If a tourist visiting Canada for the first time wanted to know where Canadians stand on their politics in one succinct sentence, a good answer might be that they are rightwing in their attitudes about taxes and the size of government, leftwing in what they want government to spend tax dollars on, and generally uncomfortable and unfamiliar with the terms left and right. They are rightwing on taxes because they generally oppose increases and favour reductions. They are leftwing on spending because they generally priorize health and education. Yet, there is evidence of a creeping militarization in the thinking of Canadians in the post-9/11 milieu.

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