Hugh Segal and the Conservative Party

I've just read Hugh Segal's new book, The Long Road Back: The Conservative Journey, 1993-2006, (HarperCollins, 2006).

Segal was deeply moved by a speech given by then Prime Minister Diefenbaker who spoke at Segal's high school. That speech began Segal's long association with the conservative movement in Canada.

I was taken with this statement from Diefenbaker's speech:

I am a Canadian, a free Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship God in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong...

I'm afraid the freedom to oppose what we believe wrong is now being eroded in our church and nation.

This is my favourite quote:

Liberals are deeply unburdened by conviction. p28

Segal comes across as an urbanite (as opposed to a country fellow). He makes the point that for Conservatives to regain the government, they will have to prevail in the big cities, which means being moderate and morally liberal. He likes Diefenbaker and Harper. He doesn't seem to care for Preston Manning and the more right-wing folk.

An interesting read.