservatism in Canada is different than the old Red Toryism that occupied the centre-right, it remains different from American neo-conservatism.

Many consider the Calgary School to be the intellectual hub of the new conservatism in Canada including scholars such as Ted Morton (failed candidate for the leadership of the Alberta PC Party), Tom Flanagan, Rainer Knopff and Barry F. Cooper. Others accuse the "new" Conservatives of pandering to the wishes of social conservatives in the West. Stephen Harper has always been more of an economic conservative than a populist social conservative. This difference was the cause of his split with Preston Manning, founder and former leader of the western-based Reform Party.

Unlike American neoconservatism, the social conservative element in Canadian neoconservatism is much less prevalent. The biggest similarities in both American and Canadian neoconservatism lie in foreign policy. Elements in Canadian neoconservative thought generally include, but are not limited to: establishing a stronger military-industrial complex, increased privatization of state assets, stricter punishment for criminals, in the field of domestic policy. Foreign policy is characterized by support for Israel in the 2006 Lebanon war, criticism of Cuba and Venezeula, support for the Iraq war and War in Afghanistan.

External links

* [http://www.pm.gc.ca/ Prime Minister of Canada - Premier ministre du Canada, official website]
* [http://www.conservative.ca/ Conservative Party of Canada, official website]