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What's the future for the Conservative Party?

It's hard to see much of an immediate future for the CPC. Half of its members support a somewhat libertarian, free-market approach to governing, emphasizing lower tax rates for everybody, less government, and respect for the rights of individuals to do whatever they please provided they don't harm anyone else. The so-con wing that eked out the narrowest of wins believes in the opposite: Harperesque micro-targeted tax credits, supply management, denunciation of LGBTQ citizens, and opposition to abortion rights. It's like they're two separate parties, and without the discipline that comes from enjoying the perks and spoils of government, it will be difficult if not impossible for them to come together. True, the Republicans managed to pull it off, but the tax cuts on offer from the CPC so-cons are unlikely to be rich or broad enough to attract much support from the socially liberal / economically conservative crowd.
 
The older I get and the more of this crap that I see, the more I think we need something approaching a true proportional representation system. I think the Conservatives are the worst for it, but any party attempting to act as a "big tent" are inevitably tossing together disparate groups of people in an attempt to gain power. SoCons, fiscal conservatives and small government libertarians have little to nothing in common other than a vague notion of being able to apply the word "conservative" to a portion of their political beliefs. Ultimately one part of the party gains dominance to the detriment of all others.

I used to think that a strong majority government was necessary to get things done, but now I'm tending to think that if we want to maintain the semblance of true democracy, we need to break up these mega-parties and give more groups the chance to have their voices heard, even if I don't like what some of those voices are saying.
 
Brad Trost was the real surprise. He was never considered a serious candidate, had the support of no MPs, he raised little money and his website was totally amateurish. And yet...
 
We are talking about the Pope! Everyone in a position of power meets him at some point.

As for the SoCons Harper was smart and squashed any talk of these wedge issues. Will Scheer be smart enough to say no?
 
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King of Kensington said:
Brad Trost was the real surprise. He was never considered a serious candidate, had the support of no MPs, he raised little money and his website was totally amateurish. And yet...
Click to expand...

SoCons had recruitment drives to sign up new party members, and threw their support behind the candidate(s) that fit the right ideological profile.
 
As much as I disliked Harper, I don't really think of him as a social conservative. In the 2oo2 Canadian Alliance race when he ran against Stockwell Day, he was the "anti" so-con candidate. Scheer in contrast very much owes his leadership to them.
 
I think that much like Patrick Brown, Scheer will slowly shed some of his previously stated beliefs on issues like same-sex marriage. The social cons who propelled him into office, like Brown, will feel betrayed but will refuse to vote for anyone else. Social conservatives are such a small proportion of the electorate. The key issues always end up being the economy and healthcare. Harper mostly swept the social cons under the rug and couldn't have won urban centres and suburbs had he not.

Like Brown, I bet Scheer marches in Toronto Pride by next year.
 
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