On June 28, minutes after the House of Commons voted in favour of same-sex marriage, a right-wing Canadian blogger weighed in.

“It’s over. Gay marriage is now on the fast track to becoming the law in Canada,” he wrote. “The new Canada. You can have it.”

The comment itself would have been unremarkable — tame, even, for what passes for discourse in the blogosphere. But coming as it did from Conservative MP Monte Solberg, it spoke volumes about the reasons the Tories continue to languish in the court of public opinion.

Mr. Solberg is not Myron Thompson or Cheryl Gallant. He’s considered a comparatively moderate conservative — thoughtful, funny and well-liked on the other side of the House. So, far from being an isolated rant from the party’s fringes, his outburst presumably came from a common perspective within the Tory caucus — one that has come to largely define the Canadian right.

Canada-bashing is something that anyone who keeps up with this country’s prominent conservative commentators is familiar with. And it’s been particularly evident of late — sparked in part by the gay marriage vote, but also by the country daring to celebrate its birthday.

In these pages, David Frum decried July 1 as a “grim and troubling anniversary,” lamenting the “ongoing disaster” that the country is becoming. From Alberta, Western Standard publisher Ezra Levant dismissed Canada Day as a Liberal hoax. In Ontario, Michael Coren celebrated the occasion by assessing as “ludicrous” the notion that “this is the greatest country on Earth and that our cities are ‘world class.’”

It shouldn’t be possible to paint the mainstream party serving as the Official Opposition with the same brush as the most hard-line and pessimistic of right-wing commentators. But the links are inextricable. Stephen Harper and many of his closest advisors come from the same circles as the Western conservatives leading the charge: Back when he was advocating firewalls as head of the National Citizens Coalition, the Tory leader was busy bemoaning Canada’s emergence as “a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status.” And now, even moderates within the caucus responding to a vote that didn’t go their way are petulantly suggesting this country is no longer for them.

There’s a multitude of reasons why, despite the Liberals’ woes, the Conservatives have failed to move up in the polls, not least Mr. Harper’s frosty persona. But there is probably no bigger factor in their struggles than the perception that they dislike the country they aim to govern.

Frequently accused by their opponents of sharing common ground with U.S. Republicans, this is one area in which the Conservatives find themselves having the same problem as Democrats.

Key to George W. Bush’s success has been the GOP’s ability to label opponents who vociferously criticize U.S. foreign policy as anti-American or unpatriotic. It’s often a completely frivolous charge, particularly as it pertains to well-founded opposition to the Iraq War. But with effective Republican messaging and Fox News driving home that they loved America less than their opponents, the Democrats were walking on eggshells in last year’s election — and as careful as they were, negative perceptions of their patriotism played a big role in keeping John Kerry out of the White House.

In this country, the sense that conservatives are reluctant Canadians isn’t just clever messaging on the part of their rivals — it’s the image they present of themselves. And it sets them apart from the general population, most of which recognizes that, all things considered, we have much to be proud of.

Much as Americans’ chest-thumping patriotism sometimes seems foreign to us, most Canadians believe nearly as strongly in their country — and with good reason, since our streets are safe, our communities relatively harmonious and our quality of life high enough to be the envy of most of the world. We want our leaders to have equal faith — not to the point of complacency, but enough to convey that they want to constructively tackle Canada’s challenges rather than tear the whole thing down.

It’s not as easy for Canadian conservatives to think positive as for their ideological brethren in the U.S. — not when they’ve played less of a role in shaping their country. But if they’re ever to hold power, they’d better find a way. When it comes to branding, “I am Canadian” sells; “You can have it” does not.