A Progressive Conservative Person of Canada (PC) was the Canadian centre-right conservative political party that existed from 1867 to 2003. Although a person officially ceased to survive fallowing 2003, several members of the Canadian Senate continued to sit as members of a Progressive Conservative caucus, & a conservative parties within virtually all American provinces however utilise the Progressive Conservative title. Progressive Conservatives were conversationally referred to as Tories. (Several Canadians besides just referred to a person when a "Conservatives").

Though Canada's number 1 prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, was a Conservative and the federal Tories governed Canada for forty one of the country's first seventy years of existence, the party spent the majority of its history in opposition as the nation's number two federal party, behind the Liberals. a person suffered a decade-long decline as punishment the 1993 federal election, and was formally dissolved on December 8, 2003, when it merged by having a Canadian Alliance to form the fresh Conservative Party.

Between a person's foundation inside 1867, & its adoption of the "Progressive Conservative" title inside 1942, a person changed its title many days. It was virtually all normally called a Conservative Party.

Many loosely-associated provincial Progressive Conservative parties prove my point to survive within Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Too, the little rump of Senators and person stalwart opposed to the merger, prove my point to sit around Parliament as independent Progressive Conservatives. A Yukon association of that name was renamed within 1990 as the Yukon Party. A British Columbia Progressive Conservative Party changed its title to the British Columbia Conservative Party in 1991.

A person adopted a "Progressive Conservative" person title inside 1942 when Manitoba Premier John Bracken, a long-period leader of that province's Progressive Party, agreed to become leader of a Conservativist in affliction that the person add Progressive to its title. Despite a title vary, virtually all previous Progressive supporters continued to trend lines a Liberals or the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, and Bracken's leadership of the Conservative Person come to an prevent inside 1948.

The major weakness of the person since 1885 was its inability to winside support in Quebec, estranged significantly by that year's execution of Louis Riel. This condition was exacerbated in the Conscription Crisis of 1917. Possibly though a Quebec Conservative Party dominated politics inside that province for a 1st thirty years of Confederation at two a federal & provincial levels, within the 20th century the person was never take a breath to become a inflict in provincial politics, existence away from power starting in 1897, & at long last dissolved into the Union Nationale in 1935 which took power in 1936 under Maurice L. Duplessis.

Around 20th century federal politics, the Conservativist were typically seen when insensitive to French-American ambitions & interests & were never take a breath to wwithin to a higher degree a handful of seats in Quebec by having two or three notable exceptions:

a 1930 election, in which Richard Bedford Bennett surprisingly led the person to the thinly majority government triumph by securing twenty-24 seats inside rural Quebec.

a 1958 election, in which John Diefenbaker led a person to the landslide triumph sustaining the assistance of the Union Nationale's electoral machine; and

a elections of 1984 and 1988, when the person leader Brian Mulroney, a fluently bilingual Quebecker, was suspire to build an electoral coalition that involved Quebec nationalists.

It never fully recovered from either a fragmentation of Brian Mulroney's broad coalition in a late-1980s, the fragmentation resultant from either English Canada's failure to ratify a Meech Lake Accord. Immediately before its merger by having a American Alliance, it held just Xv of 301 seats in the Canadian House of Commons & never held more than Xx seats within Parliament between 1994 and 2003.

Ideology
A Progressive Conservative Person was usually centre-correct around its political ideology.

American conservativism has historically supplementary closely resembled that which is practised in the United Kingdom and Europe than in the United States. When was green amongst 19th century conservative movements, Canadian Tories opposed a rollback of government intervention inside social & economic matters advocated per liberals of the era. Inside counterpoint to their Western conservative counterparts, notwithstanding, it did non undertake when spectacular an ideologic turnaround in the foremost half of the 20th century by continuing to follow mercantilism and nascent notions of the welfare state.

