Alberta needs a few good tories

The province’s conservative movement has lost its balance, and democracy is paying the price

Ever call an Alberta Conservative a “tory”? Most will quickly correct you.

Conservatives in Central and Atlantic Canada might use the term, but tories are as rare as Leafs fans out West.

What is it about toryism that raises so much ire among new right “conservatives” in Alberta?

In part, it has to do with elements of the ideology that conflict with the neo-liberalism, neo-conservatism, populism, and libertarianism that have come to dominate the new right in the province. Tories are a threat to these alternative ways of thinking and the people that benefit from them.

Toryism is inconvenient. It gets in the way of letting “the market,” “the majority,” or the premier’s office dictate how all Albertans live.

Disdain for toryism is also built on misconceptions about what tories stand for. Much of this is driven by the term “red tory,” which has come to represent so many different modes of thinking as to be useless. In Alberta, anything “red” is deemed socialist or Liberal — both marks of political treason.

But there is more to toryism than meets the eye.

At its core, toryism is a political philosophy that blends traditional values with a progressive belief in the state’s role in promoting social welfare and economic equality. It emphasizes community and diversity over individualism and universalism, and a balanced approach to governance that upholds tradition while addressing contemporary needs through incremental change.

I’ve spent two decades studying conservatism, which is long enough to know that many folks will disagree with my definition. Others will say, quite accurately, that toryism has no monopoly on many of these principles. Some will detect a tory accent in my own writing. I grew up in tory territory and it is part of my own political identity.

Cleary, though, tory voices are missing in a lot of the discussions around democracy in Alberta today.

Into the breach, let’s break down what toryism is—and what it isn’t—to better understand how it could shape a more stable and inclusive future for Alberta.

What Toryism Is

Communitarianism: Unlike political ideologies that prioritize individualism, toryism views the community as the primary unit of society. A tory, Edmund Burke, coined the term “social fabric” to capture the notion that society is more than a sum of its parts; that people are woven together in ways that make them stronger. This approach emphasizes mutual obligation, duty, and cooperation and the importance of robust civil society organizations, local governments, and public systems. For Alberta, this could mean more focused investments in community services, public health, and education, ensuring that economic prosperity benefits all segments of society, not just the privileged few.

Parochialism: Just as tories view society as more than a sum of its parts, they see Canada and each of its provinces as communities of communities. Toryism in Alberta would advocate for protecting provincial interests and authority, especially in ways that respect the constitution. It supports Alberta’s autonomy within Canada but also recognizes the importance of cooperative federalism. To tories, a strong Canada means a strong Alberta, and vice versa. Tories also have a healthy respect for local democracy and ensuring decisions are made by those most closely affected.

Classic Democratic Values: Toryism upholds the principles of democracy, preferring tried-and-true methods of determining the common good over newer methods and authoritarianism. Tories are champions of civility and “manners” in politics, and are the biggest champions of Westminster parliamentary democracy.

At one time, tories were among the biggest opponents of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, for example, as it would have replaced the collective judgment of elected legislators with that of appointed judges. They also disliked the notion of establishing individual rights without due attention to collective responsibilities. Tories are likewise skeptical of direct forms of democracy, like referendums and recall, as they remove the collective ability of legislators to deliberate over the common good. Tories are also distrustful of “the masses,” who are easily manipulated into pursuing narrow interests over the collective’s. Those impulses can lead to authoritarian forms of populism that tories detest.

Along these lines, tories look disparagingly at protests like the Freedom Convoy and Axe the Tax for a variety of reasons: from the disrespectful hanging of the Canadian flag upside down, to the notion that freedom trumps obligation, to the tactic of disrupting society and commerce instead of working things out through conventional political processes.

Tories prefer governance by those with the expertise and moral responsibility to lead, which offers more stability than populist whims. Tories don’t want to have a beer with their leaders; they want their leaders to be better than them, not just like them. For Albertans, this means ensuring that decisions are made by informed leaders who consider the long-term impacts on all residents.

What Toryism Is Not

The New Right: While toryism shares some conservative values, it finds itself at odds with “new right” populist or libertarian movements that advocate minimal government intervention. Tories support a strong role for the state in regulating the economy and providing social welfare. Toryism does not align with populist movements that often appeal to emotions and simple solutions to complex problems. Tories are also inter-generational thinkers, not given to spur-of-the-moment impulses. Toryism seeks a more thoughtful, informed approach to governance that respects expertise and the nuances of policy-making. It is also forward-looking (incrementally progressive), setting it apart from the explicitly retrogressive, “make Alberta great again” edicts coming from new right groups like Take Back Alberta.

Pure Progressivism: Although toryism incorporates collectivist elements of social justice and welfare traditionally associated with progressive ideologies, it does so while still valuing tradition, stability, and gradual change rather than radical reforms. In this sense, tories often struggle internally and with each other over how quickly to advance in embracing new forms of equality. Tories were slow to support 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, for example. This reticence is most obvious in tories’ reverence for history, Britishness, Commonwealth and the Crown — the virtues of which progressives have challenged in the era of EDI and reconciliation. Tories would rather work from inside time-tested institutions to cultivate change on behalf of communities, something that frustrates many liberals who prioritize individual rights and progressives who would rather tear down those institutions and start anew.

Many readers will recognize tory tendencies among previous generations of Alberta conservatives, and fleeting instances of it more recently. Some Albertans adhere to tory principles, themselves. Toryism provides a framework for governance that balances economic development with social equity, respects provincial rights while promoting national unity, and values community well-being over individual gain.

As we face economic uncertainties and social challenges, toryism presents a philosophy that can help navigate the complexities of modern governance, making it a compelling option for a province as diverse and dynamic as Alberta.