Strong community acts as a powerful force to keep government in check. Strong communities are made up of strong families, yet families are on the decline in Canada today. No wonder then, that government sits at an unwieldy 42 per cent of GDP. Social conservatives acknowledge the importance of strong families in creating community, which in turn is able to support families and social programs today taken on by our welfare state. Though it may be true that classical liberals of yesteryear (conservatives today) paid little attention to community—this is because they took strong communities for granted. We can no longer afford to do so, as the ongoing decline of strong families will continue to create impetus and motivation for larger and larger government programs.