Austin's attack on 'leftist agendas' aims to draw sharp contrast with Liberals
Minister’s comments an example of ideological ‘distinctions’ he seeks with opponents
Kris Austin's comments this week blaming federal Liberal policies for the death of a homeless man in St. Stephen may have shocked some New Brunswickers — but they are hardly a surprise.
The Progressive Conservative public safety minister relishes the opportunity to draw sharp ideological contrasts with his Liberal opponents.
"All of these issues that we're facing today is based on Trudeau policies, leftist agendas, that is degrading our society that we're seeing right across the country," he thundered in question period on Wednesday.
Austin had just recited a list of Higgs government initiatives on crime, drug addiction, mental health and homelessness — challenges he explicitly blamed on what he considers a too-far-left philosophy adopted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
St.
Stephen council voted on Monday to declare a state of local emergency,
asking the province for immediate action on a warming shelter, after a
homeless man died in the cold. The next day Public Safety Minister Kris
Austin complained of the council's 'political posturing.' He also
cancelled the state of emergency. (Holly Johnson/Facebook)
If it's a polarizing approach, it also represents a binary that the minister, a former leader of the populist right-wing People's Alliance party, not only welcomes but advocates.
Last year, Austin told CBC News he created the Alliance in part to pull the PC party in a more firmly conservative direction, away from the political centre where it used to compete with the Liberals for votes.
"I think there needs to be a separate distinct ideology between the two," he said.
"That's a problem with democracy if you don't have those distinctions. … Today I feel there is a little more of a difference between the two."
Austin qualified the concept at the time, saying the differences should not go "so far that that we don't have that common purpose and that middle ground that we can find at times on public policy."
Still, his appetite for the contrast is clear — and not unique in the party.
'Authentic conservative option'
Faytene Grasseschi, the Christian conservative activist poised to become the PC candidate in Hampton-Fundy-St. Martin's in the next election, says her supporters "appreciate having an authentic conservative option in our province."
As with Austin, the implication is that previous PC governments led by Richard Hatfield, Bernard Lord and David Alward were insufficiently conservative.
"People recognize society is poorly served when all parties are on one side of the political spectrum — an authentic conservative expression is important to the health of democracy," Grasseschi said in a recent email to CBC News.
"Only a strong conservative option provincially will push back to protect our province from damaging federal policies."
Austin's words imply that former PC premiers Bernard Lord, David Alward, and Richard Hatfield were not conservative enough. (CBC)
Not everyone in the PC party is comfortable with the approach.
Former MLA Troy Lifford, a cabinet minister in the apparently too-moderate Alward PC government, said in a social media post that Premier Blaine Higgs should distance himself from Austin and Grasseschi.
"I'm all for fiscal prudence which represents the conservative in PC. But under your leadership you have obliterated any resemblance of being progressive, the other part of PC," Lifford said in an email to Higgs that he posted online.
Austin's approach could also make life awkward for his cabinet colleagues who need to work with the Trudeau Liberals in Ottawa.
This week, the two governments signed a $16.3 million agreement on a gender violence action plan.
Earlier this year, they struck a 10-year, $900-million health care funding deal.
And in April 2022, they agreed to spend $492 million over five years to improve access to child care — a major new social program that the PC government now brags about in budget speeches and throne speeches.
Health Minister Bruce Fitch, another veteran of past PC governments, wouldn't comment on how Austin's comments would affect federal-provincial collaboration.
"You'd have to ask the federal ministers how they felt about it, and you'd have to ask Mr. Austin," he said.
"I concentrate on my portfolio."
Despite
Austin's complaints about Liberal policies, New Brunswick and the feds
have recently completed several deals, including on health care and
addressing gender-based violence. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
Doug Williams, the PC party's executive director, said this week that under Higgs, the party remains "a big-tent party that brings together a broad voter coalition."
And the premier himself is often more pragmatic than Austin's rhetoric would indicate.
Higgs mused this fall about preventing the collection of the federal carbon tax in New Brunswick, then acknowledged it wouldn't be legal.
He hinted he might block Ottawa from signing housing deals directly with municipalities, then clarified he would simply encourage the federal government to respect the province's jurisdiction on the issue.
Still, the more confrontational tone from Austin — and the drawing of sharp distinctions — is a clue to the PC election strategy for the year to come.
A "messy middle" for N.B. Liberals
Holt may have played into that strategy this week when she told reporters the Trudeau government has, indeed, sometimes veered too much to the left.
"I think at times, yeah," she said.
When reporters pressed her for examples, she was not specific, eventually mentioning Trudeau's deficit spending.
"It looks like on the continuum they're more left than us, because we're more centrist here in New Brunswick," she said.
