Joseph C. Ben-Ami

Last week, at the behest of a group of federal Conservative backbenchers, I published a column comparing the record of the Progressive Conservative Party under Brian Mulroney’s leadership when in government with that of the current Conservative Party. My conclusion – that from a small-c conservative perspective Mr. Mulroney’s record is better than Mr. Harper’s has thus far been – provoked so much criticism that I felt a second column was in order.

The idea that the Conservative Party under Stephen Harper’s leadership is more conservative than the Progressive Conservative Party of Brian Mulroney has been repeated so often that it has become accepted as gospel truth, even among conservatives themselves. The record, however, tells a different tale – one that calls into question some of the most cherished beliefs that both the PC and Canadian Alliance wings of the Conservative Party have about themselves, and about one another.

This summer’s split decision by the Supreme Court of Canada that the Province of Alberta could force members of its Hutterite community to submit to being photographed when renewing their drivers' licenses or applying for a new one was a setback for the liberty of all Canadians, not just those who belong to a religious community.

For more than a year now, prominent conservatives have been warning – some publicly – about the drift of the Harper Tories away from conservative principles. Party apologists, chief among them the Prime Minister himself, have responded to the criticism by citing the need for “pragmatism”, given the government’s minority status. Their argument has merit, but how does it explain the decision to reinstate the Court Challenges Program successfully terminated in 2006? The answer is – it doesn’t.