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The Clarington/Courtice Independent, Bowmanvillc, Saturday, June 6,1998 Page 9 Thoughts on a "United Right" Parliamentary Report by Alex Shepherd Uniting the right was just one of the major themes discussed at last week's Reform Party convention convention held in London. The theme reflects, again, how simplistic Reform's political theorists theorists approach Canada's political landscape. What arc these labels of right and left? Canadian society has become so pluralistic that right and left, or right versus versus left is meaningless. But, for those interested, interested, right presumably means those who want less government and more reliance on individuals or groups. The left means approval of some form of state intervention for the good of all citizens. Generally, people don't fall so neatly into these classifications. For. instance, I sec myself as being fiscally conservative. conservative. At the same time I sec the good government can create and needs to create, in people's lives. Mr. Manning's thinking comes from his father. Ernest Manning wrote books on the need for political realignment in Canada. In other words, make the right and left easier easier to sec to help people make political choices. For example some of us look to the U.S, and see a two-party system. What some might see as two clearly defined alternatives. alternatives. In reality this is not the case. Both parties have members whose views arc all over the political map. Ernest . Manning's realignment for Canada wouldn't have made any sense in its own time. Canada, more in Manning's time than even now, developed through struggles and compromise. During Manning's time Canada was even more regional than it is now. Compromise would have been the only alternative. Hence, the proliferation of alternate political parties. What Mr. Manning'was missing (and now his son and the Reform Party), is a basic philosophy to form the foundation of their parties. parties. The Reform Party is a Western populist movement movement sent to Ottawa in the hope of diminishing the role of the central government. government. They arc a coalition of ideas which will not mesh. The gun lobby, some non-custodial parents, Western Canadians who feel alienated, those wanting wanting an elected Senate (who I sympathize with), arc some of the people who make up the coalition. These single-issues and the people behind them, do not make a political philosophy. philosophy. Therefore, Reform, as a party will not endure. And this is why Progressive Conservatives can not embrace an alliance with Reform. Their views of Canada arc inherently different. Progressive Conservatives believe there is a role for the central government that should be strengthened, strengthened, not weakened. Reform and their populist populist members, want, cheque-book federalism where Ottawa collects taxes for most programs and just sends it off to the provinces to be administered. administered. The sad irony in all this is that Ontario's present premier behaves like a Reformer rather than a Progressive Conservative. I suppose this 'gives Preston Manning hope of success. The people of Ontario have never viewed federalism, federalism, or Ontario's role in confederation, as a "what's in it for me" arrangement. This will eventually place Mike Harris at logger- heads with the basic philosophy philosophy of Ontarians, who will view Harris' anti- Ottawa message, as anti- Canadian. Ontarians arc not anti- Canadian and they arc anything but parochial. Many Progressive Conservative MPs have told me they would cross the Boor to the Liberals rather than join Reform. Unite the right? It's a no-brainer because Reformers arc addressing the wrong issue. The issue is the role of the federal government being one voice for Canadians for the common good. It is the philosophy that contributes to nation building and not nation destroying. 'The Reform Party is a Western populist movement sent to Ottawa in the hope of diminishing the role of the central qovernment. They are a coalition of ideas which will not mesh." Clarington's marathon man, John Veldhuis, will be cycling home on Saturday, June 6th. He's scheduled to ride from Newcastle to Bowmanville from two p.m. to three p.m. There will be a reception in his honor at St. John's Anglican Church, Bowmanvillc, from three p.m. to five p.m. John started out not quite a year ago aboard his second-hand, garage sale bike and has covered about 16,000 kilometres in his Ride Around America. Funds raised from the ride will be donated to a scholarship program for students from Haiti studying in Canada. 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