Radical Tories: The Conservative Tradition in Canada

by Charles P.B. Taylor

"Canadian conservatism—past, present, and future—is explored in this lively book, with interviews and biographical sketches of Stanfield, Creighton, Grant, Forsey, Crombie, and many more."

Genres: Politics, Canada, Nonfiction, History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Wyatt Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books that I've ever read. Read it immediately if you have any interest in politics or the grand Order of things, and the joy that comes from seeing beauty within that Order.

[Andrew Figueiredo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Taylor's "Radical Tories" is a lesser-known gem of Canadian politics. In it, he distills the essence of the Red Tory tradition through various figures and tells the story of his own dive into Toryism. The profiles span a wide range, from historians Donald Creighton and W.L. Morton to poet Al Purdy to constitutional scholar Eugene Forsey to philosopher George Grant, and even to various modern elected officials like Robert Stanfield and David Crombie. The diversity of figures made Taylor's argument stronger, as he drew inferences from each and sketched a model by comparing them with one another.

Taylor's own politics are something like my own--leftish, communitarian, and willing to question but not entirely discard liberalism. I've not read his more philosophical works, and (EDIT: turns out it's a different Canadian Charles Taylor with an interest in this kind of politics) the writing here was supremely entertaining. In particular, his descriptions of people were hilariously evocative. In essence, this radical toryism exists in different forms but shares a few basic tenets. Its adherents often sought moderate reforms (111), eschewing ideology in favor of solutions. This flexibility often led them to oppose rugged individualism and economic liberalism when they threatened to trample on deeper values of nation, family, and inheritance. Dispositionally, they were all over the place. Creighton may have been cranky, while Grant was a brilliant pessimist (which shines through in "Lament for a Nation"), but optimists like Morton and Crombie leave an impression on Taylor. Morton, for instance, viewed Canada as a non-revolutionary exemplar in a tough landscape, physical and geopolitical. (60) I admire Taylor's couched sense of hopefulness, which strikes me as a healthy patriotism. Having grown up in America and lived in Canada, it's been fascinating to see the interplay of cultures on both sides of the border. Taylor's essays put forth a strong defense of Canadian political culture as a unique body of thought, with loyalist British heritage but an appreciation of diversity.

Broadly, the thinkers he outlines sought to save the liberal values that make Canada special by questioning the liberal dogmas of self-fulfillment and worship of progress (185). If put into a room, they would likely duke it out over a lot. However, they would agree that values like freedom and justice can only be upheld with some degree of conservatism and the renewal of Canadian institutions. (211) Rights and duties co-exist for the Red Tories within this "conservative-radical mix which is based on a sense of continuity and order, a feeling for the land, a respect for human diversity and human rights, a concern for social justice, and a non-ideological approach to the problems of political and economic organization". (213)

It was precisely this mix Erin O'Toole tried to tap into in 2021. Like Robert Stanfield, he attempted to reorient conservatism towards a broader definition of "order" that included social order, or as Stanfield put it, concern for the down-and-out and the environment (195). I found it convincing, although O'Toole's right flank took damage from Maxime Bernier's brand of anti-vax libertarian populism. Instead of bringing Radical Toryism to office, O'Toole seems destined to go the way of Stanfield, who literally dropped the ball. Perhaps works like Taylor's and Ron Dart's will someday fuel a proper resurgence of Red Toryism. Goodness knows I wish this tendency could find success somewhere.

[Alex Strohschein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Canada is hardly known today as a bastion of conservatism but journalist Charles Taylor's 'Radical Tories: The Conservative Tradition in Canada' is a fascinating series of portraits of seasoned thinkers who advocated for Red Toryism. Some I was aware of, such as the brooding philosopher George Grant and CFL star and "Best Prime Minister Canada Never Had" Robert Stanfield, but most of these figures were new to me. I would commend by Goodreads friend Andrew Figueiredo's review.

Red Toryism is, in my view, a very compelling branch of conservatism. In many respects, it seems to be to essentially be akin to Christian democracy, the most "successful" ideology in Europe in the post-war decades, marrying social conservatism with left-of-centre economic policies, including a larger roll for the state. It also reminds me of the political framework advanced by Polish philosopher Leszek Kolakowski in his famous essay "How to Be A Conservative-Liberal-Socialist. It even reminds me a bit of the postliberal turn in Western conservatism that accepts a larger role for the state, even if the most vocal postliberals seem too ardently outspoken in their social conservatism for the Red Tories found in the pages of Taylor's book.

