IN MOST political parties claiming to be destined for government, it
would have been embarrassing, disheartening news. Instead, Canadian
Alliance partisans seemed genuinely thrilled.
As a Saturday morning policy debate droned on at the Alliance national
conference in Edmonton April 6, a delegate rose on a point of order.
A national newspaper had reported results of a public opinion poll that
gave the Alliance 16 percent compared to the Progressive Conservatives’
14 percent.
A prolonged standing ovation ensued. Party elder Clayton Manness, a
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veteran of Manitoba Conservative politics and the CA, called it “a home
run.”
Never mind that the Liberals remained more than 30 points ahead in the
polls. At least they were ahead of the Tories and higher in the polls
than they were last summer, as the party seemed to be imploding under
the weight of internal dissent and poor leadership.
The moment illustrated a strange dual personality that characterized
the party when more than 700 activists and true believers gathered in
national convention for the first time since the 2000 election.
So much has happened in the 16 months since election night when the
party picked up seats and ran a solid second but failed to break out of
the West.
Caucus fractured, the party became warring camps, the leader was forced
out and a new leader was elected.
As Alliance problems were played out in public, voters and donors
abandoned the party as it sank in the polls and into debt.
So last weekend, speakers spent much time patting themselves on the
back about how vital, revitalized, committed and bound for glory they
are, with a new leader in Stephen Harper and the embarrassment of the
Stockwell Day era behind them.
It is true. There were some vigorous policy debates, the debt is being
paid down and polls have edged into double digits.
But on many levels, this convention hall filled with what should be the
most partisan party enthusiasts seemed listless, tired, going through
the motions.
A going away tribute to party founder Preston Manning was more funereal
than celebratory.
A test of delegate voting machines produced the startling result that
more than 10 percent of them in Saskatchewan and Manitoba do not think
Harper would be a good prime minister.
And at one point, trying to inject some enthusiasm into the crowd,
acting opposition leader John Reynolds shouted “can you feel it?”,
meaning “can you feel the momentum the Alliance is building?”
There was scattered applause.
Later, just a few dozen delegates were in the large hall for an MP and
leadership accountability session.
The other 700 or so had gone next door to buy lunch.
This is a party that appears more relieved than energized, more
uncertain of its future than certain of destiny, realizing in many ways
that despite its status as the second biggest House of Commons caucus,
it is back to square one in convincing Canadians it really is a
government in waiting.
