ABSTRACT
“Peace, order, and good government”—from section 91 of the 1867 Constitution Act—is the phrase invoked to describe Canadian constitutionalism in contrast to the American Declaration of Independence's “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The majority of Canadians, liberals, and even at times conservatives responded to the convoy protests as an affront to these values. The liberal transformative period or “Quiet Revolution” in Canadian politics was also felt in its cultural institutions of the media, academia, schools, entertainment, and elsewhere. Historically Canadian conservatism has been derived from the Tory tradition with its balance between individual rights and communitarian principles as meditated through a traditional and religious standard of morality. The former values freedom, self-reliance, and rugged individualism, all born of and necessary for survival on the prairie; the latter emphasizes morality, community, and solidarity in the commercial cities of the East.
