Many people are criticising Conservative governments in Canada for mishandling the pandemic.

Most cite these parties' ideological commitment to *conservatism* as their major failing.

This isn't entirely accurate or fair. (Thread)

Canada is home to several variants of conservatism. The two most pertinent to this conversation are old right toryism and new right neo-liberalism.

Toryism is a collectivist form of conservatism - one that views society as more than a sum of individuals. The term "social fabric" was coined by a tory (E. Burke) to capture this sentiment.

Tories are seldom shy to use the levers of the state to protect community values. They are also less likely to favour individual rights over communal norms.

Toryism remains strongest in Ontario and Atlantic Canada - regions that, generations ago - became home to Loyalists fleeing the individualist impulses of the American Revolution.

The prominence of toryism in their political cultures helps us understand why Conservative governments in Atlantic Canada were open to taking strong-state measures to control the spread of COVID-19.

At the other end of the country, a different strain of conservatism holds sway: neo-liberalism. Holding the individual at the centre of society, neo-liberals tend to value personal choice, competition, and other "freedom-based" values.

Neo-liberals and tories view collective action problems - like pandemic response - very differently. Tories won't hesitate to use the levers of the state to preserve community order. Neo-liberals insist that individuals choosing freely will maximize the public good.

In their responses to COVID-19, we have seen tories opt for collective responsibility through government action. Neo-liberals have chosen personal responsibility and public education.

Ideology is only one part of the policy equation. It's too simplistic to blame neo-liberalism for spiking case numbers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. But it's also too simplistic to suggest all forms of conservatism are unable to cope with collective action problems.