Tom Flanagan (political scientist)

Thomas Eugene Flanagan is an Americo-Canadian writer and professor of political science at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. He is the only son of an Irish-American family from Illinois, and he attended the University of Notre Dame, Indiana as an undergraduate.

Born in the United States, Flanagan first moved to Canada after completing a Ph.D at Duke University to take up a post at the University of Calgary.

Flanagan is part of a group known as the Calgary School and a senior fellow of the free-market think tank, the Fraser Institute.

Views on First Nations

Tom Flanagan has been called "The Prince of Darkness" by the media for his views concerning aboriginal issues. [cite web
url=http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/realitycheck/aboriginal.html
title=Reality Check: Aboriginal Policy
publisher=CBCNEWS
accessdate=2008-06-02
last=Basen
first=Ira] Flanagan has gained notice for his unorthodox views of Louis Riel and First Nations politics. He argues that current public policy enriches and empowers a small elite of activists, politicians, administrators, middlemen, and well-connected entrepreneurs, while bringing further misery to the very people it is supposed to help. [cite web
url=http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=528
title=First Nations? Second Thoughts
publisher=McGill-Queens University Press
accessdate=2008-03-10
last=Flanagan
first=Tom]

In terms of aboriginal history, Flanagan argues that aboriginals were North America's "first immigrants." From this historical analysis, he argues against contemporary "aboriginal orthodoxy" that he thinks grips public policy debate on aboriginal history.

He has been a government witness in aboriginal land claims. His belief that First Nations were Canada's "first immigrants" is seen by some [Warry, Wayne. Ending Denial: Understanding Aboriginal Issues. Toronto: Broadview Press, 2007. P 40-55] as a politically useful tool for the Canadian government in denying the extent of aboriginal land claims settlements, going as far as advocating the assimilation of Canada's First Nations Peoples in his book First Nations? Second Thoughts.

Canadian federal politics

Flanagan worked for Preston Manning in the early days of the Reform Party of Canada, but left following the 1993 general election. Currently, Flanagan is a close confidant of Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. He worked as Harper's national campaign director in the 2004 federal election, and was a senior campaign advisor in the 2006 election.

Chuck Cadman bribery allegations

A biography of Chuck Cadman, to be published March 15, 2008 charges that two Conservative party officials offered Cadman, who was critically ill with cancer, a $1 million life insurance policy if he voted against the then-Liberal minority government in a confidence vote on May 19, 2005. If Cadman had voted with the Conservatives, the Liberal government would have fallen, forcing an election. [cite web
url=http://www.thestar.com/article/308446#
title=Cadman affair sparks election threat
publisher=The Toronto Star
accessdate=2008-03-01
last=Richard Brennan
first=Bruce Campion-Smith] [cite web
url=http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20080310_093557_2860
title=The Chuck Cadman affair—from someone who was there
publisher=Macleans
accessdate=2008-04-02
last=Geddes
first=John]

Doug Finley (Director of Political Operations, Conservative Party of Canada) and Tom Flanagan said they met with Cadman on the day of the vote to talk about his possible move to the Conservative fold. "We offered ways that we — as campaign officials — could help Mr. Cadman in the Conservative nomination process, and if successful, wage a competitive campaign in a general election," the statement said. Federal Liberals have asked the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to investigate the allegations. They sent a letter to the Mounties on February 28, 2008 noting that under the Criminal Code of Canada, it is illegal for anyone to try to influence a member of Parliament by offering financial incentives. [cite web
url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/02/29/cadman-daughter.html?ref=rss
title=Cadman's daughter backs up mom's bribe story
publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
accessdate=2008-03-01
last=
first=] [cite web
url=http://www3.thestar.com/static/PDF/080228_leblanc_letter.pdf
title=Letter requesting investigation to RCMP Commissioner William Elliot
publisher=The Toronto Star
accessdate=2008-03-01
last=Leblanc
first=Dominic]

References

External links

* [http://www.thecommentary.ca/ontheline/20071022a.html Tom Flanagan audio interview October 2007]
* [http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/the-man-behind-stephen-harper-tom-flanagan/ The Man Behind Stephen Harper Walrus Magazine]