Progressive Conservative No More

 My history with Canadian Prime Ministers and their political parties goes back to Louis St Laurent (1948-1957).  Admittedly, I don’t remember much about his term or accomplishments but I do remember John Diefenbaker, his successor into my teenage years. He won three elections and had an majority government once.  He was leader of what was called then the Progressive Conservative Party.  In his first government he appointed the first female minister in Canadian history and the first indigenous member of the Senate.  His government introduced the Canadian Bill of Rights and in the process granted the vote to First Nations and Inuit people in our North.  He reduced racial discrimination in our immigration policies.  He stood against apartheid in South Africa.  He wasn’t perfect, no leader is, but for the time he was progressive as stated in the name of his party.  He was a conservative man of integrity

The Conservative Party today is not the party of Diefenbaker.  It has sadly morphed into a sterner, harsher version of itself and has cloned some bad genes from our southern neighbours. Where Diefenbaker and conservatives were once more the champion of human rights and for native rights I can’t say that is true any more. 

In way of comparison, if President Lincoln could see what happened to his republican party today he would start a Civil War likewise, if the old guard conservatives, including Diefenbaker, could observe either Harper or Poilievre they would also be sadly disappointed in the profound devolution of the party over time.  It is not Progressive.  It is regressive.  It has lost its vigour and humanitarian zeal. It is not the party for our future.

I could vote for the old conservatives who were actually progressive.  I can not in good conscience vote for the morally bankruptcy of the conservative party as it exists today.