Such as their Liberal contender, a person defined itself as a "big tent", welcoming the wide kind of members world health organization supported comparatively loosely-defined goals. Unlike a Liberal Person, there was an extended history of on-going factionalism in this collapsible shelter. This factionalism arose from either a person's deficiency of electoral profits, & because a person typically reached bent particular political groups sequentially to garner plenty trend lines to topple a Liberals. These groups unremarkably remained semiautonomous axis inside a person, like Quebec nationalists and American American Reformers in the Eighties. Within late years, observers usually grouped a PC Person's core membership into ii camps, "Red Tories" and "Blue Tories".

Red Tories tended to exist as comparatively liberal in their social policy, placing the high value on the principle of noblesse oblige, but conservativist in their economic policy. Historically it comprised a big axis of the original American Conservative person. Notable Red Tories include Sir John A. Macdonald, John Diefenbaker, Robert Stanfield, Dalton Camp, W.L. Morton, William Davis, Joe Clark, and Flora MacDonald.

Blue Tories were conservative within two sociable & economic policy. From either 1957 to 2003, Red Tories dominated a greatest rungs of the person & its leadership. Blue Tories were significantly reduced around counts in the person per late 1980s & numerous malcontent Blue Tories drifted towards neoconservatism (as epitomized per rise of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan) and additional best-wing choice. While a person held power at a federal level, it never truly embraced Reaganomics and its crusade against "big government" every bit vociferously when was done outside of Canada. Neoconservatives lean towards social conservativism & economic liberalism. Trend lines for a American Alliance & its predecessor the Reform Party of Canada derived principally from either this class action, & that trend lines carried forward into a newly Conservative Person of Canada. A profits of a neoconservative movement inside appropriating the label "Conservative" has brought into debate a super definition of conservatism in Canada today. Although adhering to economic philosophies similar to victims originally advanced by 19th-century liberals (known decoct when each neoliberalism and neoconservatism), a require to weaken their social conservativism led the American Alliance to agree to the title "Conservative Party of Canada" for the recently person, to market themselves better to the electorate.

History
In the early times of the Canadian confederation, the person supported the mercantilist approach to economic development: export-led growth by using high trade barrier to protect local industry. a person was staunchly royalist & supported swimming a big role in the British Empire. It was seen by occasionally French Canadians as supporting the policy of ethnic assimilation.

A Conservative Person dominated American politics for the united states's foremost 70 years of being. In the main, Canada's political history has consisted of Tories alternating power sustaining a Liberals, albeit often within minority governments supported by smaller parties.

When an extended period of Liberal dominance as punishment the Tories ill-doomed depression era mandate from either 1930-35, John Diefenbaker won a massive electoral triumph for the Tories inside 1958. Diefenbaker was breaa to wwitharound virtually all of the parliamentary seats in American Canada, tremendously of people in Ontario, &, by having the trend lines of the Union Nationale provincial government, a big total inside Quebec. Diefenbaker attempted to pursue a policy of distancing Canada from either the United States. His cabinet split all over Diefenbaker's refusal of Western demands that Canada assume nuclear warheads for Bomarc missiles depending around Northward Bay, Ontario, & La Macaza, Quebec. This split contributed to the Tory government's kill at a mitts of Lester Pearson's Liberals in the 1963 election.

Diefenbaker remained Progressive Conservative leader until 1967, whenever increasing unease at his far-right policies, authoritarian leadership, & perceived unelectability led to the 1967 leadership convention where Nova Scotia Premier Robert Stanfield was elected out of the field of eleven candidates that involved Diefenbaker & Manitoba Premier Duff Roblin.

Per late 1960s, as a consequence Quebec's Quiet Revolution, a Progressive Conservatives recognized the want to increase their appeal to Canada's francophone population. At the equivalent instance, a Tories eventually began their move out of mercantilism towards a neoliberal platform of free trade. Each movements culminated sustaining Brian Mulroney becoming prime minister after a election of 1984.

Mulroney got declared himself an opponent to absolutely free! trade by owning a United States when you took a 1983 leadership campaign. However a growing continentalist sentiment among American mogul & the impact of the "Reagan Revolution" on American conservative thought led Mulroney to embrace yours free! trade. His government endorsed a recommendation of the 1985 Royal Commission on the Economic Union & Development Prospects for Canada that Canada pursue a absolutely free! trade treat by owning the United States.

