I have a good friend who is a Christian minister.   I think most people would look at him objectively and assume that he is conservative.   I know that I fall into this trap myself.  Some might think that he is religious and from a rural area with traditional values which makes him a conservative.  Regrettably, I know many assume that because of that he is a Conservative politically.  In fact, if you lived in the United States they would assume he is a Republican.  He told me once that if Jesus could come back to earth in 2010, he is almost sure Jesus would be NDP.

The symbolism regarding that last statement has everything to do with Jesus caring much more about “people” than lofty conservative political ideals.  I know that fact alone bothers my friend because he doesn’t understand why being a “conservative” means you get labeled within our society with a lot of ugly things.  He felt so strongly about it that he wanted to join a political party just to prove his point that he could be “conservative” and be at home in a more liberal, left-wing political entity.

He chose the Communist Party of Canada.  His feeling was that his views should be welcomed in any political party, as he believes strongly in the separation of church and state.  He quickly found out that he was not welcomed in the Communist Party of Canada because they had specific criteria that he had to jump through to be a member.  Maybe that was a good thing.  However, he has always maintained that you can be a Christian conservative thinker and a left-winger too.

I admire his stance.  I know some of it comes because of the ridiculous mixture of right wing ideology and religious conservative fervor out of the United States.  My Canadian friend is involved in Christian outreach work here in Canada, feeding the hungry, helping the sick and poor, visiting people in the hospital and generally helping people spiritually.   I don’t know if he will find a political home or even if that is important to him anymore. However, I know he chafes on being labeled a “conservative”.  His life and his liberal thoughts according to him should be welcomed almost anywhere.

I got to thinking about this last week when the University of Ottawa canceled a speaking appearance by the American conservative activist Anne Coulter.   She was on a speaking tour of Canada but was warned by a university official that were there were certain limits on what she could say because of Canada’s hate laws.  The result was a cancellation of her appearance and more fodder for her very extreme American conservative views.  I was embarrassed by the cancellation at the University of Ottawa.  As a Canadian, I thought we could do better.

He so my question is, in Canada today, “what is a Conservative.”  Is it a person that believes in individual liberty and believes with the incentive to work hard the free enterprise system is the best economic system in our land?  Is that a person that emphasizes individual rights over collective rights?  Or is a conservative in today’s society somebody who doesn’t exist?

Of course the quintessential question is whether Stephen Harper is a conservative or not.  I’m sure if you asked him that question he would have be somewhat taken aback.  However, my view is Canada is always governed from the mushy middle and maybe slightly to the left.  What that has meant is that sometimes when the Liberals are in power they act like Conservatives and when the Conservatives are in power sometimes they act like Liberals.  That view was somewhat substantiated a couple weeks ago with the Coulter visit.   Almost every media interview I saw her in was where the Canadian host was trying to defend that mushy middle.

My good friend, mentor and publisher of CK times.ca John Gardiner often referred to himself in days gone by as a “conservative rebel”.  I’m not totally sure on what that meant except may be mixing a little bit of common sense into public policymaking.  John knew in our society there really wasn’t room for that term, but I also think he is admitting that as individuals most of us feel conservative more or less.

So I’m wondering, “what is a Conservative? “  I think in Canada it needs some definition because I know being a conservative here means nothing compared to what it means in the United States.  I also know in Canada it shouldn’t have the negative connotation that often comes with it.   I think we are all conservatives.  In this country there should be room for all of us.