Why I’m Voting Conservative Today

We recently came off another epic Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. I am so thankful that, long ago, I made the conscious choice to stay in Canada to invest and grow companies and raise my family.

It’s in this spirit that I do something I rarely do unless there is a specific issue that I have a clear position on. For example, in 2017, the Liberal government attempted to further burden small businesses with an unfair tax under the populist guise of taxing the rich. (See clip: https://twitter.com/BNNBloomberg/status/914833339009294336).

I voted for Justin Trudeau in the last election. Even though I didn’t agree with his father’s economics, I had huge admiration for his brain and I never felt embarrassed on the world stage when he spoke. I also thought the country was due for a change. I now believe we are due for another one.

I’ve been searching for a fiscally responsible, socially progressive message while trying to block out the distractions. Justin Trudeau is not a racist. That’s noise. Our prime minister is not, not a champion of woman’s rights. That’s noise. However, the fact that he can’t articulate his point of view wrt ‘scandal’ in real time to anyone’s satisfaction or defend his actions in a clear, believable way that aren’t pre-scripted talking points is troubling to me. It makes me question his ability. It makes me worried that he doesn’t have the depth or experience to focus on the right issues nor does he have the ability to choose the right people to govern.

Economically, during a period of extreme economic growth, the liberals have managed to increase the countries deficit exponentially. When I look at the history of reckless spending and the promises to spend more once again raises questions of competence. I know fiscal responsibility does not rank high on most of the electorates list of priorities. Most business owners know, however, that if you set a goal of x and deliver y…in real life you would be fired, yesterday.

Andrew Scheer is not a climate change denier. That’s noise. He is not out to give massive tax breaks to the wealthy off the back of the middle class. More noise. He has a personal view on marriage that is not my view. He has also been crystal clear that his personal views will not become the party platform. Liberal claims to the contrary are more noise and fear mongering.

For me, I’ve had to ask myself who brings to the country the right mix of fiscal responsibility and social awareness that we are in a different time. I am not a hard core conservative that is closed to more liberal policy and different ways other than trickle down capitalism to address social inequality. I’m not anti-tax. It takes money to run a country like Canada that prides itself on taking care of people.

I am an entrepreneur and a big believer in small business as an engine of the economy. As a business owner and operator, I come with a basic understanding that at some point, you can’t continue to spend more than you make, you can only tax the drivers and risk takers so much before they quit and you can’t continue to beat the competition by spreading falsehoods.

One Canadian’s view.