A U.S. right-wing strategist says Canadians are "so liberal and hedonistic" that Stephen Harper can't hope to change their philosophy of "cultural Marxism" right away.

Given time, however, the Conservative prime minister-designate may straighten them out, Paul Weyrich writes.

Weyrich, a Washington fixture since the 1970s, runs a conservative think tank called the Free Congress Foundation.

Stephen Harper: antidote to Marxism?

His contribution to the Harper election effort was to distribute an e-mail last week urging fellow U.S. right-wingers not to talk to Canadian reporters.

"Canadian voters have been led to believe that American conservatives are scary and if the Conservative party can be linked with us, they can perhaps diminish a Conservative victory," he warned.

He turns his attention to Canada again this week in an article posted on the foundation's website.

He says he talked to two Canadian Conservatives after the election – one optimistic and one pessimistic about Harper's chances of changing Canada.

The pessimistic view was that Harper, lacking a parliamentary majority, can do little to make Canadians "adopt a more reasonable view of the United States" and abandon Marxist principles "such as same-sex marriage and abortion on demand," Weyrich says.

He does not say how these things are linked in his mind to Marxism, a doctrine better known for concepts of class warfare. But he suggests that Harper has a few cards up his sleeve.

'It is not widely known in this country that a Canadian prime minister has more power than a United States president.'

"Harper is pleased that the media and many in his own party are nay-saying," he writes. "Harper thinks that such pessimism would lower expectations and give him additional latitude to accomplish his agenda.

"Harper's game plan apparently is to pit the federalist Liberals against the Bloc Québécois and the decentralizing Bloc against big-government Liberals.

"Canadian media understands that Stephen Harper greatly would expand defence spending. He does not like the Kyoto Treaty. Paul Martin, the incumbent whom Harper ousted, ran an anti-United States campaign. It worked for Martin last year. This year it did not. More importantly, Harper favours participating in the United States missile defence program. Martin opposed such participation.

'Harper could appoint 5,000 new officials'

"It is not widely known in this country that a Canadian prime minister has more power than a United States president. Harper could appoint 5,000 new officials. (No confirmation is required by the Canadian Parliament.) The prime minister also could appoint every judge from the trial courts, to the courts of appeal to the Canadian Supreme Court, as vacancies occur.

'The prime minister also could appoint every judge from the trial courts, to the courts of appeal to the Canadian Supreme Court, as vacancies occur'

"Harper's partisans believe he could maintain power for four years, during which time Conservatives hopefully would witness many vacancies created by Liberals leaving the courts. The Supreme Court of Canada currently is dominated by Liberals.

"As has been the case in the United States, cultural Marxism largely has been foisted upon Canada by the courts. If judges who respect the Constitution were to be appointed they would confirm that such rights are not to be found in that document. Sound familiar?"