Progressive Report Undermines Political Rifts
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Progressive Report Undermines Political Rifts
April 17th marked the publication of the Canadian National Federation’s first major study – their first Progressive Values Report. The study compared the political values of four progressive political entities – the Green Party of Canada, David Orchard’s Campaign for Canada, the Canadian Action Party, and the Canadian Democratic Movement.
The study found that the major policy priorities of the four groups are nothing if not compatible for the most part. The findings come as something of a surprise in the wake of so many criticizing the Green Party’s slant and the presumed ideological splits between progressive groups. Between the three more substantive political entities, the only real difference in ideologies lay in the Green Party opting for more regional solutions to environmental problems.
Otherwise, the top three policies of each group compared with one another better than had been expected.
What the implications of this project are remain up in the air. While on the one hand the findings demonstrate that the groups are not quite as distinct in political terms from one another, the findings also suggest that there is room for more cooperation between progressive groups in Canada. There is a unanimous belief in implementing a more proportional form of representation in Parliament. There is a universal commitment to a ‘fair’ economy through the rejection of NAFTA. Progressives, it seems, are agreed on most issues.
Dr. Andrew Nurse, a professor for Canadian Studies, was happy to contribute his opinions on the report, noting that “By finding those areas of common ground, those areas of debate, and those areas where cooperation is possible, a potentially transformative political movement is now on the public agenda”. Dr. Nurse also noted his approval of the fact that “someone actually seems to be doing more than talking” since the CNF launched the first real studied comparison of progressive values.
The report can be found at Canadian National Federation
@ April 21, 2005