'Liberals are engaging in bad faith politics': Feminist Conservatives fight back
Stella Mizak, an 18-year-old business student, says she was shocked by what she heard while door-knocking with Conservative party candidates in April's federal election. She heard it over and over from homeowners, she said: 'I can't believe you're supporting a party that wants to take your rights away.'
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It's perplexing, she sighs: A woman being told she's not a feminist because she's seen to be 'voting away my rights' by voting Conservative.
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'I think all women should have the right to choose what life they want for themselves,' Stella says, 'and being told that you have to vote Liberal, you have to think this way to be a woman, I think that's the opposite of what feminism is, and I think the Liberals are actually undermining what feminism is.'
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Stella is vice-president of provincial affairs for the University of Calgary campus conservative club, recruited as part of a drive to broaden the membership of what was once 'a boys club,' admits club adviser Seniru Ruwanpura, 'with the same 15 to 20 people showing up at every event.'
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Hundreds of new members have been added to the club's roster, which now has a female membership of about 30 per cent, reports Seniru, a 22-year-old software engineering grad.
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Seniru and Stella are acutely aware that political parties of the right are becoming increasingly male-dominated, and parties of the left increasingly female-dominated.
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I sit down with the two of them on campus — in a quiet boardroom on the fourth floor of the brand-new Hunter Student Commons building — to discuss what's to be done, at the University of Calgary or anywhere, to repair this gender gap. In the background, there's a buzz emanating from the nearby Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking; a place where ideas collide and give birth to tech startups. Our conversation is far more intimate.
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Stella says people are attuned to U.S. politics, and many of her female acquaintances raise questions about abortion, even when it isn't an issue in Canada. 'Liberals are engaging in bad faith politics on the abortion issue,' Seniru adds. These non-issues are being used to wedge people against each other, he says, as a way 'for the Liberals to retain power and maintain the status quo.'
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'It's very ironic,' Seniru explains, 'that older voters and people on the left, they were so concerned about the impacts of the U.S., about secession, about all this sort of stuff, but they don't realize how much American politics has permeated the discussion here.'
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When the Fort McMurray fires devastated Alberta in 2016, for example, American crews came north. Canadian crews returned the favour during catastrophic wildfires in California. This is what neighbours do — they help each other in times of crisis. What this juxtaposition reveals is a deeper truth often lost in the political noise: real people — firefighters, volunteers, displaced families — don't live their lives according to tariff schedules or party platforms. When disaster strikes, ideology melts away. What matters is compassion, co-ordination, and trust. The people fighting fires in northern Manitoba don't care whether their counterparts voted Democrat or Republican. They care about containing the blaze, saving homes and making sure everyone gets out safely. That kind of co-operation can't be legislated or sanctioned. It comes from a bond far deeper than economics or trade agreements. It's rooted in a shared history, a cultural closeness and the lived experience of two nations that, for better or worse, are joined at the hip. So where does that leave us? We're clearly in a period of strained political relations with the U.S., fuelled by the unpredictable and narcissistic behaviour of a deranged American president. Trade fights are real, and the consequences affect livelihoods from places such as Winnipeg and Flin Flon. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. But let's not let the politics define the entire story. Because on the ground, when lives are on the line, the Canada-U.S. relationship still works. In fact, it thrives. Maybe we should take a page from our own emergency playbook. If we can collaborate so effectively during wildfires — sharing resources, respecting protocols and trusting each other's expertise — why can't we bring that same spirit to trade talks and economic policy? It's tempting for politicians to rally around a common enemy, especially when that enemy is conveniently located just south of the border. But the real world is messier. The same country that imposes unfair tariffs is also the one helping douse the flames in our backyard. In the end, maybe the best measure of a relationship isn't found in balance sheets or tariff lists. Maybe it's found in the way people show up for each other — when it really counts. Tom BrodbeckColumnist Tom Brodbeck is a columnist with the Free Press and has over 30 years experience in print media. He joined the Free Press in 2019. Born and raised in Montreal, Tom graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and commerce. Read more about Tom. Tom provides commentary and analysis on political and related issues at the municipal, provincial and federal level. His columns are built on research and coverage of local events. The Free Press's editing team reviews Tom's columns before they are posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
