Conservative parties in Canada
Encyclopedia
This is a list of conservative parties in Canada. There are a number of conservative parties in Canada, a country that has traditionally been dominated by two political parties
, one liberal and one conservative
.
was the primary conservative party in Canada
from 1942 to, at least, 1993. It was the descendant of Sir John A. Macdonald
's Liberal-Conservative Party
. The party had its roots in the Great Coalition of 1864
that paved the way for Canadian confederation
and was known under various names but was generally referred to unofficially as the Tories or "Conservative Party". In 1942, it became "Progressive Conservative" upon the election of Liberal-Progressive
Premier of Manitoba
John Bracken
as leader in that year.
The Conservatives, and later the Progressive Conservatives, formed the government in Canada, alternating with the Liberal Party of Canada
, from 1867-1873, 1878-1896, 1911-1921, 1926, 1930-1935, 1957-1963, 1979-1980 and 1984-1993. Throughout the period from the first election in 1867
to the 1993 election
, the national conservative party always formed the government or the official opposition under the names "Liberal-Conservatives", "Unionists", "Conservatives" or Progressive Conservatives".
to holding only two of 295 seats in the Canadian House of Commons
, this was the first time they had done worse than third place in the House, and only the second time they had placed worse than second (the other time being in the 1921 election
): they in fact placed fifth and last in terms of parties represented in the commons behind the Liberals, the Reform Party of Canada
, the Bloc Québécois
and the New Democratic Party
.
The Reform Party was a populist
conservative party based in Western Canada
which cut into traditional PC support while the Bloc was a Quebec separatist party which cut into the support of the PCs in Quebec
where they traditionally won support for their decentralization
stance. Reform and the PCs finished with similar popular vote totals in the 1993 and subsequent elections but, under the first past the post electoral system the Reformers won many more seats due to their strong regional support in the West verses the thin national support for the PCs across Canada.
In the 1997 election
, the PCs and Reform continued to run approximately at par in popular vote and both increased their share of seats: Reform from 52 to 60 and Progressive Conservatives from two to 20. Despite this, neither rivalled the Liberals for power and the Reformers tried to "unite the right" with their United Alternative initiative. This talks were non-starters for many Progressive Conservatives who saw themselves as the national party of Sir John A. Macdonald
, however the United Alternative did attract some provincial Blue Tories
and renamed itself the "Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance
", known publicly as the Canadian Alliance.
In the 2000 election
, the PCs were reduced to 12 seats, while the new Canadian Alliance gained seats. Following the election and despite Alliance leadership troubles, the PCs were unable to make significant gains in opinion polls and former Prime Minister
Joe Clark
resigned as leader. Following Clark's resignation as leader, Peter Mackay
was elected at the 2003 PC leadership convention
. Mackay began a process of talks which led to the merger of the PCs with the Alliance and the creation of a new Conservative Party of Canada
. This alienated many Red Tories
, including Clark, who refused to join the new party.
in which the new party won 99 of 308 seats, an increase from its total of 72 of 301 seats prior to the election and 78 seats won between the two parties in 2000. Detractors pointed to the fact, however, that the new party received 7% less in popular vote than the total of the two forerunner parties in 2000. The Liberals, however, were reduced to a minority government
.
Outgoing Canadian Alliance leader Stephen Harper
had been chosen as leader of the new party
just prior to the 2004 election which provided a dual handicap for the party. It did not allow the party much time to combine and consolidate the bases of the two founding parties and it allowed the Liberals to define the party as the "Alliance Conservatives", insuating that it was the result of a hostile takeover by the Alliance which was viewed by many in Ontario
, Quebec
and Atlantic Canada
as "too far to the right
". These claims were bolstered by former PC Prime Minister Clark's lukewarm endorsement of the Liberals, having said Canadians would be best to choose "the devil you know (Liberal leader Paul Martin
) than the devil you don't (Harper)".