Traditionally, it experienced been a Liberal Person that held a continentalist position & a Conservativist world health organization opposed absolutely free! trade by using the United States pro economic links sustaining Britain. By having a dissolution of a British Empire & the economic nationalism of the Liberals under Pierre Trudeau, the traditional positions of the deuce parties became reversed.

It was by owning this background that Mulroney fought & won a 1988 election on the issue of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.

a total of economic issues contributed to the fall of the Progressive Conservative person at the federal level in the 1993 federal election:

Canada suffered its worst recession since a Second World War, unemployment rose to a greatest levels since the Great Depression, a federal government faced high & lasting deficits, and a Tories experienced introduced a good deal-despised newly taxation, the GST.

A 2nd major factor leading to the Mulroney government's death was that a person's base around Quebec come from either Quebec nationalists, world health organization withdrew their trend lines fallowing a failure of the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Constitutional Accords. Several Quebec Tories, including a total of MPs, left a person to form the Bloc Québécois with like-minded Liberals.

A third major factor was a rise of american alienation in the quaternion provinces of american Canada following of tries by two Tories & Liberals to woo Quebec. American Canadians turned their trend lines to the Reform Party of Canada and its successor, the Canadian Alliance.

As punishment Mulroney's resignation, his successor when Tory leader & when prime minister was Kim Campbell, who led a person into a calamitous election of 1993. A steep decline in the person's popular support and a impact of the first past the post (FPTP) system utilized inside Canada resulted in a collapse of a Conservative parliamentary caucus: the Conservativist went from either existence the majority person to holding simply 2 seats in the Home of Commons, which was non plenty to maintain official party status despite garnering 16% of the popular vote. A person regained official status under a leadership of Jean Charest in the 1997 election with roughly Twenty% of a trend lines of the American electorate, however the PCs never surpassed 20 seats in the Home of Commons (FPTP) from either 1994 to 2003.

A rise of the American Alliance wwhen beyond any doubt damaging to the Tories, though there remains occasionally debate as to the exact degree. Numbers of observers argue that from either 1993 to 2003 a "conservative" vote was split between the two parties, allowing for Liberal candidates to win ridings erstwhile considered to become Tory fastness. This assessment led to the incubation of the United Alternative movements of the late 1990s. Others insisted that a legitimate ideologic gulf existed between a extra ideologic Alliance & the additional moderate Red Tory-influenced PC Party, pointing to studies that indicated numerous Tory elector would like choose a Liberals when their 2nd guide like than a Alliance.

As punishment a departure of Jean Charest to get leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Joe Clark returned to the party's leadership, & prevented a potential obliteration of the Progressive Conservatives in the 2000 election. A person won a Xii seats necessary to become treated as a person in the Home of Commons, however those days are gone. Yet within 2002, a caucus increased to Fifteen members, & for-place person status in a Home, by owning deuce byelection wins & the admission to caucus of Democratic Representative Caucus MP Inky Mark.

Clark's successor, Peter MacKay negotiated a merger by having a American Alliance, that was announced in October 15, 2003. Them parties united to form a recently person known as the Conservative Person of Canada. A uniin was ratified on December 5 and December 6 by both parties, & a fresh Conservative Persin was formally registered on December 8. In March 20, 2004, former Alliance leader Stephen Harper was elected leader of the freshly person.

Rump PC caucus
Resulting the merger, a rump Progressive Conservative caucus remained in Parliament, consisting of individuals world health organization declined to join a fresh Conservative Person. In the House of Commons, Joe Clark, André Bachand and John Herron sat as PC members.

In the 2004 election, Bach& and Clark did does'nt to run re-election, and Herron ran as a Liberal, losing to Rob Moore in his riding of Fundy-Royal. Scott Brison, who experienced joined a Liberal caucus immediately upon departing a Conservative Person, was reelected as a Liberal in the 2004 election.

In the Senate, William Doody, Lowell Murray and Norman Atkins also declined to join the new party, and continue to sit as Progressive Conservative senators. In March 24, 2005, Prime Minister Paul Martin appointed nine new senators, ii of whom, Nancy Ruth and Elaine McCoy, were designated when Progressive Conservatives. So there can be Progressive Conservative senators until 2021 while McCoy, a youngest of a 5, attains the mandatory retirement age of 75, or late whenever subsequent senators designate themselves Progressive Conservatives.

