Progressive Canadian Party
Encyclopedia
The Progressive Canadian Party (PC 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.
Under provisions of the Canada Elections Act
that took effect on May 14, 2004, parties were only required to nominate one candidate in order to qualify for official party status
in the June 28, 2004 federal election
. This meant that Progressive Canadian Party candidates were listed on the ballot alongside the party's name, rather than being designated as independents.
and its merger with the Canadian Alliance
into the new Conservative Party of Canada
, the Progressive Canadian Party was formed by "Red Tories
" who opposed the merger. One of the organizers, Joe Hueglin
, is a former Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament
(MP) from Niagara Falls, Ontario
.
In announcing the new party, Hueglin stated that the party had about a dozen potential candidates and a mailing list of 330 names. The party nominated 16 candidates for the 2004 general election, mostly in southern Ontario
and Nova Scotia
.
The party held a national convention in 2005 to select a leader and to develop policies. It has also established the "Macdonald-Cartier PC Fund" to raise money for the party, under the direction of the Hon. Sinclair Stevens
, who was a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney
before he was forced to resign on allegations of conflict of interest
, for which he was subsequently cleared.
On November 17, 2005, the Federal Court of Appeal rejected Stevens' lawsuit to force Chief Electoral Officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley
to rescind recognition of the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party with the Canadian Alliance. The court did rule, however, that Kingsley erred in not waiting 30 days to register the merger. Stevens appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada
, but that court announced on April 27, 2006, that it would not hear the appeal by Sinclair Stevens. The court gave no reason for its decision.
resigned in 2005 because of a heart condition. The party appointed Tracy Parsons
as his successor. The party nominated 25 candidates for the 2006 federal election
. Former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister and leadership candidate Heward Grafftey
stood as a candidate for the party during that election. (See also: Progressive Canadian Party candidates, 2006 Canadian federal election
.)
). David Orchard
, a fervent opponent of the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and the Canadian Alliance, made no official statement about the new party. During the 2006 election, Orchard endorsed and later joined the Liberal Party.
The party adopted the last policy platform of the Progressive Conservative party, but has begun to create new policies for Canada to meet new situations and challenges. These platforms include (but are not limited to), support of the Canadian Wheat Board, support for small business, belief in a single tier health-care system, the promise of eliminating student debt, and a foreign policy that emphasizes Canada's dual role of peace-keepers and diplomats. The new party's official logo and initials are an homage to the Progressive Conservative Party, from where the party claims to draw its history, policy, and constitution.
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
political party
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...
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...
. It is a centre/centre-right
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
party that was officially registered with Elections Canada
Elections Canada
Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency reporting directly to the Parliament of Canada. Its ongoing responsibility is to ensure that Canadians can exercise their choices in federal elections and referenda through an open and impartial process...
, the government's election agency, on March 29, 2004.
Under provisions of the Canada Elections Act
Canada Elections Act
Canada Elections Act is an Act of the Parliament of Canada respecting the election of members of parliament to the Canadian House of Commons, repealing other Acts relating to elections and making consequential amendments to other Acts....
that took effect on May 14, 2004, parties were only required to nominate one candidate in order to qualify for official party status
Official party status
Official party status refers to the Canadian practice of recognizing political parties in the Parliament of Canada and the provincial legislatures. The type of recognition and threshold needed to obtain it varies...
in the June 28, 2004 federal election
Canadian 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...
. This meant that Progressive Canadian Party candidates were listed on the ballot alongside the party's name, rather than being designated as independents.
Founding and 2004 election
Following the dissolution of 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....
and its merger with the Canadian 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...
into the 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...
, the Progressive Canadian Party was formed by "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...
" who opposed the merger. One of the organizers, Joe Hueglin
Joe Hueglin
Joseph Fred Hueglin is a former Canadian Member of Parliament and a founder of the Progressive Canadian Party.Born in Stratford, Ontario, Hueglin was elected to Parliament in 1972 in the riding of Niagara Falls as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada...
, is a former Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) from Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
.
In announcing the new party, Hueglin stated that the party had about a dozen potential candidates and a mailing list of 330 names. The party nominated 16 candidates for the 2004 general election, mostly in southern 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....
and Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
.