Martin had come into office on December 12, 2003, following a long battle with his predecessor, Jean Chrétien
for control of the Liberal Party. Martin had been a very successful and popular finance minister
under much of Chrétien's term and was expected to dominate politics and win a commanding majority, perhaps of record size, once he was at the helm. The merger of the conservative movement was not viewed as a large impediment to this goal when it occurred almost simultaneously with Martin's rise to power. However, the sponsorship scandal, which saw some Liberal supporters fraudulantely acquire government funds, and particularly Martin's response to it caused him to slip in the polls.
During the 2004 campaign, Harper actually led in the polls for some time, but Martin launched a successful series of attack ads painting Harper to the right. This campaign was actually given a boost by Harper, who began to muse about winning a majority government
, when polls showed most Canadians were uncomfortable with such a prospect, and by some Conservative candidates who made statements on controversial statements social issues
.
Harper briefly mused about giving up the leadership following the election defeat but carried forward with considerable optimism despite trailing the Liberals significantly in the polls. The Gomery Commission
, which was appointed by Martin to investigate the sponsorship scandal, gave new fuel to the Conservatives. In the spring of 2005, it projected the Conservatives back into the lead in the polls and Martin held a rare live address on television to ask Canadians to give him 10 more months to govern, in which time the Gomery Commission would finish its work and release a report on its investigation, and then he would call an election. The Conservatives moved forward to defeat the government but their efforts to defeat a motion of confidence in the government were prevented by the high profile crossing of the floor
by Belinda Stronach
. Stronach had finished second to Harper in the leadership race just a year before but joined the Liberals saying Harper was risking national unity
by trying to defeat the government with the aid of the Bloc Québécois
.
During the summer, the Conservatives slipped back in the polls again and there were renewed questions of Harper's leadership and the potential success of the new party. One poll showed that 60% of Canadians thought Harper should resign. http://www.bloc-harper.com/blocharper/docs/Majority%20want%20Harper%20replaced.pdf In the fall session of Parliament, despite trailing in opinion polls, Harper tried again to defeat the government. This time he was joined by all opposition parties and his motion of no confidence
was passed on November 28, 2005.
Harper set out on a campaign focussed heavily on policy which allowed him to dominate the headlines for the first weeks of the campaign. The Liberals opted to campaign low key until after the Christmas holiday season. By January, the Liberals began their campaign in earnest, but by this time Harper had begun to capture the minds of Canadians and the Liberals were struck by an Royal Canadian Mounted Police
investigation into an income trusts scandal. The Conservatives began to take a lead in the polls, and following a strong showing in the debates among the main party leaders by Harper, the Conservatives surged into a convincing lead. The Liberals again launched a series of attack ads against Harper, however polls showed the Canadians had grown comfortable with Harper of the course of the first few weeks in which he ran a positive campaign virtually unopposed by the Liberals.
In the 2006 election
held on January 23, the Conservatives won a bare plurality of seats, besting the Liberals 124 to 103. They formed a minority government
with just 40.3% of the seats in the House of Commons
.
The Yukon Party
, and British Columbia Conservative Party
both once used the name "Progressive Conservative", but changed their names in the past 15 years. The British Columbia (Progressive) Conservative Party's fortunes declined in 1952, with the rise of the British Columbia Social Credit Party
under former BC Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly
W.A.C. Bennett
. The last BC Conservative MLA elected was Victor Albert Stephens -- in a 1978 by-election.
In Quebec, the Union Nationale was an important conservative party that formed the government for twenty-five of the thirty-four years between 1936 when it first formed government to 1970 when the last UN government was defeated. It was founded by a merger of the Quebec Conservative Party with a small faction that had split from the Quebec Liberal Party.
consisted of a number of social conservative parties and organizations in Western Canada
and Quebec
. The most significant of these parties were the Social Credit Party of Alberta
(an antecedent of the Reform Party of Canada
) and the British Columbia Social Credit Party
which ruled their respective provinces for decades. The Social Credit Party of Canada
and the Quebec
-based Ralliement créditiste
were important third parties
in the Canadian House of Commons
for several decades.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
, one liberal and one conservative
Canadian conservatism
Conservatism in Canada is generally considered to be primarily represented by the Conservative Party of Canada at the federal level, and by various right-wing parties at the provincial level...
