Political commentator Jesse Kline has issued a stark warning about an emerging movement within Canadian conservatism that threatens to fragment the right and abandon its foundational commitment to individual freedom. Writing in late November 2025, Kline argues that this 'new right' movement, largely driven by younger conservatives adopting big-government, free-market skeptical views similar to some MAGA Republicans, risks repeating the electoral failures that plagued divided conservative movements during the 1990s and early 2000s.
The Fragile Conservative Alliance
Kline emphasizes the historical importance of unity for conservative electoral success in Canada. He recalls that Stephen Harper, then-Canadian Alliance leader, noted back in 2003 how the conservative movement has long rested on an alliance between economic and social conservatives. This 'fusionist' project united libertarians concerned with free markets and social traditionalists focused on cultural values, creating a coalition that proved electorally viable.
However, Kline identifies a growing threat to this alliance from what's being called the 'new right,' 'national conservatism,' or 'postliberalism.' These voices argue that the conservative coalition was always a marriage of convenience rather than shared ideology. Policy consultant Alex MacDonald articulated this view in his Without Diminishment Substack newsletter, claiming that social conservatives have become 'the concubine of the economic libertarians' rather than equal partners in the fusionist project.
The Philosophical Divide Deepens
The core disagreement, according to Kline's analysis, centers on the role of government. The new right contends that conservatives have become overly skeptical of state power in general, not just in economic matters. They argue that this libertarian mindset has led conservatives to demand state neutrality even when traditional values need protection, effectively ceding ground to progressive 'woke' movements that readily use state power to advance their agendas.
Kline acknowledges this as a compelling narrative that has gained traction among some conservative writers, but he insists it doesn't tell the full story. He traces the fusionist alliance back to the Cold War era, when both libertarians and social conservatives united in their shared opposition to the Soviet Union and global communism. This partnership was more than mere convenience—it represented a genuine meeting of minds around fundamental principles of liberty.
Freedom as the Conservative Bedrock
Throughout the 20th century, Kline notes, leading thinkers on the American right—including Barry Goldwater, William F. Buckley Jr., George Will, and Ronald Reagan—firmly believed in individual liberty, free markets, and limited government, even while holding socially conservative personal views. This commitment to freedom distinguished mainstream conservatism from historical experiments with big-government authoritarianism.
Kline points to European fascists and former Alberta premier William Aberhart as examples of right-wing figures who embraced big government to achieve political goals, noting that their economic theories ultimately failed and their approaches often descended into authoritarianism. The modern push to divorce social and economic conservatism, Kline argues, represents not a return to some pure conservative ideology, but rather a reaction to left-wing excesses from people who don't share the values that have defined conservatism for over a century.
The fragmentation of the conservative movement and pitting of political parties against each other to determine which can be the better authoritarian will not end well, Kline concludes. He warns Canadian conservatives that the path forward lies in recommitting to freedom principles rather than embracing the very big-government approaches they've traditionally opposed.
