Many Liberals in the Western Provinces are disheartened. Some have a sense that we can never again be competitive and that running candidates is close to futile. I have been told the National Energy Program will forever make Liberals unelectable.
Certainly there is a real dearth of strength in parts of the West -- Alberta especially seems a fortress for the Conservatives. But that does not have to be the future.
And memories of the NEP need not tarnish the Liberal name forever. The program ended over two decades ago and continued, to a degree, through Brian Mulroney's Conservative government ending only in 1985.
One reason why the NEP was so unpopular in Western Canada -- and Alberta especially -- was that it was perceived to be benefiting the Eastern Provinces at the expense of the West.
Western Canadian alienation is very real and the Conservatives have capitalized on that alienation. They recognized the issue and addressed it -- and we have not.
Tip O'Neill said "all politics is local" and he was right. We have to recognize this and address the issues of the West in the national campaign. And that has to be more than just mentioning, say, the tar sands.
Look at Richard Nixon and his Southern Strategy -- while the strategy is rightly criticized for its policy basis, it took the issues of the American South seriously. By running his 1968 campaign on states' rights and "law and order" Richard Nixon spoke directly to the concerns of Southern voters. And he turned a Democratic fortress into a Republican fortress. Yes it took 40 years to solidify, but it worked.
If we address Western issues squarely, and put the proper effort in, we can be competitive in the West.
2 comments:
Liberal National Energy Plan = evil
Conservative National Energy Strategy = greatest thing since sliced bread
Make sense? Not to me either.
Maybe the Liberal Party could get Trudeau to publicly endorse it for giggles and see what the response is.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/national-energy-strategy-gains-clout/article2092820/
It isn't just the NEP.
Mandatory bilingual judges in the supreme court is one very small example of the anti-west sentiment.
Long guns are an essential tool in rural areas of Canada including the west. The gov't boondoggle of the registration system is unacceptable. Until that is understood by the Liberals they should expect no more than the 40,000 votes they got in SK in the last election.
The world needs our oil. It should be a proud rescource for every federal politician. It is repugnant to see Lib politicians trashing Canadian oil while saying nothing about the human atrocities occurring in other poil producing nations.
"Screw the West and take the rest" strategy isn't working too well for the Liberals these days.
To hell with the party.
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