Western Block Party of Canada - Are they libertarians, paleocons, neocons or what?

[Joe3113]

Western Block Party of Canada - Are they libertarians, paleocons, neocons or what?

[StilesBC]

Western Block Party of Canada - Are they libertarians, paleocons, neocons or what?

LOL. Never heard of them.

[Joe3113]

LOL. Never heard of them.

Apparently they are secessionist conservatives who hate the socialists in the east.

I'm guessing most of the frenchies in Quebec are socialists right?

They should read the great man himself, Bastiat.

[StilesBC]

Looking at their website, they sound okay on the surface, but harken back to the good 'ol days of the Reform party. The Reform Party was essentially a christian conservative neocon shop who joined with the progressive conservative (social liberals) to form the current conservative gov't.

Speaking favourably of the Reformers is not a step in the right direction, although I don't doubt that many Libertarian Canadians found a home there for lack of better options.

You're correct to be looking westward for Libertarian influences. They are almost nonexistent in the East. But since the breakup of the Reform party, I sense that the true Libertarian grassroots are in disarray. Split between the Libertarian Party, Canadian Action Party, Marijuana Party (don't laugh) and various separatist movements.

What is probably needed is a high-profile figure to attempt bringing this ramshackle band of liberty defenders together under a common set of principles. I know that Canadians are a fickle bunch when it comes to politics. And the double edged sword of easy ballot access is that one issue parties sprout up all over the place to dilute what could otherwise be a legitimate force.

[StilesBC]

Apparently they are secessionist conservatives who hate the socialists in the east.

I'm guessing most of the frenchies in Quebec are socialists right?

They should read the great man himself, Bastiat.

Agreed. Yes, most of the Frenchies are socialists. But they do have a large secessionist movement that could conceivably be infiltrated by Libertarians - however trying to do that from the outside is futile. One must be Quebecois in order gain the trust of the Quebecois.

[eduardo89]

Split between the Libertarian Party, Canadian Action Party, Marijuana Party (don't laugh) and various separatist movements.

The Marijuana Party is quite visible in BC, at least from what I can remember there were tons of lawn signs. Although its not really needed since its a single issue party, and pot is already pretty much legal in BC (laws are not enforced, except for grow-ops and cross-border smuggling)

The party that was quite big, at least at a provincial level was the Green Party, if i'm not mistaken they got around 5% of the votes a couple years ago in the BC provincial elections. Hopefully they get more this time and steal more votes from the NDP (dirty socialists). The BC Liberal party isn't actually that bad, its quite a fiscally conservative party that likes to privatize things. They've balanced the budget and we've had surpluses since they came into office a couple years back, they also cut income taxes by 25% on their first day of office. I remember my parents being glad about that!



"Campbell's first term was also noted for fiscal austerity, including reductions in welfare rolls and some social services, deregulation, the sale of some government assets (in particular the ferries built by the previous government during the Fast Ferry Scandal), and the privatization of BC Rail. There were several significant labour disputes, some of which were settled through government legislation. Campbell also downsized the civil service, with staff cutbacks of more than fifty percent in some government departments."

From their party platform:

It’s no different for government. After all, there is no such thing as “government money.” There is only your tax dollars. As hard as it is sometimes to curb spending, we have to live within our means, so that we can continue to pay for important public services without having to raise taxes or leave a burden of debt to our children.

[StilesBC]

The Marijuana Party is quite visible in BC, at least from what I can remember there were tons of lawn signs. Although its not really needed since its a single issue party, and pot is already pretty much legal in BC (laws are not enforced, except for grow-ops and cross-border smuggling)

The party that was quite big, at least at a provincial level was the Green Party, if i'm not mistaken they got around 5% of the votes a couple years ago in the BC provincial elections. Hopefully they get more this time and steal more votes from the NDP (dirty socialists). The BC Liberal party isn't actually that bad, its quite a fiscally conservative party that likes to privatize things. They've balanced the budget and we've had surpluses since they came into office a couple years back, they also cut income taxes by 25% on their first day of office. I remember my parents being glad about that!



Ed,

You're right that the BC Libs are not all that bad - in fact they're probably the best government in the country. But we'll see what happens to their balanced budget once the economy takes it's toll. I'm more inclined to believe it was simply a product of a rip-roaring commodity/construction based economy which is now crashing, rather than true fiscal conservatism. I also take issue with their apparent belief in AGW, as evidenced by the carbon tax (that the socialists ironically oppose).

I would never vote for them as their ideology is inherently socialist. But again, infiltration is always a possibility if numbers are strong.

But the depression that we are in will provide opportunities for new parties to come to the fore. I think that is more feasible in provincial politics than it is in the US and should be taken advantage of.

[eduardo89]

I voted for them when I lived in BC due to a lack of any better alternative. BC is basically a two party system with the only alternative being the New Democrats, which are pretty much as socialists as they come. I'd say the BC Liberals are, along with the Alberta Conservatives, the best two governments in the country, although that really doesn't say much, since even the federal Conservatives support the welfare state


I quite like the Wildrose Allicance Party in Alberta, though they don't stand a chance against the Progressive Conservatives (no one really does)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildrose_Alliance_Party_of_Alberta