.
Progressive Conservatives
The Progressive Conservative Party of CanadaProgressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
was the primary conservative party in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from 1942 to, at least, 1993. It was the descendant of Sir John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
's Liberal-Conservative Party
Liberal-Conservative Party
The Liberal-Conservative Party was the formal name of the Conservative Party of Canada until 1873, although some Conservative candidates continued to run under the label as late as the 1911 election and others ran as simple Conservatives prior to 1873...
. The party had its roots in the Great Coalition of 1864
Great Coalition
The Great Coalition was a grand coalition of the political parties of the two Canadas in 1864. The previous collapse after only three months of a coalition government formed by George-Étienne Cartier, George Brown and John A. MacDonald. The Great Coalition was formed to stop the political deadlock...
that paved the way for Canadian confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
and was known under various names but was generally referred to unofficially as the Tories or "Conservative Party". In 1942, it became "Progressive Conservative" upon the election of Liberal-Progressive
Liberal-Progressive
Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian elections between 1926 and 1953. In federal and Ontario politics, there was no formal Liberal-Progressive party, but it was an alliance between two separate parties...
Premier of Manitoba
Premier of Manitoba
The Premier of Manitoba is the first minister for the Canadian province of Manitoba. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. Until the early 1970s, the title "Prime Minister of Manitoba" was used frequently. Afterwards, the word Premier, derived from the French...
John Bracken
John Bracken
John Bracken, PC was an agronomist, the 11th Premier of Manitoba and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ....
as leader in that year.
The Conservatives, and later the Progressive Conservatives, formed the government in Canada, alternating with the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
, from 1867-1873, 1878-1896, 1911-1921, 1926, 1930-1935, 1957-1963, 1979-1980 and 1984-1993. Throughout the period from the first election in 1867
Canadian federal election, 1867
The Canadian federal election of 1867, held from August 7 to September 20, was the first election for the new nation of Canada. It was held to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons, representing electoral districts in the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec in the...
to the 1993 election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, the national conservative party always formed the government or the official opposition under the names "Liberal-Conservatives", "Unionists", "Conservatives" or Progressive Conservatives".
The demise of the Progressive Conservatives and rise of Reform
In 1993, the Progressive Conservatives went from majority governmentMajority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
to holding only two of 295 seats in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
, this was the first time they had done worse than third place in the House, and only the second time they had placed worse than second (the other time being in the 1921 election
Canadian federal election, 1921
The Canadian federal election of 1921 was held on December 6, 1921 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Canada. The Union government that had governed Canada through the First World War was defeated, and replaced by a Liberal government under the young leader...
): they in fact placed fifth and last in terms of parties represented in the commons behind the Liberals, the Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
, the Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
and the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
.
The Reform Party was a populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
conservative party based in Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
which cut into traditional PC support while the Bloc was a Quebec separatist party which cut into the support of the PCs in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
where they traditionally won support for their decentralization
Decentralization
__FORCETOC__Decentralization or decentralisation is the process of dispersing decision-making governance closer to the people and/or citizens. It includes the dispersal of administration or governance in sectors or areas like engineering, management science, political science, political economy,...
stance. Reform and the PCs finished with similar popular vote totals in the 1993 and subsequent elections but, under the first past the post electoral system the Reformers won many more seats due to their strong regional support in the West verses the thin national support for the PCs across Canada.