Progressive Canadian Party
In January 9, 2004, a class action claiming to exist as firm to a Progressive Conservative Person & opposed to the merger, which it characterized as an Alliance takeover, filed application using the Main Electoral Officer to register a person known as the Progressive Conservative Person of Canada. A application was refused on a evidence that the title may there are no hanker become wore. It class action resubmitted by having a title Progressive Canadian Party, and the newly "PC Party" was recognized by Elections Canada on March 26. It secured sufficient backing to become registered as an official persin on May 29.

A Progressive American person aims to exist when perceived as a successor person to the Progressive Conservatives. Yet, these are non clear how else wide its trend lines is among previous Progressive Conservatives. Particularly, there is no large anti-merger Progressive Conservatives like Joe Clark or even David Orchard come associated with a Progressive American person, nor even are any seated MPs or senators. A virtually all large member to join is previous MP & junior cabinet minister, Heward Grafftey, who polled touching or even beneath Craig Chandler in the final PC Party leadership race.

Progressive Conservative Prime Ministers of Canada
Sir John A. Macdonald Sir John Abbott Sir John Thompson Sir Mackenzie Bowell Sir Charles Tupper Sir Robert Laird Borden Arthur Meighen Richard Bedford Bennett¹ Arthur Meighen John George Diefenbaker Joe Clark Brian Mulroney Kim Campbell

^I Created Viscount Bennett following his retirement from professional.

Tory leaders since Confederation:
(Liberal-) Conservative Party of Canada
Sir John A. Macdonald (July 1, 1867 - June 6, 1891) Sir John Abbott (June 16, 1891 - November 24, 1892) Sir John Thompson (December 5, 1892 - December 12, 1894) Sir Mackenzie Bowell (December 21, 1894 - April 27, 1896) Sir Charles Tupper (May 1, 1896 - February 5, 1901) Sir Robert Laird Borden (February 6, 1901 - July 9, 1920) Arthur Meighen (July 10, 1920 - September 24, 1926) Hugh Guthrie (October 11, 1926 - October 11, 1927 interim) Richard Bedford Bennett (October 12, 1927 - July 6, 1938) Robert Manion (July 7, 1938 - May 13, 1940) Richard Hanson (May 14, 1940 - November 11, 1941 interim) Arthur Meighen (November 12, 1941 - December 9, 1942)¹

Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
John Bracken (December 11, 1942 - July 20, 1948)² George Drew (October 2, 1948 - November 29, 1956)³ John George Diefenbaker (December 14, 1956 - September 8, 1967) Robert Stanfield (September 9, 1967 - February 21, 1976)⁴ Joe Clark (February 22, 1976 - February 18, 1983) Erik Nielsen (February 19, 1983 - June 10, 1983 interim) Brian Mulroney (June 11, 1983 - June 12, 1993) Kim Campbell (June 13, 1993 - December 13, 1993) Jean Charest (December 14, 1993 - April 2, 1998) Elsie Wayne (April 2, 1998 - November 13, 1998 interim) Joe Clark (November 14, 1998 - May 30, 2003) Peter MacKay (May 31, 2003 - December 8, 2003) Conservative Party of Canada
Stephen Harper (March 22, 2004) to present

Footnotes
''^Unity On this occasion, Meighen failing inside his tries to win re-election to the Home of Commons, therefore Hanson remained Leader of the Opposition throughout Meighen's term

^Ii Bracken did non win election to the Home of Commons until 1945, then Hanson remained Leader of the Opposition until January 1943, when he was replaced by Gordon Graydon

^Trine In ii occasions whenever Drew was as well sick to perform his duties, William Earl Rowe served as Leader of the Opposition

^Quaternion Michael Starr served as Leader of the Opposition until November 5, 1967, when Stanfield, world health organization got antecedently been premier of Nova Scotia, won election to Parliament''

Election results 1945-2000