Progressive Conservative Party of Canada

Ideology

The Progressive Conservative Party was generally centre-right in its political ideology.

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Canadian conservatism has historically more closely resembled that which is practised in the United Kingdom and Europe than in the United States. As was common amongst 19th century conservative movements, Canadian Tories opposed the rollback of government intervention in social and economic matters advocated by the liberals of the era. In contrast to their American conservative counterparts, however, they did not undertake as dramatic an ideological turnaround in the first half of the 20th century by continuing to follow mercantilism and nascent notions of the welfare state.

Related Topics:
United Kingdom - Europe - United States - 19th century - Liberals - 20th century - Mercantilism - Welfare state

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Like their Liberal rivals, the party defined itself as a "big tent", welcoming a broad variety of members who supported relatively loosely-defined goals. Unlike the Liberal Party, there was a long history of ongoing factionalism within this tent. This factionalism arose from the party's lack of electoral success, and because the party often reached out to particular political groups in order to garner enough support to topple the Liberals. These groups usually remained semiautonomous blocs within the party, such as Quebec nationalists and Western Canadian Reformers in the 1980s. In later years, observers generally grouped the PC Party's core membership into two camps, "Red Tories" and "Blue Tories".

Related Topics:
Quebec - Red Tories - Blue Tories

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Red Tories tended to be relatively liberal in their social policy, placing a high value on the principle of noblesse oblige, but conservative in their economic policy. Historically they comprised the largest bloc of the original Canadian Conservative party. Notable Red Tories include Sir John A. Macdonald, John Diefenbaker, Robert Stanfield, Dalton Camp, W.L. Morton, William Davis, Joe Clark, and Flora MacDonald.

Related Topics:
Noblesse oblige - John A. Macdonald - John Diefenbaker - Robert Stanfield - Dalton Camp - W.L. Morton - William Davis - Joe Clark - Flora MacDonald

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Blue Tories were conservative in both social and economic policy. From 1957 to 2003, Red Tories dominated the highest rungs of the party and its leadership. Blue Tories were significantly reduced in numbers in the party by the late 1980s and many disaffected Blue Tories drifted towards neoconservatism (as epitomized by the rise of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan) and more right-wing alternatives. When the party held power at the federal level, it never truly embraced Reaganomics and its crusade against "big government" as vociferously as was done outside of Canada. Neoconservatives lean towards social conservatism and economic liberalism. Support for the Canadian Alliance and its predecessor the Reform Party of Canada derived principally from this group, and that support carried forward into the new Conservative Party of Canada. The success of the neoconservative movement in appropriating the label "Conservative" has brought into debate the very definition of conservatism in Canada today. Although adhering to economic philosophies similar to those originally advanced by 19th-century liberals (known confusingly as both neoliberalism and neoconservatism), the need to soften their social conservatism led the Canadian Alliance to agree to the name "Conservative Party of Canada" for the new party, to market themselves better to the electorate.

Related Topics:
Neoconservatism - Margaret Thatcher - Ronald Reagan - Reaganomics - Reform Party of Canada - Conservatism - Neoliberalism

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