Conservative Party of Canada (historical)

The name Conservative Party of Canada has been used twice in Canadian history. For the current party founded 2003, please see the article Conservative Party of Canada.

National Liberal and Conservative Party

The attempt to turn the Conservatives into a hegemonic party by merging with Liberal-Unionists failed as most Liberals either joined the new Progressive Party of Canada or rejoined the Liberals under its new leader William Lyon Mackenzie King. One critical issue in this split was free trade - farmers were particularly hostile to Tory tariff policy and free trade was a key issue in the creation of the Progressives while the Conscription Crisis destroyed any remaining Conservative base in Quebec for generations leaving the Tories with even less support than they had before the Union government.

Related Topics:
Progressive Party of Canada - William Lyon Mackenzie King

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Arthur Meighen

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Borden's successor, Arthur Meighen and his renamed "National Liberal and Conservative Party" were defeated by the Liberals in the election of 1921 coming in third behind the Progressives. The Liberals were reduced to a minority government in the 1925 election. The Conservatives managed to win a plurality of seats in the House of Commons, but King was able to stay in power with the support of the Progressives and form a minority government. King's government and were defeated in a vote in the House of Commons within months and Prime Minister King asked Governor-General Byng to call a new election but Byng refused and asked Meighen to form a government.

Related Topics:
Arthur Meighen - Minority government - 1925 election - House of Commons - Governor-General - Byng

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Meighen's government was soon defeated by a vote in the Commons, leaving no choice but a new election, which returned a landslide Liberal government. The "King-Byng Affair" inflamed Canadian nationalist sentiment since it was felt the Governor General, a British government appointee, had overstepped his bounds and that this was a sign of excessive British influence in Canadian politics. The Tories not only benefitted from this influence but their pro-imperialist policies were opposed to the concept of Canadian independence.

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