Guest: Dan Robertson, former Conservative strategist & founder of ORB Advocacy
This week, Joseph and Holly are joined by long-time conservative strategist Dan Robertson, who has an unconventional set of ideas: Canada’s Conservative Party can’t out-campaign a system rigged against it.
Dan’s solution? Structural reform. In a recent op-ed, he outlines three controversial but compelling ideas to level the playing field—and maybe even turn the Tories into a true national contender again.
1. Proportional Representation
Why the “first past the post” system doesn’t actually benefit conservatives
How PR could eliminate the Liberals’ advantage in voter efficiency
And why Canada’s system keeps millions of centre-right votes from counting at all
“I’d love to see conservatives champion competition everywhere—except in politics. It makes no sense.”
2. Mandatory Voting
Why the right underperforms in low-turnout elections
A civic case for participation as a duty of citizenship
And what Australia can teach Canada about centre-right success in a compulsory voting system
“This is the bare minimum of civic service. If we believe in responsibility, this is a no-brainer.”
3. A New Strategy for Quebec
Dan proposes the unthinkable: Fold the federal Conservative brand in Quebec
Instead, back a CAQ-style provincial-federal hybrid party
And model a new electoral coalition—just like the CDU–CSU in Germany.
“In Quebec, we’re foreigners. It’s not ideological. It’s tribal. We need to rethink everything.”
🎧 Plus:
Could these reforms actually help turnout?
Why voter apathy might be structural, not cultural
And how to build a cross-partisan case for political reform, even on the right