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Michael Adams is president of the Environics Institute for Survey Research.

As this years federal election approaches, the Conservative government is increasingly crystallizing its offer to voters around a single promise: security. The economy has been removed from the partys display window, replaced by the global fight against ISIS and its sympathizers, some abroad, some next door.

For the government, a focus on keeping Canadians safe from terror is a strong play: fear may well be humans most powerful emotion. Academics such as Jonathan Haidt and George Lakoff have argued that conservatives and liberals have distinct sensibilities and seek different kinds of emotional satisfaction from politics. Lakoff, for instance, describes a conservative mindset that values leadership from strong, paternal figures and keeping the brood safe is an essential part of the job description for any strong papa. (In exchange, dad gets loyalty, deference to his authority, and in some cases a tie or patterned socks at Christmas.)

One drawback of the Conservatives laser-like focus on terror and security, however, is that it cedes so much other territory to challengers. It gives an opening for the Liberals and the NDP to make noise not only about their own traditional issues (social programs, the environment, and so on) but also about some issues that the Conservatives usually claim as their own. How might the Liberals or NDP show that they should be taken seriously not only by their own stalwarts but by Canadians who have voted Conservative in recent elections, especially those who gave Stephen Harpers party its surprising majority in 2011?

How about advocating for veterans?

The Harper government embraces military symbolism, and a robust armed forces that can fight evil and keep Canadians safe is certainly part of the Conservatives strong-father model of leadership. But in recent years many Canadian veterans have expressed dissatisfaction with the governments handling of their services and supports. For many, the highway of heroes seems to lead to a less exalted place at the end of the road.

Most Canadians would wish to see their military personnel honoured not only when theyre deployed, but also when they return from doing what the country has asked of them, especially if they have been injured physically or psychologically in the course of their duties. An opposition party that demonstrated a concrete commitment to meeting veterans health care and employment needs even if it were not a party that voters associated automatically with fighting capabilities might well appeal to conservative-leaning Canadians disappointed by recent headlines.

How about celebrating old-fashioned citizenship?

Civic education and pride in citizenship were once rather conservative ideals. They were connected to the patriotism and loyalty to country that right-leaning people have often claimed as special virtues. Recently, however, Canadas immigration program has taken on a more transactional character. It has become more strongly associated with short-term labour trends than with long-term nation-building. And indeed, a recent analysis has indicated that the rate at which immigrants become citizens has declined.

Despite some concerns about cultural integration (a process that citizenship and belonging only help), Canadians remain positive about immigration and take pride in multiculturalism. Shifting the immigration frame away from this quarters want ads and toward meaningful citizenship, civic participation, and inclusive nation-building might just appeal to some Canadian patriots who believe countries and their citizens do best when their responsibilities toward each other are durable and deeply felt.

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Three ways Liberals and NDP can win over conservative voters