A Conservative Winter

Looking upward and looking forward, I see some parallels today between the weather, between those fixtures in the sky and us, and our political struggle.

The clouds may cover or block out the sun, they may make the world dull, dreary, cold and harsh. Like a certain other party; they may make it less social as people hide in their individual homes hesitant to go out, scared to face the world and its coldness, its barrenness. But just as in the sky, there is something greater, something with substance and not just wet air; there is another political party, a party with brighter ideals, higher hopes, and whose principles do not change with the wind.

The liberalism in Canada, our liberalism in Canada is like the sun in the sky, bringing brightness and warmth to an otherwise cold and dark world. Our values and our beliefs that we have a social responsibility to our fellow Canadians, is the warmth in each and every one of us.

And in the sky, though the clouds may cover the sun, it must always be remembered they are but temporary. They may appear, but just like the conservatives in all their different forms, they come and go. Liberalism, on the other hand, the principles that we hold dear, like the sun, are always there. We do not change them; we do not waver in our belief that you need strong fiscal management; we don’t waver in our belief that we should have childcare, we don’t waver in our belief that you shouldn’t have to pay to see a doctor.

And though I liken liberalism to the Sun, I dare say liberalism is even more powerful. Because where the Sun can be blocked, the passion, the determination in us to make Canada a better country cannot.

Today may be the coldest time of the coldest season, but that is all the more reason for the individual flame to be fanned and made all the larger. Where once the climate outside our door matched the temperature in our beings, the Canadian landscape is now grey and foreboding. Where once the seasonal warmth existed across Canada, it now only exists within us.

This conservative winter may seem hostile to liberals but we are not Europeans new to this land, we are Canadians and Canadians do not shirk at the sight of snow, we smile and sharpen our skates. We do not wait for the coldness to seize us, we stoke our fires, warm our neighbours and build a country.

The strength of Canada does not come from a warm climate, but from a warm people, and in this cold, liberals must not look outside for strength but instead from within.