By Wendy Maloff
It was a Friday night that revelled in the wonders of youth and good old partisan politics.
On Fri., Nov. 2, the Progressive Conservative Youth of the University of Calgary hosted a presentation by Scott Brison, MP from Kings-Hants, Nova Scotia.
Brison preached mostly to the converted, though several of the people in attendance were not directly affiliated with the PC party.
"This was very much a university event," explained Keith Marlowe, the primary organizer of the event and president of the U of C PC Youth. "In advertising we postered all over campus and contacted a variety of university organizations."
Brison’s presentation was a direct result of the visit by federal Liberal Finance Minister Paul Martin.
"As part of the budget process, Brison is encouraging Martin to [table] the budget," said Marlowe. "He’s basically following [Martin] around, and when he travels he likes to stop at the city campuses."
Brison offered suggestions for improving Canada’s "troubled" budget. He compared Canada’s falling dollar with the rising Mexican peso. Brison also suggested that, "a strong fiscal policy could contribute to job creation in Canada."
Brison addressed the importance of youth in politics, citing his own experience as a 29-year-old MP.
"It’s important for Alberta PC youth to encourage youth candidates," said Brison. "People are more tuned out from politics nowadays, the voter turnout for first-time voters decreases each election."
Brison criticized current Liberal policies, focusing on the "brain drain" and the cost of poor budgeting policies on economic sovereignty.
"Canada is suffering from an unfortunate lack of leadership at a time when we really need it," he said. "The dollar will go down further before levelling off. We don’t want Canada to be the Wal-Mart of the world."