In the 1997 election
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
, the PCs and Reform continued to run approximately at par in popular vote and both increased their share of seats: Reform from 52 to 60 and Progressive Conservatives from two to 20. Despite this, neither rivalled the Liberals for power and the Reformers tried to "unite the right" with their United Alternative initiative. This talks were non-starters for many Progressive Conservatives who saw themselves as the national party of Sir John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
, however the United Alternative did attract some provincial Blue Tories
Blue Tory
Blue Tories, also known as small 'c' conservatives, are, in Canadian politics, members of the former federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, current Conservative Party of Canada and provincial Progressive Conservative parties who are more economically right wing...
and renamed itself the "Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
", known publicly as the Canadian Alliance.
In the 2000 election
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
, the PCs were reduced to 12 seats, while the new Canadian Alliance gained seats. Following the election and despite Alliance leadership troubles, the PCs were unable to make significant gains in opinion polls and former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
resigned as leader. Following Clark's resignation as leader, Peter Mackay
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP is a lawyer and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for Central Nova and currently serves as Minister of National Defence in the Cabinet of Canada....
was elected at the 2003 PC leadership convention
Progressive Conservative leadership convention, 2003
The 2003 Progressive Conservative leadership election was held on May 31, 2003 to elect a leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. Peter MacKay was elected as leader to replace former Prime Minister Joe Clark who had retired as party leader. In the end, five candidates emerged as...
. Mackay began a process of talks which led to the merger of the PCs with the Alliance and the creation of a new Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
. This alienated many Red Tories
Red Tory
A red Tory is an adherent of a particular political philosophy, tradition, and disposition in Canada somewhat similar to the High Tory tradition in the United Kingdom; it is contrasted with "blue Tory". In Canada, the phenomenon of "red toryism" has fundamentally, if not exclusively, been found in...
, including Clark, who refused to join the new party.
Today's Conservative Party of Canada
The successful merger of the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance was followed by moderate success in the 2004 electionCanadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
in which the new party won 99 of 308 seats, an increase from its total of 72 of 301 seats prior to the election and 78 seats won between the two parties in 2000. Detractors pointed to the fact, however, that the new party received 7% less in popular vote than the total of the two forerunner parties in 2000. The Liberals, however, were reduced to a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
.
Outgoing Canadian Alliance leader Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
had been chosen as leader of the new party
Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, 2004
The 2004 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election took place on March 20, 2004 in Toronto, Ontario, and resulted in the election of Stephen Harper as the first leader of the new Canadian Conservative Party...
just prior to the 2004 election which provided a dual handicap for the party. It did not allow the party much time to combine and consolidate the bases of the two founding parties and it allowed the Liberals to define the party as the "Alliance Conservatives", insuating that it was the result of a hostile takeover by the Alliance which was viewed by many in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
as "too far to the right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
". These claims were bolstered by former PC Prime Minister Clark's lukewarm endorsement of the Liberals, having said Canadians would be best to choose "the devil you know (Liberal leader Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
) than the devil you don't (Harper)".
Martin had come into office on December 12, 2003, following a long battle with his predecessor, Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
for control of the Liberal Party. Martin had been a very successful and popular finance minister
Finance minister
The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
under much of Chrétien's term and was expected to dominate politics and win a commanding majority, perhaps of record size, once he was at the helm. The merger of the conservative movement was not viewed as a large impediment to this goal when it occurred almost simultaneously with Martin's rise to power. However, the sponsorship scandal, which saw some Liberal supporters fraudulantely acquire government funds, and particularly Martin's response to it caused him to slip in the polls.
During the 2004 campaign, Harper actually led in the polls for some time, but Martin launched a successful series of attack ads painting Harper to the right. This campaign was actually given a boost by Harper, who began to muse about winning a majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
, when polls showed most Canadians were uncomfortable with such a prospect, and by some Conservative candidates who made statements on controversial statements social issues
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
.