The party held a national convention in 2005 to select a leader and to develop policies. It has also established the "Macdonald-Cartier PC Fund" to raise money for the party, under the direction of the Hon. Sinclair Stevens
Sinclair Stevens
Sinclair McKnight Stevens, PC is a Canadian lawyer, businessman and former parliamentarian.-Early life:He was born in Esquesing Township , the third child of Northern Irish immigrants Robert Murray Stevens and Anna Bailey McKnight...
, who was a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
before he was forced to resign on allegations of conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
, for which he was subsequently cleared.
On November 17, 2005, the Federal Court of Appeal rejected Stevens' lawsuit to force Chief Electoral Officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley
Jean-Pierre Kingsley
Jean-Pierre Kingsley was the President and CEO of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. He was the Chief Electoral Officer of Elections Canada, before he stepped down in December 2006. On April 28, 2009 he announced his resignation as President of IFES. He was succeeded by Bill...
to rescind recognition of the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party with the Canadian Alliance. The court did rule, however, that Kingsley erred in not waiting 30 days to register the merger. Stevens appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
, but that court announced on April 27, 2006, that it would not hear the appeal by Sinclair Stevens. The court gave no reason for its decision.
2006 election
Founding party leader Ernie SchreiberErnie Schreiber (politician)
H. Ernie Schreiber MA was the founding interim leader of the Progressive Canadian Party from 2004 until his resignation due to a heart condition in 2005.-Biography:...
resigned in 2005 because of a heart condition. The party appointed Tracy Parsons
Tracy Parsons
Tracy Parsons was the second leader of the Progressive Canadian Party, from May 2005 to November 2007. She ran in the 2008 federal election as a Liberal Party candidate in riding of Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley...
as his successor. The party nominated 25 candidates for the 2006 federal 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:...
. Former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister and leadership candidate Heward Grafftey
Heward Grafftey
William Heward Grafftey, PC, QC was a Canadian politician and businessman.-Early life:Born in Montreal, Quebec, to a prosperous family, he was a cousin of artist Prudence Heward, and wrote "Chapter Four: Prudence Heward" in the 1996 book Portraits of a Life..His father, Major Arthur Grafftey, was...
stood as a candidate for the party during that election. (See also: Progressive Canadian Party candidates, 2006 Canadian federal election
Progressive Canadian Party candidates, 2006 Canadian federal election
The Progressive Canadian Party fielded several candidates in the 2006 federal election, none of whom were elected. Information about these candidates may be found on this page.-Outremont: Philip Paynter:...
.)
2011 election
| Riding | Province | Candidate | Votes | % | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macleod MacLeod MacLeod and McLeod are surnames in the English language. Variant forms of the names are Macleod and Mcleod.Generally, the names are considered to be Anglicised forms of the Scottish Gaelic MacLeòid, meaning "son of Leòd". However, in some cases the names can also be Anglicised forms of the Irish... |
Alberta | Brad Carrigan | 1754 | 3.40 | 5/6 |
| South Surrey--White Rock--Cloverdale | British Columbia | Brian Marlatt | 228 | 0.39 | 7/9 |
| Vancouver Centre Vancouver Centre Vancouver Centre is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917.-Geography:... |
British Columbia | Michael Huenefeld | 285 | 0.48 | 6/8 |
| West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997.-Geography:... |
British Columbia | Roger Lagassé | 293 | 0.47 | 5/9 |
| Hamilton East-Stoney Creek | Ontario | Gord Hill | 468 | 0.96 | 5/9 |
| Newmarket--Aurora | Ontario | Dorian Baxter | 998 | 1.71 | 5/6 |
| Oak Ridges--Markham | Ontario | John Siciliano | 1080 | 1.19 | 5/5 |
| Ottawa South Ottawa South Ottawa South is a federal electoral district in Ottawa in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is represented in the Canadian House of Commons by David McGuinty, brother of Ontario Premier and Ottawa South MPP Dalton McGuinty. The riding was created in 1987 from parts of Ottawa—Vanier, Ottawa... |
Ontario | Al Gullon | 513 | 0.87 | 5/6 |
| Prince Edward--Hastings | Ontario | Andrew Skinner | 171 | 0.31 | 6/6 |
Platform and goals
The new PC Party aims to be the successor to the former Progressive Conservative Party. A few prominent figures are associated with this new party (Stevens and Heward GraffteyHeward Grafftey
William Heward Grafftey, PC, QC was a Canadian politician and businessman.-Early life:Born in Montreal, Quebec, to a prosperous family, he was a cousin of artist Prudence Heward, and wrote "Chapter Four: Prudence Heward" in the 1996 book Portraits of a Life..His father, Major Arthur Grafftey, was...
