Principles and Policies
The historical Conservative Party identified strongly with the British Empire and aimed instead to model Canadian political institutions after British ones opposing the policies of the Liberal Party which favoured Canadian nationalism and political independence from Britain as well as economically continentalist policies such as free trade and further integration with the United States rather than greater political and economic ties with the British Empire and later the Commonwealth. A reversal occurred under the leadership of Brian Mulroney, the party emphasized market forces in the economy and reached a landmark free-trade deal with the United States in 1988. The Conservative Party generally favours lower taxes, smaller government, more decentralization of federal government powers to the provinces, modeled after the Meech Lake Accord, and traditional religious and cultural values.
Read more about this topic: Conservative Party Of Canada
Famous quotes containing the words principles and, principles and/or policies:
“Only conservatives believe that subversion is still being carried on in the arts and that society is being shaken by it.... Advanced art today is no longer a cause—it contains no moral imperative. There is no virtue in clinging to principles and standards, no vice in selling or in selling out.”
—Harold Rosenberg (1906–1978)
“Every political system is an accumulation of habits, customs, prejudices, and principles that have survived a long process of trial and error and of ceaseless response to changing circumstances. If the system works well on the whole, it is a lucky accident—the luckiest, indeed, that can befall a society.”
—Edward C. Banfield (b. 1916)
“Unfortunately, we cannot rely solely on employers seeing that it is in their self-interest to change the workplace. Since the benefits of family-friendly policies are long-term, they may not be immediately visible or quantifiable; companies tend to look for success in the bottom line. On a deeper level, we are asking those in power to change the rules by which they themselves succeeded and with which they identify.”
—Anne C. Weisberg (20th century)