Harper briefly mused about giving up the leadership following the election defeat but carried forward with considerable optimism despite trailing the Liberals significantly in the polls. The Gomery Commission
Gomery Commission
The Gomery Commission, formally the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, was a federal Canadian Royal Commission headed by the retired Justice John Gomery for the purpose of investigating the sponsorship scandal, which involved allegations of corruption...
, which was appointed by Martin to investigate the sponsorship scandal, gave new fuel to the Conservatives. In the spring of 2005, it projected the Conservatives back into the lead in the polls and Martin held a rare live address on television to ask Canadians to give him 10 more months to govern, in which time the Gomery Commission would finish its work and release a report on its investigation, and then he would call an election. The Conservatives moved forward to defeat the government but their efforts to defeat a motion of confidence in the government were prevented by the high profile crossing of the floor
Crossing the floor
In politics, crossing the floor has two meanings referring to a change of allegiance in a Westminster system parliament.The term originates from the British House of Commons, which is configured with the Government and Opposition facing each other on rows of benches...
by Belinda Stronach
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Caroline Stronach, PC is a Canadian businessperson, philanthropist and former politician. She was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the floor to join the Liberals...
. Stronach had finished second to Harper in the leadership race just a year before but joined the Liberals saying Harper was risking national unity
Quebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...
by trying to defeat the government with the aid of the Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
.
During the summer, the Conservatives slipped back in the polls again and there were renewed questions of Harper's leadership and the potential success of the new party. One poll showed that 60% of Canadians thought Harper should resign. http://www.bloc-harper.com/blocharper/docs/Majority%20want%20Harper%20replaced.pdf In the fall session of Parliament, despite trailing in opinion polls, Harper tried again to defeat the government. This time he was joined by all opposition parties and his motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
was passed on November 28, 2005.
Harper set out on a campaign focussed heavily on policy which allowed him to dominate the headlines for the first weeks of the campaign. The Liberals opted to campaign low key until after the Christmas holiday season. By January, the Liberals began their campaign in earnest, but by this time Harper had begun to capture the minds of Canadians and the Liberals were struck by an Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
investigation into an income trusts scandal. The Conservatives began to take a lead in the polls, and following a strong showing in the debates among the main party leaders by Harper, the Conservatives surged into a convincing lead. The Liberals again launched a series of attack ads against Harper, however polls showed the Canadians had grown comfortable with Harper of the course of the first few weeks in which he ran a positive campaign virtually unopposed by the Liberals.
In the 2006 election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
held on January 23, the Conservatives won a bare plurality of seats, besting the Liberals 124 to 103. They formed a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
with just 40.3% of the seats in the House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
.
Provincial parties
A number of Canadian provinces still have "Progressive Conservative" parties, or parties that once used that name and remained so independently of the federal change. Each party remains the largest conservative one in its respective province.Progressive Conservatives
- AlbertaProgressive Conservative Association of AlbertaThe Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta...
- ManitobaProgressive Conservative Party of ManitobaThe Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
- New BrunswickProgressive Conservative Party of New BrunswickThe Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick is a centre-right political party in New Brunswick, Canada. It has its origins in the pre-Canadian confederation Conservative Party that opposed the granting of responsible government to the colony...
- Newfoundland and LabradorProgressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and LabradorFor pre-1949 Conservative parties see Conservative parties in Newfoundland The Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador is a centre-right provincial political party in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Originally founded in 1949 the party has formed the Government of...
- Nova Scotia
- OntarioProgressive Conservative Party of OntarioThe Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
- Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island Progressive Conservative PartyThe Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island is one of two major political parties on Prince Edward Island. It and its rival, the Liberals have alternated in power since responsible government was granted in 1851 and are the only two parties represented in the PEI Legislative...
The Yukon Party
Yukon Party
The Yukon Party , is a conservative political party in the Yukon Territory of Canada. It was previously known as the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party.-Declining fortunes:...
