Canadian Conservative Political Thought

This book corrects an imbalance in Canadian political literature through offering a conservative account of Canadian political thought. Across 15 chronologically organized chapters, and with a mixture of established and rising scholars, the book offers an investigation of the defining features and characteristics of Canadian conservative political thought, asking what have Canadian conservative political thinkers and practitioners learned from other traditions and, in turn, what have they contributed to our understanding of conservative political thought today? Rather than its culmination, Canadian Conservative Political Thought will be the beginning of conservative political thought’s recovery and will spark debates and future research. The book will be a great resource for courses on Canadian politics, history, political philosophy and conservatism, Canadian Studies, and political theory.

This book presents selections of Canadian political thought from the nineteenth century to the present to show how ideas evolved over time to influence the values and debates of modern Canadians.

Canadian conservatives need to know about the past heroes of their movement. They also need to know about the thought leaders who inspired many to understand and act upon the truths that conservatism represents. Out west, at least, many Canadians have favoured limited government, free enterprise and traditional morality going back many decades. This is the perspective of genuine conservatism. And it is a heritage that needs to be understood and embraced as the ideological foundation of true Canadian conservatism for current and future generations. A central purpose of this book is to highlight western Canadian conservative leaders, their perspectives and accomplishments, as a basis for encouraging and inspiring Canadians to embrace this legacy of genuine conservatism. As well, a basic outline of "Byfield conservatism" is sketched, followed by a more detailed consideration of the political thought of Link and Ted Byfield. Byfield conservatism is a true and indigenous Canadian conservatism. It is this form of conservatism that will need to thrive if Canada is to be rescued from its current destructive course.

In this book, Katherine Fierlbeck looks at the legacy of ideas taken from (or shaped in reaction to) the nations that have been most influential to Canada's development: the United Kingdom and the United States.

Ajzenstat and Smith challenge the idea of Canada as a country whose liberal individualism, unlike that of the United States, is redeemed by a tradition of government intervention in economic and social life: the so-called "tory touch." This ground-breaking book begins with the now classic article in which the red tory view was formulated. It then presents a new and illuminating picture of Canadian political life, in which liberal individualism confronts not toryism but the participatory tradition of civic republicanism. In the final section the two editors, one a liberal, the other a civic republican, debate the crucial questions dominating Canadian politics today-including Quebec's search for recognition-from the perspective of their shared understanding of Canada's founding.

Conservatism in Canada explores the ideological character of contemporary Canadian conservatism, its support in the electorate, its impact on public policies such as immigration and foreign policy, and its articulation at both federal and provincial levels.

This book is a collection of my thoughts, observations, jottings, unpublished scholarly articles, and unpublished letters to the editor from recent years. Canada and the United States are the focus of this book, but some issues have wider relevance. I am a conservative but not an idealogue. My core moral values and duties are rooted in my Christian faith and I try to develop my position on political and social issues through logic and common sense. I am perfectly willing to change my mind if compelling argumentation arises. I am not wedded irredeemably to uncompromising and dogmatic positions, certainly not in the realm of social and political issues. Someone once said that "when everyone is thinking the same no one is thinking". It amazes me, but also troubles me, at the convergence of thought that has occurred at North American colleges and universities where liberalism and the Progressive Left have taken over and conservative voices are unwelcome and even ridiculed and persecuted. How can that possibly be a good thing? How can young students --- tomorrow's leaders --- develop sober second thoughts and a healthy scepticism of received wisdom if opposing voices are stifled and even de-platformed? I hope that the writings in this book will cause readers to thoughtfully re-examine their own views on social and political life in North America and have a few laughs along the way. My efforts at humor are purely intentional.

Ideology is a ubiquitous, continuously innovating dimension of human experience, but its character and impact are notoriously difficult to pinpoint within political and social life. Political Ideology in Parties, Policy, and Civil Society demonstrates that the reach and significance of political ideology can be most effectively understood by employing a multidisciplinary approach. Offering analyses that are simultaneously empirical and interpretive – in fields as diverse as development assistance policy and game theory – the contributors to this volume reveal ideology’s penetration in varied spheres, including government activity, party competition, agricultural and working-class communities, and academic life.