Mapping Contemporary Canadian English-Speaking Conservatism: An Examination of Axioms, Core Policies, Ideological Opponents and Intellectual/Emotional Appeals

Abstract

Canadian political ideas are commonly accessed through traditional political culture or brokerage politics frames. This literature, while explaining certain political phenomenon in a robust way, fails to adequately appreciate the nuance in contemporary Canadian political ideas. A particularly fertile ground for an exploration of these ideas is in the study of contemporary Canadian conservatism. Through an examination of conservative scholars, pundits and political actors, four distinct strains of conservatism are identified and examined for axioms, core policy recommendations and affective appeals employed. Conservatism is demonstrated to be a multilayered and complex contemporary ideology displaying a remarkable diversity of ideas and understandings of the world. Despite these broad differences in core ideas and policy prescriptions and a number of key sites of disagreement, contemporary conservative ideologies remain bound by a core set of ideas and a common vernacular.