, and British Columbia Conservative Party
British Columbia Conservative Party
The British Columbia Conservative Party is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected as the government in 1903, the party went into decline after 1933...
both once used the name "Progressive Conservative", but changed their names in the past 15 years. The British Columbia (Progressive) Conservative Party's fortunes declined in 1952, with the rise of the British Columbia Social Credit Party
British Columbia Social Credit Party
The British Columbia Social Credit Party, whose members are known as Socreds, was the governing political party of British Columbia, Canada, for more than 30 years between the 1952 provincial election and the 1991 election...
under former BC Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
W.A.C. Bennett
W.A.C. Bennett
William Andrew Cecil Bennett, PC, OC was the 25th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia. With just over 20 years in office, Bennett was and remains the longest-serving premier in British Columbia history. He was usually referred to as W.A.C...
. The last BC Conservative MLA elected was Victor Albert Stephens -- in a 1978 by-election.
Other provincial conservative parties
The following conservative parties have seats in provincial legislatures:- The Action démocratique du QuébecAction démocratique du QuébecThe Action démocratique du Québec, commonly referred to as the ADQ is a centre-right political party in Quebec, Canada. On the sovereignty question, it defines itself as autonomist, and has support from both soft nationalists and federalists....
in Quebec. - The Wildrose Alliance in Alberta.
- The Saskatchewan PartySaskatchewan PartyThe Saskatchewan Party is a conservative liberal political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was established in 1997 by a coalition of former provincial Progressive Conservative and Liberal party members and supporters who sought to remove the Saskatchewan New Democratic...
in Saskatchewan.
In Quebec, the Union Nationale was an important conservative party that formed the government for twenty-five of the thirty-four years between 1936 when it first formed government to 1970 when the last UN government was defeated. It was founded by a merger of the Quebec Conservative Party with a small faction that had split from the Quebec Liberal Party.
Fringe federal conservative parties
- The Christian Heritage PartyChristian Heritage Party of CanadaThe Christian Heritage Party of Canada, also referred to as CHP Canada, is a federal political party that advocates that Canada be governed according to Biblical principles...
is a religious, social conservative party - The Progressive Canadian PartyProgressive Canadian PartyThe Progressive Canadian Party is a minor federal political party in Canada. It is a centre/centre-right party that was officially registered with Elections Canada, the government's election agency, on March 29, 2004....
bills itself as the successor to the old Progressive Conservative Party and advocated fiscal conservatism mixed with social liberalism - The Libertarian Party of CanadaLibertarian Party of CanadaThe Libertarian Party of Canada is a political party in Canada that subscribes to the tenets of the libertarian movement across Canada.-History:...
, like many Libertarian partiesLibertarianismLibertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
, is portrayed by many in the media as a conservative party
Other conservative movements
The Canadian social credit movementCanadian social credit movement
The Canadian social credit movement was a Canadian political movement originally based on the Social Credit theory of Major C. H. Douglas. Its supporters were colloquially known as Socreds...
consisted of a number of social conservative parties and organizations in Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The most significant of these parties were the Social Credit Party of Alberta
Social Credit Party of Alberta
The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
(an antecedent of the Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
) and the British Columbia Social Credit Party
British Columbia Social Credit Party
The British Columbia Social Credit Party, whose members are known as Socreds, was the governing political party of British Columbia, Canada, for more than 30 years between the 1952 provincial election and the 1991 election...
which ruled their respective provinces for decades. The Social Credit Party of Canada
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
and the Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
-based Ralliement créditiste
Ralliement créditiste
Historically in Quebec, Canada, there was a number of political parties that were part of the Canadian social credit movement. There were various parties at different times with different names at the provincial level, all broadly following the social credit philosophy; at various times they had...
were important third parties
Third party (politics)
In a two-party system of politics, the term third party is sometimes applied to a party other than the two dominant ones. While technically the term is limited to the third largest party or third oldest party, it is common, though innumerate, shorthand for any smaller party.For instance, in the...
in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
for several decades.