In case you missed the news, American conservatives are looking to sa国际传媒 for inspiration these days. Specifically, they like how we handle our finances, manage our natural resources, lower taxes and address wasteful spending.
That, at least, is the word from David Wilkins, the U.S. ambassador to sa国际传媒 under President George W. Bush. Wilkins, who hails from South Carolina and hews to the right side of the Republican party, knows a conservative when he sees one.
Which is how he has declared 鈥� no, disclosed 鈥� that sa国际传媒 is a nation of conservatives. 鈥渟a国际传媒 has a lot to teach us,鈥� he says. 鈥渟a国际传媒 is a shining example that conservatism works.鈥�
Behold, then, the new northern redoubt of Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman and William F. Buckley. As Wilkins tells it, sa国际传媒鈥檚 Conservatives are the envy of America鈥檚 conservatives.
Unfortunately, Wilkins is wrong about sa国际传媒. Like his endorsement of the buffoonish Rick Perry for the presidency in 2012 and his misplaced confidence in the early approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, his judgment is off, once again.
Perhaps he was playing to the crowd at the Manning Networking Conference in Ottawa. It鈥檚 easy to get carried away among the true believers who had gathered, as Preston Manning put it, to reflect and not just 鈥渢o self-congratulate ourselves.鈥�
But congratulation seems to be what Wilkins is offering. He seems to be celebrating sa国际传媒鈥檚 embrace of the right 鈥� unless he has always thought that was our true nature.
It鈥檚 unlikely, though, that he felt that Canadians were so conservative when he arrived in Ottawa in 2005 to find the Liberals in power.
Still, this son of South Carolina kept his personal views to himself, which was a testament to his professionalism. As a devout Christian and a southern conservative, he could not have liked sa国际传媒鈥檚 acceptance of gay marriage, abortion, no-fault divorce, open immigration, universal health care and opposition to capital punishment.
While Wilkins was an able envoy 鈥� representing an unpopular president, tending the commercial relationship and playing the innocent 鈥� he never seemed to get sa国际传媒.
It is true that sa国际传媒 has exhibited an admirable fiscal prudence, but it is less conservative than practical. Moreover, it was the Liberals, not the Conservatives, who tackled sa国际传媒鈥檚 crippling deficit in 1995.
Indeed, what distinguishes Stephen Harper鈥檚 Conservatives is how, in so many ways, they resemble Jean Chr茅tien鈥檚 Liberals 鈥� they have done what they thought was necessary to sustain prosperity: cutting taxes, firing public servants, cancelling programs, developing the oilsands, building pipelines.
Both parties have tried to balance the budget with prudence. That鈥檚 why the Conservatives have been running deficits since 2008, however philosophically uncomfortable for them.
It is true that sa国际传媒 is governed by the Conservative party, which has dropped 鈥淧rogressive鈥� from its name and tilted to the right on global warming and domestic crime, while celebrating the military and embracing the monarchy. The reality remains that the Conservatives are conservative only on the margins.
That鈥檚 because they know their limits. This is a country in which Albertans have rejected Wildrose, Quebecers have elected (secessionist) social democrats and the New Democrats are the official Opposition in Ottawa.
This country is pragmatic and progressive; it leans left and right by turns but usually straddles the radical centre. The Conservatives know that to challenge this moderate consensus would be foolish.
sa国际传媒, the conservative kingdom? That鈥檚 about as credible as President Perry.
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Andrew Cohen is a professor of journalism and international affairs at Carleton University.
