And how to succeed in Quebec?
Here's the thing that people don't get.
While it's true that left-wing/liberal sentiment in Quebec is predominant, there are plenty of right-wing, conservative-minded individuals there to create a conservative base.
The problem is that, I believe there is no conservative movement in Quebec.
There are right-wingers.
But no movement.
Just about every single institution in Quebec is either liberal or socialist.
So what needs to happen is to create a movement in Quebec.
There are many individuals who would welcome the establishment of this movement...but there is a lack of training, a lack of networking.
As I see it, the way things work in Quebec is that conservative politics is an election-to-election thing.
It can't work that way.
There needs to be a group of individuals dedicated to changing mentalities and culture through persuasion and activism in between elections.
As long as there is an absence of a vibrant conservative movement in Quebec, right-wingers who want to push forward with conservative legislation will always run up against the wall of powerful institutions and opinion-makers who will thwart those efforts.
English Canadian conservatives need to invest in Quebec to train people how to do this.
Because this is the kind of change that only native-born Quebeckers can bring about. Quebeckers would never accept a "foreign import". Be offended if you like, but that's the truth.
By "training", I am talking about showing activists how to network, how to establish organizations, how to use the media (heck, how to establish one's own media) etc.
When a conservative movement in Quebec is established, and a non-electoral conservative base is created, one which is reliably loyal to the party and that can carve itself a space in the collective consciousness then conservatives in Quebec will see success.
And, in turn, the English Canadian conservative movement can move forward.
No barrier should be allowed to stop this effort. If the problem is language, hire competent translators. If the problem is logistics, raise the money. No effort or resource should be spared.
This is not something that we can count on the Conservative Party to do. Its priority is electoral politics. What is really needed is for those who are not directly involved in partisan politics to investigate the possibility of investing in conservative leadership training in Quebec.
H/T: Dr. Roy's Thoughts.
