There are times when it seems like the entire world is moving toward authoritarian nationalism. Thus it is refreshing to see a right wing party that still seems to have a few libertarian instincts. The Economist has an article on Pierre Poilievre, the new leader of Canada’s Conservative Party. In some respects, his views are similar to those of American conservatives:

Mr Poilievre dislikes mainstream media and wants to defund the cbc, a public broadcaster. He backed the “Freedom Convoy”, a protest against vaccine mandates led by lorry drivers, which paralysed central Ottawa, the capital, earlier this year. 

But he’s not exactly a Trumpian:

Mr Poilievre’s most consistent political conviction is a Reaganite preference for small government. The adopted son of schoolteachers, he learned early that “the greatest social safety net we can ever have” is “voluntary generosity among family and community”. As a student at the University of Calgary he entered a competition that asked contestants to write an essay on what they would do as prime minister. His answer: “I would relinquish to citizens as much of my social, political, and economic control as possible.” Now he promises to make Canada “the freest nation on earth”.

His rhetorical style evokes populists such as Donald Trump. But his enemies list is more circumscribed. Unlike Mr Trump, he favours immigration. 

And whereas Trump became a NIMBY during the latter part of his administration, Poilievre is strongly in favor of reducing barriers to homebuilding, opposing “‘gatekeepers’ such as city officials who block housebuilding”.

Of course Poilievre isn’t actually a libertarian, as Canada’s voters are strongly attached to a number of big government policies such as national health care.  But Poilievre seems more sympathetic to libertarian ideas than the average Canadian politician.

More immigration and more homebuilding is the most effective way of Making Canada Great Again.

Meanwhile, Toronto mayor John Tory is poised to adopt a YIMBY agenda in Canada’s largest city:

So in a city where an estimated 70% of residential land is reserved for single-family homes, Tory is proposing a major shift: open all of it for the development of multiplexes and small apartment buildings, with mid-rises on commercial streets. The plan is to make housing less expensive by building more of it, in smaller units, where people already live.

Without a big-name opponent, Tory is expected to cruise to victory on Monday, and his focus on rezoning as the answer to Toronto’s housing dilemma suggests that what’s really changed is more voters are ready for a bolder idea.

I see similar things happening in California.  It seems as though voters are finally getting fed up with high housing prices, and the tide is turning away from NIMBY policies.