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: : Just to follow up, the only federal small-c : conservative party in Canada is on track to : dissolve itself before the end of next year. : The Reform Party, Canada's Official Opposition : to the Liberal government, is debating its very : future. http://www.reform.ca : A campaign called the United Alternative : http://www.unitedalt.org spearheaded by the : Reform Party's leader Preston Manning and his : devoted followers is encouraging all Reformers : this month (May, 1999) to endorse by a party-wide : referendum a motion to hold a convention later : this year or next spring to create a new party. : Another referendum to accept or reject the : principles of the new party and dissolve the : Reform Party would be held soon after. : If this new party went ahead, it would probably : ignore the more controversial stands of the : Reform Party like our proposals to scrap Canada's : Official Multiculturalism and Official Bilingualsim : Acts, Ministry of Canadian Heritage, and making : our Senate elected, effective, and with equal : representation from the provinces (like the 2 : elected American Senators per state). The new : party would still be committed to responsible : fiscal spending but I think it would still : protect government-owned "crown corporations". : On socialized health care the Reform Party : supported mixing public and privately services, : with "essential services" deemed freely : accessible to all. A new United Alternative : based party will be hard-pressed to resist : calls for supporting government control of : health care and, as a sop to conservatives, : devolve more power from the federal to the : provincial level. : Overall, your point about Canada as a : Valhalla for liberals is absolutely correct. : Many conservatives left and right are pointing : to the United Alternative as a means of : uniting Progressive Conservatives and : Reformers to defeat the Liberals and bring back : a conservative government. Unfortunately the : rhetoric coming out of the United Alternative : reminds me of the vague, phoney promises we : heard from Brian Mulroney in the 1984 election : which he proceeded to win the second-greatest : majority government in Canadian history. But : he fall flat within a few years, scandal after : big spending scandal dogged him, taxes and : spending rose, he failed : twice to solve Quebec separatism and his party : was rejected quite handily in 1993 electing : just two seats. : Conservatism is limping in Canada like : a wounded, sick dog. The gr is most : definitely greener on the southern side : of the fence and I'll probably move down : to the States within five years.

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