How long before they put up a fence to keep out the Americans who are looking for jobs, opportunity and a better way of life?
This is mostly wrong. You are right in that Canadian conservatives don't campaign on rolling back the structural socialism of universal health care. However, on economic conservatism, Harper has done some tax cuts and promised to do more. On fiscal conservatism, ie balanced budgets, Canada as a whole is to the right of even the Republican Party. They're very pro-business, unlike Maobama. On social issues, they as a whole are conservative but don't campaign or do anything in the area because Canada is very liberal socially. But on economic issues, Canadian Conservatives are not far behind the Republicans.
Unfortunately modern American conservatism has nothing to do with balanced budgets, it has become strictly about low taxes. By US standards, Canada is a high tax society, with a tiny military, therefore it is "left" and "liberal", regardless of fiscal discipline. I don't agree that this is a sensible way to define the terms, but what can I do, praxis trumps theory. Which is too bad, because by traditional definitions Canada is generally more conservative than the US.
I have to agree with this point of view of Canadians as I have a few close friends who are from Quebec. I would also point out on foreign affairs they are very much aligned with Republican ideals and U.S. foreign policy. The Canadians have/had servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Canadians had there own private beach on D-Day and took the second worst beating that day. That goes along way in my book before I dismiss them all as a bunch of socialist.
Interesting comment, given that the bulk of the work and sacrifice in bringing down the Reich came from the uber-socialist Soviets.