Stephen Harper government outed on the idea of one Conservative Voice means follow the Leader or else

Edited by Jim Love

TORONTO, ON - Former Progressive Conservatives are finding it difficult to fit into the new Conservative Party. It is because they were accustomed to working within a consensus party rather than a leader driven party. When Stephen Harper won the leadership under the motto ?One Conservative Voice? he sent the clear message to the party that other conservative voices were not to be heard.

Bill Casey comes from the Progressive Conservative tradition of consensus building. He stuck with the Progressive Conservative Party even when it was at its lowest point and worked to rebuild it. He never gave up and accepted the decision to merge with the Canadian Alliance as a chance to further rebuild the party. He voted as he did in the interests of his constituency, his province, and his region of Canada.

"Bill has now joined others who were Progressive Conservatives before the merger in being disciplined by Stephen Harper. Garth Turner was the first booted from caucus and Senators Hugh Segal and Michael Meighen were removed from Senate Committee positions for being honestly forthright", stated Progressive Canadian President Tracy Parsons?. "I have always had respect for Bill and recall how deeply he involved himself in collecting railway cars of fodder when there was a shortage in Western Canada. Bill Casey is a progressive-conservative in the true sense of the term."

Following the takeover of the Progressive Conservative Party a group of PC members created the Progressive Canadian Party to be available for those who found the new party an unwelcome environment for their beliefs.

"The Progressive Conservative Party sees Bill Casey as an ideal candidate for re-election under the PC Party banner. He would be comfortable again in a Party where contracts once made are honoured and where he would have the opportunity to provide a leadership role in rebuilding. We extend the invitation to join us," said Jim Love PC Party President. "There is a great deal of talk about principle in the new Conservative Party. In reality neither the principles of the Progressive Conservatives nor those of members of Reform Party are adhered to. There is effectively only one principle: "Follow the Leader or else".

Those in the Reform tradition are just now realizing the new Conservative Party is not what they expected. They are moving to re-establish their Party. PC Party members moved to provide a political home for progressive-conservatives in the Progressive Canadian Party following the merger. They believed that the iron discipline Harper would seek to impose and the directions he would follow would eventually lead to disillusionment and disaffection.

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