The era of the conservative politics is over with the election of Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party as new Prime Minister of Canada. In the last election the Liberal Party was smashed but now the Liberal Party with a fresh approach bounced back to power winning over the confidence of the Canadians who opted for a change. Stephan Harper, the outgoing Prime Minister, conceded defeat and stepped down. In his nine years in power, Harper completely reshaped the image of country making it a strong defender of “progressive” conservatism where the market plays a very important role and the government, though should be kept at minimum, must be strong enough to lay the foundations for a prosperous welfare state. Advancement of global trade was always a special issue for the Conservatives that have been pursuing several multilateral and bilateral trade agreements.
In this the conservatives in Canada are very different from the Republicans in the USA and probably much more aligned with the policies of the European Popular Party, the pan-European umbrella organization of the center right parties, most of them with a strong sense of justice stemming from their Christian backgrounds.
In terms of development aid, Conservatives shut down CIDA, the Canadian aid development agency because it was thought to be ineffective. As a pro-market party, the Conservatives always put more faith in democracy promotion, advancement of human rights internationally (a bit a neo-cons agenda) and creation of local wealth.
At national level, Conservatives have been very strong in the economy and allowed Canada to withstand the global recession but several scandals had marred the Harper Administration in the last two years.
Many people disliked Harper as a person but enjoyed his no-nonsense approach to economy and indeed they were right. The Globe and Mail, one of the most authoritative daily in Canada endorsed the Conservatives in this election but not Harper, inviting him to step down in case the Conservative would have won the election.
Recently Harper waved a battle on civil liberties especially on the issue of not allowing Muslim women to completely cover their faces while in public spaces.
As an issue of principles and values that the Conservatives fought till the end, wearing a burqa or any other type of costume not allowing a woman to show her face, was considered as a matter of infringement of women ‘basic liberties.
Cultural practices even if strongly related to personal identities and therefore tied to the sensitive sphere of personal choices, cannot overtake and be regarded as acceptable by the society at large simply because of the personal and religious beliefs and convictions of the persons practicing them.
Controversial was also the way the conservatives dealt with the Syrian refugees’ crisis.
The Liberals with Justin Trudeau are offering a new vision of Canada that dates back to the same roots shaped during the past decades when the Liberals were in power.
A more relax approach towards “moral” issues like marijuana and euthanasia, multilateral engagement, strong investment on development aid, a strong opening towards new immigrants, a focus on green economy and a promise to run small deficits to fund a new wave of infrastructures will be the cornerstones of the new liberal government.
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