"But there've been several things over several years [when] people have thought Justin's words have been in that direction."
Liberal Leader Susan Holt concedes her party's attempts to stay in the political centre and avoid ideological labels is tricky. (Ed Hunter/CBC)
Housing, however, is "not something that's left or right," Holt added. "It's actually good for society and it's good for our economy."
"Right now I'm focused on New Brunswickers and serving them, not some location on a spectrum."
Even so, the Liberal leader conceded her party's attempts to stay in the political centre and avoid ideological labels is tricky, with Higgs veering more to the right and the Green Party articulating more explicitly left-leaning ideas.
"It's a bit of the messy middle for the Liberals," she said.
Holt's Liberals moved into a six-point lead over the PCs in the latest quarterly Narrative Research poll released this week.
But the concentration of Liberal support in northern francophone ridings, and the PCs' continued strength in southern New Brunswick, where most of the seats are, may still prevent Holt from turning that into an election win next year.
Which means the Austin approach of ideological contrasts is not necessarily fatal at the ballot box — and could help pave the way for a new PC mandate built on a harder-edged, more confrontational conservatism.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Reply to Samual Johnston
You know there's a difference between reporting and opinion right?
I know JP does not
Reply to Samual Johnston
Jacques does have a liberal bias but he is a pretty good reporter and puts that aside for the most part when doing his news pieces.
Reply to James Risdon
I disagree - someone who is a political 'reporter' should not be expressing their opinion in public. Not that we believe he or anyone is unbiased but there should be a separation. Be an opinion piece writer or be a fair reporter...
Reply to Samual Johnston
We'll have to agree to disagree on that one. I do get your point but I also think a political reporter acquires a lot of knowledge that can lead to informed opinions. As long as he does his job and reports in a fair and reasonable manner in objective news reports, I see no problem that reporter also being able to write clearly-identified opinion pieces as well.
Reply to Samual Johnston
Reporters are human. Most would find it hard not to cringe when a politician calls reaction to a death of a fairly young person “frivolous”.
Reply to David Amos
So very true.
Reply to James Risdon
Issue is he is not objective and that is very apparent in his articles. When someone writes opinion pieces expressing their distain for something it makes it very hard to believe their ‘reporting’ on that subject is fair and objective.
Reply to Donald LeBlanc
He should report what was said and cringe in private. We do not need his opinion. Just the facts please.
Reply to Samual Johnston
I evaluate the person's work on its own merits or lack thereof and try to avoid trying to read into it what biases I think the person might have.
We can certainly agree to disagree about whether or not he is fair and reasonable in his objective news reporting. That's a judgement call and I respect your view on how good or not a job he does.
Austin and Fantene are like the Pharisees, alt-right. The one they pretend to follow was alt-left.
Reply to Jos Allaire
And this is their reference book, I might add.
Reply to Jos Allaire
So, are you a believer in the Word of God and the Bible?
Reply to James Risdon
It should have been plain to you Senator that I referred to it because it happens to be the reference book of Fantene and Kris, including yours, not mine❗
Reply to Jos Allaire
First of all, I am not a senator nor do I pretend to be one. I am an applicant to the Senate.
Secondly, do I understand that you explicitly reject Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, and the Bible, God's divinely-inspired Word?
Reply to James Risdon
I reject nothing. I just do not believe in it. It's full of contradictions.
Reply to Jos Allaire
So, you are rejecting it as you say you do not believe it.
Since I do believe in it, I am prepared to answer any questions you may have about it to the best of my abilities as I do not want you to suffer eternal torment.
Reply to James Risdon
I'm going to be perfectly all right and suffer none of the sort.
Reply to Jos Allaire
Oh? How can you be sure?
Reply to Jos Allaire
I will continue to pray for you daily.
Reply to James Risdon
Because no almighty in his right mind would bother with any of us insignificant beings on a little speck floating at the edge of a galaxie around a star in a universe with billions and billions of them. He should be way above that. Telling me that he would do so would be the ultimate insult to him. Yet, he wouldn't care that you are insulting him since he would be light years above that. Get my drift Senator❓
Reply to James Risdon
Senator, I know many of they cloth that "preyed", on innocent children.
Reply to Jos Allaire
Amen
Reply to David Amos
also....grown ups.....wallets......
James Risdon
Reply to Jos Allaire
It is most unfortunate, a sin and a crime, when any adult preys on a child. I do not condone child abuse.
But, then again, you already knew that.
James Risdon
Reply to Jos Allaire
How can you possibly know that caring and loving human beings would be insulting to God?
Reply to James Risdon
You are actually going to hell. It not too late too just be normal and leave people alone. God doesn't want you bothering people, he just told me.
