Red Tory

Red Tory is a nickname given to a political tradition in Canada's conservative political parties. Red Tories were traditionally to the left of the rest of the party. Originally it referred to the branch of the Tory party that was committed to the welfare state. Modern Red Tories, however, define themselves as "fiscally conservative and socially progressive". The term Blue Tory has been coined to describe more right wing Canadian conservatives.

Origins

The notion of Red Toryism was developed by George Grant in the 1950s and 1960s who argued that Canadian conservatism was strongly influenced by ideals such as collectivism and community responsibility. These Tories rejected liberal values such as individualism. Red Tories were thus socially conservative supporting traditional institutions like religion and the monarchy but fiscally liberal with a strong belief in the welfare state. Grant traced Red Toryism to the beginning of Canadian history. The collective nation building policies of Sir John A. Macdonald are seen as the foundation of the Red Tory tradition.

Related Topics:
George Grant - Liberal - John A. Macdonald

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The origin of the adjective "red" is not known. The reference may be to progressive aspects of Red Tory principles, since parties of the left have traditionally used the colour red. It may have been a reference to the British roots of the Tory old guard. Others think it comes from the Liberal Party of Canada. The Liberals often used red as their colour, while the Conservatives used blue.

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Grant and Gad Horowitz contrasted Canada with the United States which was lacking this collectivist tradition. Horowitz argued that Canada's strong socialist movement grew from Red Toryism, and that this explains why socialism has never had much success in the United States. In some ways, Red Tories were thus closer to the NDP than to the Liberals.

Related Topics:
Gad Horowitz - Socialist - NDP

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