Afraid of Capitalism?

The provincial "Progressive Conservative" party is about to core on election day, and the federal "Progressive Conservative" party is still stuck with the illusion that they are a major force and can bend the Canadian Alliance party any way they want. It's tough being a true conservative in Canada. The conservative parties spend a lot of time shooting themselves in the feet (yes, I know the correct expression is "Shooting themselves in the foot" but the conservatives seem to use a shotgun on themselves so they can get both feet at once).

On the other hand, it's tough being a conservative in Canadian society. From a moral point of view, Canadians are so secular they cannot accept that someone might have a moral point of view based on more than their current whim. From a fiscal point of view, there is an incredible antipathy towards capitalism. There is an unstated suspicion against anyone who has made his fortune, and business is not seen as an economic engine but rather as a resource to be milked.

The award for pragmatism goes to the provincial Liberal party, who opposes private companies building hospitals in a "lease back" arrangement, but who have declared they will let the current deal for the new Royal Ottawa Hospital continue. A more principled view might be to say "if it's wrong, stop it from happening in Ottawa and if it's right let it happen everywhere in Ontario". But the pragmatic Liberals know what side of the bread is buttered, and so they are letting it go through "this time". I guess they know they can't scrap the Royal Ottawa and still get any seats in Ottawa.