James Risdon
Reply to Wilbur Ross
You may be right. Tell you what. The next time you speak to God, please ask Him to speak directly to me.
Reply to James Risdon
Too late. He's pissed.
James Risdon
Reply to Wilbur Ross
That's possible. I am, after all, sinner. The only way I will ever get to heaven is through the grace won for me by the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour.
Reply to James Risdon
Insinuating that he would bother subjecting us to eternal torment is insulting.
Why can't you see this, Senator Risdon❓
Reply to Jos Allaire
Not at all. Heaven is being with God forever. Those that reject God and want nothing to do with Him are likewise allowed to make their own choice and spend all of eternity without Him.
People make their own choices. As you and I are both doing now.
It's either the Stairway to Heaven - or the Highway to Hell.
Reply to James Risdon
Anyone thinking that this imaginary friend in the sky of yours is such a despicable being needs to have his head examined.
Reply to Jos Allaire
You think God is a despicable being. Does that mean you think you should have your head examined?
I personally do not doubt your sanity. I think you're just a non-believer.
Reply to James Risdon
Your imaginary friend in the sky which does not exists.
Reply to Jos Allaire
Well, He believes you exist. So, there's that.
Reply to James Risdon
What next, you're going to tell me he told you so❓
Reply to Jos Allaire
Naw the devil made him do it
Reply to James Risdon
And you tell Him to speak directly to me.
James Risdon
Reply to Jos Allaire
He is speaking to you. But you're not listening.
Reply to Evan Day
True but will he retain his fancy job after the next election?
Reply to Evan Day
I guess if you want your politicians arguing about where they stand on the left /right measuring stick and not paying attention to the cost of living, state of health care, roads etc vote Austin/Higgs/Grasseschi in 2024.
The U.S. model where politicians argue about cultural issues and raise money for re-election and do little else. Kind of like PP (a man who has done nothing else in his entire life except be an MP, nothing,
zip, zilch) is doing in Ottawa today, standing in the way of getting anything done that matters to the majority of citizens.
Polarizing citizens not bringing them together. Meanwhile, the "culture warriors" in government collect a salary, and add to their pension while the rest of us wait for them to do something meaningful
that will impact our lives.
Reply to Benny Swim
It is interesting that PP and his disciples' disdain of main stream media, is not reflected in the facts he presents, although cherry picked and distorted to suit his narrative. All the facts he provides to his base he gets from, you guessed it, main stream media.
Reply to MR Cain
So, are you claiming Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is untrustworthy because he bases his arguments on untrustworthy facts from the mainstream media - or are you claiming the mainstream media is trustworthy and therefore the arguments made by Poilievre, being based on mainstream media facts, must also be trustworthy?
Well put
Reply to Geordan Mann
Has anyone noticed that there is no rightest chatter?
Reply to John Montgomery
It's not allowed.
John Montgomery
Reply to James Risdon
There was plenty getting through a week ago.
Reply to John Montgomery
I can't speak to that .
John Montgomery
Reply to James Risdon
Hidden reply.
The avatar of ""
content deactivated
Reply to James Risdon
My point is that there were a lot of messages getting through before but they are all gone. It seems like a certain country was blocked.
Reply to James Risdon
"It's not allowed."
How do you explain your chatter?
Reply to David Amos
What's to explain?
Reply to John Montgomery
It’s extremely difficult when any references to the accuracy of Austin’s remarks or the leftist policies of the socialist coalition are quickly zapped.
Reply to John Montgomery
SarahRose Werner
Taxpayer-funded public education is a leftist idea. So are social security programs like OAS and CPP. I would not want to live in a country that was not a leftist country.
Reply to SarahRose Werner
It's just unfortunate that, as a leftist country, we value giving people freedom and the people who need to be educated think that it is just indoctrination so they exercise their choice to educate their own kids.
John Montgomery
Reply to SarahRose Werner
And also any time anyone suggests a fix to expensive groceries the rightest people cry that we are restricting business and even play the communisim card which seems to be in endless supply. At the same time they blame the leftist prime minister for high prices!
Reply to John Montgomery
I have a hard time affording a red sports car. Perhaps you can get the government to buy me one.
Reply to James Risdon
Sounds like a conservative to me.
Reply to John Montgomery
If the shoe fits ....
Reply to Kyle Woodman
All of us "lefties" are trying to put the phenomenon of the new rightist to words. It's just very difficult to encompass in one statement because it conflicts with itself in so many ways.
Reply to John Montgomery
The polls confirm that the majority of Canadians have had their fill of the coalition leftist disasters.
Oh So True
No comments:
Post a Comment