Joining the CPC
Based on the idea from Amber Van D, I plunked down $15 to become a member of the (federal) Conservative Party of Canada. My primary purpose is to vote in the upcoming CPC leadership election.
I had a brief moment of feeling “dirty” about giving money to “them.” I’d like to talk about why I think this is not a useful concept, and why I can feel good about paying to join.
Dividing any group into “us” and “them” is ultimately destructive. Our monkey brains slip too easily into Attack Mode when we draw a line between people.
I want to be able to do two things when it comes to governance:
- Consider the merits and consequence of policy without being unduly influenced by it’s source.
- Propose and impact that policy.
This is a small step towards both of those goals.
To me, it’s important to think in terms of “what”, and not “them”. In 2015, the policies that the Liberals and NDP proposed, and the values that they espoused, appeared to be more effective than those of the Conservatives. That may not be the case in 2019.
I don’t care whether the best choice is coloured Red or Blue or Orange or Green; save that for the hockey rink. I just want as many good choices as possible, and then pick the best from among them. (And ideally, pick the parts from each that work best, but that’s another matter.) “Us” and “them” really resolve down to the same group of people; fix the “what” and the differences melt away.
An effective opposition is necessary for government to be just and beneficial. Today, that means a Conservative party that embraces rationalism and humanity. I’ll be voting for that in 2017, and promoting that idea here & now.
When joining, the CPC web form asked that I agree to their Founding Principles. There’s 22 points (link below). I take this sort of thing seriously so I read through them in detail. While I’d quibble over the relative importance of some of them, and definitely take issue with their implementation, ultimately I can agree to their intent.
I don’t know whether the Conservatives will propose a platform I will support in the next general election. But for $15 I’ll have some part in shaping it.
EDIT: As I wrote to Alyssa Joy in the comments: my purpose in writing this wall of text is to convince people to believe and act in a productive way. (Not necessarily to give the Conservatives $15, but to at least behave in a way that will bring benefit to us all.) To that end, please feel free to share my post with anyone you like.