). David Orchard
David Orchard
David Orchard is a Canadian political figure, member of the Liberal Party of Canada, who was the Liberal Party candidate for the Saskatchewan riding of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River in the 2008 federal election.Previously, Orchard was a member of the now defunct Progressive Conservative...
, a fervent opponent of the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and the Canadian Alliance, made no official statement about the new party. During the 2006 election, Orchard endorsed and later joined the Liberal Party.
The party adopted the last policy platform of the Progressive Conservative party, but has begun to create new policies for Canada to meet new situations and challenges. These platforms include (but are not limited to), support of the Canadian Wheat Board, support for small business, belief in a single tier health-care system, the promise of eliminating student debt, and a foreign policy that emphasizes Canada's dual role of peace-keepers and diplomats. The new party's official logo and initials are an homage to the Progressive Conservative Party, from where the party claims to draw its history, policy, and constitution.
Election results
| Election | # of candidates | # of votes | % of popular vote | % of popular vote in ridings with PC candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Canadian 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... |
16 | 10,733 | 0.08% | 1.4% |
| 2006 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:... |
25 | 14,151 | 0.10% | 1.1% |
| 2008 Canadian federal election, 2008 The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008... |
10 | 5,920 | 0.04% | 1.2% |
| 2011 | 9 | 5,790 | 0.04% | 1.07% |
- Eligibility: March 29, 2004
- Short-form name: PC Party
- Party leader: Hon. Sinclair Stevens, P.C.Sinclair StevensSinclair McKnight Stevens, PC is a Canadian lawyer, businessman and former parliamentarian.-Early life:He was born in Esquesing Township , the third child of Northern Irish immigrants Robert Murray Stevens and Anna Bailey McKnight...
- President: Dorian BaxterDorian BaxterDorian Baxter is an Anglican minister in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada who uses the music of Elvis Presley in his services, using the name The Reverend Elvis Priestly.-Background:...
- National co-ordinator: Joe HueglinJoe HueglinJoseph Fred Hueglin is a former Canadian Member of Parliament and a founder of the Progressive Canadian Party.Born in Stratford, Ontario, Hueglin was elected to Parliament in 1972 in the riding of Niagara Falls as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada...
- Chief agent: Macdonald Cartier PC Fund
- Auditor: Ben Seto, C.A.
| By-Election | candidate | # of votes | % of popular vote | place | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London North Centre London North Centre London North Centre is an electoral district in the province of Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997.... |
Steve Hunter | 146 | 0.38% | 5/7 | Glen Pearson Glen Pearson Glen Douglas Pearson is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a former Member of Parliament for London North Centre, and is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.-Life and career:... (Lib) |
PC Party leaders
| Name | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernie Schreiber Ernie Schreiber (politician) H. Ernie Schreiber MA was the founding interim leader of the Progressive Canadian Party from 2004 until his resignation due to a heart condition in 2005.-Biography:... |
2004 | 2005 | First leader |
| Tracy Parsons Tracy Parsons Tracy Parsons was the second leader of the Progressive Canadian Party, from May 2005 to November 2007. She ran in the 2008 federal election as a Liberal Party candidate in riding of Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley... |
2005 | 2007 | |
| Sinclair Stevens Sinclair Stevens Sinclair McKnight Stevens, PC is a Canadian lawyer, businessman and former parliamentarian.-Early life:He was born in Esquesing Township , the third child of Northern Irish immigrants Robert Murray Stevens and Anna Bailey McKnight... |
2007 | present | Interim leader |