MARK-ALAN WHITTLE
Embrace change … make it work                                         CONTACT MARK
JOE CLARK AND THE CONSERVATIVES

| HOME | NEXT |

CBC News Viewpoint
This Saturday past (Aug. 10) I was afforded the opportunity to meet Mr. Clark at a BBQ fundraiser where we discussed the challenges faced by the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. Building the Progressive Conservative Party will take solid work on the ground with an unprecedented level of support in each and every community to garner enough support for the Progressive Conservatives to govern Canada effectively.
Thanks to the steady leadership of the Right Hon. Joe Clark, the Progressive Conservatives now have the largest level of support in decades. It's even more than the governing Liberals. Now is the time for the Joe Clark Conservatives to build on Joe's integrity and trust.
The leadership woes of Jean Chrétien have made it easy for Paul Martin to ignore the best interests of the nation while campaigning for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. Paul Martin has abandoned his responsibility to help govern Canada in an open and forthright manner and falls strangely silent while issues of his government's integrity and honesty are ignored.
When Canadians are approached to foster support for Paul Martin's leadership, they should rightly ask Paul Martin why he doesn't support tax credits for Canadian students like Joe Clark and the Conservatives do and why he eliminated help for students in debt when he was Canada's finance minister. Under Jean Chrétiens corrupt Liberal regime, Paul Martin, as finance minister, saw fit to cut aid to farmers, gut healthcare by reducing his governments 50/50 partnership with the provinces to less than 15 per cent support today and bought our military used submarines that will cost taxpayers millions to repair. Obviously Paul Martin isn't listening to Canadians who want support for the military increased.
Unlike the Joe Clark Conservatives, Paul Martin does not support government reform that will empower Canadians to help the government do better with less, more effectively. This is what most Canadians have in mind for their future governments.
The Progressive Conservative Party under Joe Clark's leadership has come a very long way in building broad electoral support at the local level. By promoting Conservative policies that strengthen communities and by showcasing diversity, the Conservatives will demonstrate to the electorate they can win seats and govern. All Canadians have a right to an honest and open government and a Progressive Conservative government will be just that.