Dear Editor:

As the new Conservative Party of Canada begins to take shape, I can’t help but think back to the last time a truly national conservative coalition came together to form government. In 1984, Brian Mulroney managed to bring together the West, both Ontario and Quebec, the Maritimes, and the North when he won 211 seats in the 33rd general election. Since then these five integral pieces of the national puzzle have established their own individual identities outside of Ottawa, but the time has come for a new national coalition to be built.

As it stands, the western Alliance and the Maritime conservatives are recognizing that cooperation is the only answer- the left hand should know what the right hand is doing. Unfortunately, Ontario and Quebec have yet to be successfully courted by this new movement and the North is a solid partner in the Liberal coalition. The Conservative Party of Canada will undoubtedly become a movement dedicated to representing the whole country, and it is never too soon to share the enthusiasm with Ontario and Quebec and the North as well. The time has come for all the pieces of the puzzle to at least share the same box.

In 2000, one of former Alliance leader Stockwell Day’s miscalculations was neglecting the aboriginal vote while trying to court Ontario voters. The Day coalition of one failed to convince Ontario voters to hop on board, with native demonstrations adding to the public perception that the western conservative movement was intolerant. I urge progressive conservatives to celebrate their aboriginal policy initiatives which began under Mulroney and continued through Chretien’s decade. Ontario and Quebec voters need to see goodwill being demonstrated not only to themselves but all regions of the country if this merger is to be successful.

It will be interesting to see who will end up leading the Conservative Party of Canada into the next election. Keen observers might keep their eye on bilingual politicians to see who has the skills to broker a new deal not only between the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives, but Quebec M.P.s and the North as well. Such a politician will be credible enough for Ontario voters to endorse his new coalition.

Brendan William Cross

Former leader of the First Nations Party of Saskatchewan

Posted at www.prestonmanning.ca