There is diversity among the figures Taylor features. One of the most interesting divides is centralization vs. decentralization; whereas historian and Sir John A.-apologist (better, CHAMPION!) Donald Creighton and constitutional scholar Eugene Forsey favour strong centralization, others such as W.L. Morton advocated for local governance. Nowadays I tend to think of conservatives advocating for a limited federal government (think of states' rights in the USA). As Taylor writes:

It seemed that Morton had gone beyond Creighton - in that he had opened up aspects of the Canadian experience which Creighton tended to ignore. Like Creighton, he articulated a vision of Canada which was conservative and based on British traditions. With Morton there was also a firm sense of the northern landscape and a strong concern for the dignity and rights of different regions and racial groups. Canada, in short, was based on a balance of cultural diversity and allegiance to a shared political community. (pp. 60-61)

Indeed, Morton as a Westerner (born in Manitoba) passionately argues for diversity, both regional and cultural (pp. 54-57, 67). This is refreshing given that conservatives are not typically touted as exemplars of diversity, yet the progressive allure is somewhat dimmed when Morton's comments on diversity seem limited to European diversity - as a Manitoban he celebrates English and French culture as well as the influx of immigrants to the Prairies but these were largely of European ancestry - German, Scandinavian, Ukrainian. For all the espousal of diversity by conservative figures like Morton and former Toronto mayor David Crombie, there is little commentary in this book (and it could be Taylor's fault) for a diverse Canada that does not only include French, English, and other Europeans, but also indigenous, Middle Eastern, Brazilian, Chinese, East Indian, etc...Crombie does assert that second-generation immigrants eventually shift away from their forefathers' mentality and embrace the local identity of the land that they find themselves in but I am not so sure; immigrants largely flock to the cosmopolis where there can be ethnic enclaves that help alleviate the cultural displacement that occurs when one leaves Mumbai, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It is one thing for a Canadian of Scottish ancestry with roots two-hundred years old in Canada to deeply care about the land her ancestors farmed for generations; it is another thing entirely for an "anywhere" (to use David Goodhardt's term) from Hong Kong to wind up in Richmond, BC working in a business firm. Modern industrialization and the service and knowledge economics have simply removed most of us, regardless of ethnicity, from reliance on the land for our subsistence.

Another theme that runs through 'Radical Tories' is that it has largely been Canada's Liberals (such as Frank Underhill and Lester B. Pearson) who have enthusiastically embraced close relationships to the USA and continentalism overall (pp. 169-70). Conservatives have been more hesitant and George Grant's 'Lament for a Nation' is one of the most famous manifestos of this concern. It is hard to imagine that given the opprobrium leveled by Canada's leftists at the USA during Republican administrations.

I have to admit, as a high school and undergraduate student of Canadian history I often perceived my country's history to be boring - French Quebec vs. British North America, the fur trade, First Nations-European relations, the Canadian Pacific Railway. I looked south for more interesting content. But even as I still enjoy reading Kate Bowler, Daniel K. Williams, and Mark Noll, alongside these I am reading more Canadian history - John Webster Grant, John Moir, and, hopefully soon, George Rawlyk (in a nice meeting-of-worlds Noll is teaching "The Story of Christianity in Canada" this summer). All that to say, I am grateful for this book further enhancing my appreciation for Canada's (political) past.

Yet having said that, one must consider the trajectory of Canadian conservatism since then. 'Radical Tories' was published in 1982 in the wake of the patriation of Canada's constitution. In a couple of years Brian Mulroney would lead the Progressive Conservatives to victory and enact the neo-conservative agenda that Taylor and Red Tories deplore (indeed, Grant argues that American-style conservatism is an aberrant mutation of right-wing politics rather than an authentic offspring of English toryism, p. 109). Since 1982 much has changed in Canada politically. Preston Manning, elder statesman of Canadian Conservatism, helped launch a Western, conservative resurgence with the Reform Party in the late 1980s and eventually, its successor the Canadian Alliance would merge with the Progressive Conservatives. The new Conservatives were in power for nearly a decade under Stephen Harper but since then the party has been riddled with internecine conflicts (most notably, Maxime Bernier who left to found the populist People's Party) that continue to this day as the Conservatives await Erin O'Toole's successor. The Bloc Quebecois have proven to be a major, if limited, force in federal politics and current leader Yves-François Blanchet has resurrected the party after its near-extinction between 2011-2019. Tilting leftward, the BQ are a continual thorn in the Conservatives' side. Social conservatives in particular have been disappointed in seeing a steady stream of losses on social issues. One wonders if there is any place left for Red Toryism in Canada (I personally would encourage provincial conservative parties to adopt Red Tory policies as we await seeing what direction the federal Conservatives take into the rest of the 2020s). I also think that younger generations of Canadians are imbibing so much social liberalism from public schools, social media, and the media that traditional perspectives on social issues are becoming increasingly verboten (witness the toppling of statues of great Canadians like John A. Macdonald; the younger generations do not care much for history, especially for historical figures that are not as enlightened and woke as they are).

Donald Creighton, the first figure Taylor profiles, was a historian who wanted to be a novelist and who did, in the end, release 'Takeover.' Taylor himself has a way with words, particularly his descriptions of the conservative thinkers he visits. Despite a glaring omission in not having any French Canadian representative (remember, at one point G.K. Chesterton thought Quebec was one of the leading exemplars of a Catholic land), 'Radical Tories' is an excellent book that examines the unique roots of Canadian conservatism. It is a shame it is no longer in print.