In Great Britain and Canada, the right looks to find a way back into government.

Mario Canseco

In 1997, Labour's Tony Blair put an end to a Tory era in Britain by defeating an unpopular John Major. Four years earlier, Liberal Jean Chrétien began his decade-long tenure in Canada after achieving a majority government that reduced the Progressive Conservatives to a mere two seats in the House of Commons.

Now, Blair is facing criticism—even inside his own party—for his use of intelligence before the invasion of Iraq, and Chrétien is retiring from politics. Tory supporters in both continents hope these facts open the doors of 10 Downing and 24 Sussex for the right.

While the British prime minister adamantly defended his rationale for action in the Persian Gulf, many wondered if his government was about to be over. Still, Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith has not been able to capitalize on Blair's problems, mostly because he was in favour of the Iraqi war.

As the kingdom's official opposition holds its yearly conference this week in Blackpool, more Britons are looking to a third-party to find a counterpoint to Blair's Labour. 50 per cent of respondents to a recent ICM/News of The World poll say the Liberal-Democrats—who currently hold 114 less seats than the Tories—provide a "more effective" opposition. Today, Duncan Smith expressed an audacious challenge by promising to lead the British government in 18 months.

For weeks, British public opinion focused on Blair's leadership qualities and the electorate began to play around with the idea of another Conservative run. Recent survey results were not what backers of the right hoped for. 54 per cent of respondents to a MORI/Financial Times poll do not think the Tories are ready to form a government. As far as eminence, only 14 per cent of respondents to a YouGov/Sky News survey think of Duncan Smith as their preferred choice for prime minister.

In Canada, with an election just months away, a deal to unite the right has been in the minds of voters for a long time. Little progress was made after several meetings between Canadian Alliance leader Stephen Harper and Progressive Conservative counterpart Peter MacKay. This week, the negotiations resume.

The Alliance—assembled from the Reform Party in 2000—is now the official opposition in the House of Commons, with 66 seats. The Progressive Conservatives—under different denominations—administered Canada for more than 50 years, but have failed to rebound after the disastrous 1993 election.

The two political organizations mostly agree in issues such as debt reduction and taxes, but are not as close on social matters. The key difficulty stems from how the leader of the proposed new party would be chosen. The Alliance—with more registered members—is partial to a "one man, one vote" logic. The Progressive Conservatives—with supporters distributed all across the country—want each constituency to come into play.

Chrétien is set to retire next year with an impressive track record of three straight majority governments for the Liberals. Former finance minister Paul Martin is the country's PM-in-waiting, heavily favoured to become party leader next month.

The "united right" cluster faces difficulties not only on issues, but also on the effect Martin will have on the next election. 46 per cent of respondents to an Ipsos-Reid poll said they would consider voting for the proposed fusion, but when the Martin-led Liberals were added to the mix, only 32 per cent stuck with the merger.

Voters in both countries might get a chance to appraise the right soon. A date for the next British election will rest on the current government's push for the Euro, a divisive issue that could be custom-made for Duncan Smith to rekindle his hopes. In Canada, the electorate awaits the final deal between Harper and MacKay, to see who will face-off with Martin for the top job.

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