Liberalism - Larger Than Life
When it comes to a profound influence in the world, liberalism has nothing to apologize for. The majority of people we know don’t question freedom, rights, peace, equality, the power of the individual, or progressive societies. These are the gifts of liberalism to Canada and the world, and even conservatives can’t contradict such triumphs of civilization.The problem for modern liberals is that these successes are now in the past. To be sure, they are in need of constant refinement, but the basic premise is no longer in doubt. There aren’t many liberals around these days writing groundbreaking books because the essential paths to progress have already been trod. The present great task for liberals is not to develop a new vision but to better apply their historic accomplishments to new conditions.Conservatives, suffering a kind of bankruptcy of thought and vision themselves, have resorted to attempting to roll back liberal advances of the last decades, castigating and deriding liberals in the process. They have done so in particularly brutal fashion south of the border, with some of that extremism creeping across the 49th parallel. This is why the mandate of conservatives today is against climate change reform, immigration, gun control, taxes, expanded foreign aid, complex diplomacy or national programming. Sometimes it’s difficult to understand, as when last week the Conservative government opted to cancel the contract of the ombudsman for veterans because he dared accuse the government and its bureaucracy of caring more about saving money than veterans themselves – an irony, given the conservative penchant for military matters.With conservatives fighting against historic liberal advances, and liberals themselves relying on those very progressive accomplishments as their key reason for being, precious little seems left for the present and the future. Thus, we fight old wars already won by liberals, splitting the country in the process. It will be a futile effort in the end because when Canadian citizens are pushed to the wall they will defend their rights, individuality, and equality of opportunity, whether or not they realize these a liberal inheritances.Canada’s image in the world has largely been advanced by liberal initiatives in everything from peacekeeping to human rights. The advancement in liberal democracies across the continents has led to an era of globalization, the likes of which the world has never witnessed. The progress has been so rapid that oversights or unforeseen damage have been inevitable, and to these present-day liberalism must apply itself. Yet for all the criticisms deployed against globalization itself, there is nevertheless the great outpouring of new generations into the world marketplace. Those desirous that the forces of globalization restrain themselves in favour of homegrown solutions have all but ignored the pressing reality of what might be called “outmigration” – the massive movement of young people from rural to urban centres, in search of greater economic opportunity and a more lucrative lifestyle. Whether one agrees with this development or not, it is inevitable and conservatism’s outlook of restraint has nothing to say to this new generation. Only liberalism can provide the tools necessary to shape the future direction of these millions.For this reason, Michael Ignatieff’s view of a “networked” world only makes sense because of its sheer inevitability. The same advancements we have enjoyed can’t be denied others around the world. There is much to learn from that kind of world, from languages to cultures, from better nutrition to more productive ways of conserving. The globalization so many fear has been accompanied by the Internet, cell phones, and all the other wonders that have effectively empowered poorer people around the globe to self-organize themselves to forge better lives for their families. This is the future; it can’t be undone, only opposed and temporarily sidetracked.Liberalism has arisen at pivotal times to defeat communism, fascism and other forms of totalitarianism. Now it must apply itself to terrorism – a subject that liberals often leave to conservatives to triumph. It is now beyond doubt that the angst of terrorism finds rich fodder in poverty and lack of opportunity. The rise of conservative governments in the West has seen a rise in military engagements to counter this new blight on civilization. This was necessary and prudent but can only protect against evil forces rather than delivering a death blow in the lands from which they originate. For that to occur, it will require free markets, key development funds, the empowerment and education of women, political reform and proper heath standards – all liberal legacies.In a world characterized by acts of evil, the answer is not to merely exhibit “shock and awe” while also creating insecurity among the Canadian people themselves. It will require a kind of international sophistication that will bring the poor of the world into the ever-increasing numbers of individuals and families slowly emerging from their own poverty. This will require liberalism – bold and unashamed.Far from being hopeless or relegated to the past, liberalism is, in fact, on the verge of providing solutions for those problems for which conservatism can only worry about. Enhanced diplomacy, investments in international development, a global climate change solution, reliance on science and evidence-based advancements – these are the liberal guidelines for which the troubled nations of the world will seek in their desire for advancement. The liberal future is now.