Posted by Francis on June 16, 1999 at 16:27:27:
In Reply to: You think this place is liberal? Just wait until you visit Canada. posted by Rob on February 10, 1999 at 14:46:42:
Dear friends,
As one of those right-of-centre Canadians who is all too aware of the prevalent liberalism that rules in the Great White North, I cannot help but feel compelled to add a few comments in response to some of the generalizations made about the nation. While we have our fair share of problems such as a higher overall tax rate, a degree of judicial activism that sends jitters up my spine, the same degree of mediocrity in most of our schools (frankly I fear that were even worse off in this respect than the US), a lack of respect for the nations history and institutions, and last but not least a rarity of solid conservatives in our various branches of government, especially when it comes to moral issues, the country is not as pathetic as many of the earlier contributors to this discussion seem to perceive it. At least two provinces whose combined population totals to nearly half of the nations population, namely Alberta and Ontario, can truly be said to be following neo-conservative economic policies that have born much fruit. Only three weeks ago, the Tories were re-elected in Ontario with a majority government despite opposition from every union and left-of-centre organization you could imagine. While an earlier contribtor directed his comments towards the seeming demise of the nation's one truly right-wing federal political party (the Reformers), the close vote among its membership in favour of the United Alternative platform has clearly sent its leadership a message that right-wingers in Canada are not about to compromise on core issues. In either event, the presence of a truly right wing opposition in the House of Commons over the last several years has greatly changed the direction of debate in favour of conservative values, even if they have yet to reach fruition. While the country is admittedly more liberal than much of the United States, its not the lost cause that many perceive it to be.
While I'm at it, I cannot help but add a further comment regarding our nation's military history, a sadly neglected victim of liberal revisionism and neglect. To suggest that American's should simply rent out Saving Private Ryan and leave Canada to the draft-dodgers of the Vietnam War suggests blatent ignorance of the nationality of a third of the soldiers who landed in Normandy on D-Day, or the fact that Canada's commitment to the Second World War included the fourth largest airforce and third largest navy in the world (though the latter admittedly consisted of smaller convoy escorts and destroyers rather than battleships and carriers). Sadly, our military has suffered much from cutbacks made by Liberal governments in the 60s, 70s and 1990s that have gutted our combat capability, but we still have more than our fair share of veterans who deserve some respect. The reference to Saving Private Ryan (a fine film, I might ad) further raises the question of where people get their information on Canada. Remember that our media is just as dominated by left-wing elites as anywhere else in the western world, thus making it a less than reliable source for information.
For your consideration.
Frank Monozlai
PS. I wish that I could have mentioned a repeal of the latest gun registration legislation in the above response. I'll be much more enthusiastic about Canada when such a wish becomes reality. In either case we've still got good hunting up here!
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