108-757: The Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan is a conservative political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan . Founded in 1905 by former Northwest Territories Premier Frederick Haultain , the party was first known as the Provincial Rights Party. In 1912, its name changed to the Conservative Party of Saskatchewan, and in 1942 it adopted its current name. Members are commonly known as Tories . The party has formed government in Saskatchewan three times, first in
216-518: A non-confidence vote after only nine months, and the Liberals again took power. After Pierre Trudeau 's retirement in 1984, his successor, John Turner , called a federal election, which was won in a landslide by the PCs under Brian Mulroney. Mulroney succeeded by uniting conservatives from Western Canada with those from Quebec . During his tenure, the government unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate
324-502: A "confidential lawsuit", for instance a future BC or Canadian government reversing a federal approval of the Northern Gateway pipeline. The move received criticism from many quarters, including the often supportive Financial Post and is the subject of a current lawsuit. In other respects, Conservative MPs have sometimes been sharply critical of China, particularly over human rights policies and especially treatment of
432-588: A 1980 by-election in the Estevan constituency. However, he stayed at the helm, leading the party into the 1982 election . Devine led the Progressive Conservatives to a majority government for the first time in 1982, stunning the NDP by winning 55 out of 64 seats, reducing Blakeney's party to nine seats. Devine had run on a program of tax and mortgage relief and on promoting free enterprise under
540-625: A Liberal-NDP coalition government filling the vacancies next year". The party introduced a bill in the parliament to have fixed dates for elections and, with the support of the Liberal Party, passed it. However, Ned Franks, a Canadian parliamentary expert, maintains that the Prime Minister still has the right to advise the Governor-General to dissolve the parliament early and drop the writs for an election . In 2006,
648-427: A coalition government from 1929 to 1934, and then in consecutive majority governments from 1982 to 1991. The party was badly damaged by an expense fraud scandal in the 1990s. In 1997, the party went dormant when much of its membership migrated to the newly established Saskatchewan Party . Although the party has been active again since the 2007 provincial election, no PC candidates have been elected since 1995. The party
756-405: A dozen current and former PC MLAs as well as two caucus workers with fraud relating to an expense fraud scheme that ran from 1987 to 1991. In 1987, the caucus agreed to pool a portion of communications allowances into a central account. The party's director of communications, John Scraba, siphoned cash from this account and stashed it in safety deposit boxes . Another former staffer alleged that this
864-540: A generation earlier, the two new provinces were denied rights over their natural resources. In response, Haultain re-branded his Territorial Conservative Association as the Provincial Rights Party in a bid to become premier of Saskatchewan. Haultain's party was defeated by the Liberal Party in the 1905 election , becoming the Official Opposition with 47.5% of the vote. The 1908 election brought
972-501: A half years. Other party members convicted in the scandal included Robert Andrew , Harry Baker , Eric Bernston , John Gerich , Grant Hodgins , Harold Martens , Beattie Martin , Michael McCafferty, Ray Meiklejohn , and Sherwin Petersen . Former cabinet minister Jack Wolfe died by suicide in 1995. Already faced with the prospect of having to testify against former colleagues, Wolfe was informed by his lawyer on 2 February that he
1080-678: A language of instruction and the display of religious symbols in Catholic schools , amendments applauded at the 1930 Klan convention. The government was also successful in curbing patronage through its Public Service Act. The Anderson-led coalition took office immediately before the onset of the Great Depression , which proved particularly severe on the Prairies. The government's retrenchment in response—similar to R. B. Bennett 's federal Conservative government—opened it to attacks from
1188-770: A large base of its support toward the end of the Mulroney era. Brian Mulroney's failed attempts to reform the Canadian Constitution with the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords, and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax lost him most of his support. Following Mulroney's resignation in 1993 and Kim Campbell 's brief tenure, the Conservatives were reduced to only two seats in Parliament in
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#17327931012451296-476: A large power vacuum in the Conservative Party, leading to the short tenure of John Abbott , who was the Protestant compromise choice. Abbott's government collapsed when his cabinet walked out on him, forcing him to resign and allowing for the selection of the first Catholic prime minister of Canada, John Sparrow Thompson . At just 45, he was expected to become the successor to Macdonald's legacy, but after only
1404-516: A lawsuit with the provincial Government Insurance Office—as a liability. As an Independent, he still focused his criticism on the NDP government. Then, in March of 1980, he announced the formation of a new party, which he called the Unionest Party . Apparently seized by prevalent feelings of western alienation and anti-communism, Collver's new party advocated for a secession of Saskatchewan and
1512-519: A legislative walk-out by the Opposition—and a public petition with over 100,000 signatures—prevented it. During this term, the government was also criticized for undemocratic legislative tactics, including proroguing the Legislature and financing expenditures through the dubious use of special warrants. Outrage toward its conduct and agenda—the government's cuts to social spending precipitated what
1620-542: A name change was likely for the party, since the 'progressive' term had been "usurped by liberal socialists". In 2022, the party trust fund would again be at the centre of controversy. The party alleged that a group of political organizers had attempted a hostile takeover of the PCs, with a plan to rename the party the Saskatchewan Conservative Party and to install former Sask Party MLA Nadine Wilson as leader. The PCs reported that they rejected
1728-474: A new conservative party in a bid to unite the opposition to the NDP. The Saskatchewan Party was officially registered on 17 September 1997, and with eight MLAs, it became the Official Opposition. Most PC members migrated to the new party—Romanow liked to emphasize this by calling the new party the "Saskatories"—and the party executive voted to effectively put the scandal-plagued PC Party into dormancy for at least two election cycles. In order to remain registered,
1836-457: A number of initiatives, including cuts to education, welfare and Medicare , privatization of government services and health care, the sale of provincial highways and the forced amalgamation of municipalities. Provincial income taxes were also cut by 30% and corporate tax rates were nearly cut in half during the Harris mandate. Most Blue Tories are at least somewhat ideologically aligned close to
1944-498: A party needed to run in general elections from ten to two. In 2006, members voted to resurrect the party and chose former interim leader Swenson as its new permanent leader. The party ran into difficulties when trying to access its trust fund, which reportedly contained close to $ 3 million. In 2007, the party sued the Saskatchewan Party over access to the fund, alleging that the fund's trustees—three of whom were active in
2052-445: A party to regroup was to accept the consequences of responsible government. They abandoned the idea of being the governor's party and embraced mass politics. At the same time the coalition that had won responsible government began to break up in the 1850s. This presented an opening for more moderate conservatives such as John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier to claim the political centre. Their coalition dominated politics in
2160-467: A series of shell companies for services that were never rendered or expenses that were illegitimate. Overall, the fraudulent expense claims totalled approximately $ 837,000. Police were first alerted to the scheme in 1991 when a legislative clerk reported suspicious invoices. In 1992, bank officials drilled into an unclaimed safety deposit box that contained $ 150,000; the box was addressed to the PC caucus office in
2268-470: A severe downturn in the provincial economy, Devine's government adopted a more distinct ideological approach in its second term, which observers have labelled a "new right" neoliberal approach of cuts to spending and substantial privatization. The government sold off major assets such as SaskOil and PotashCorp , which had been significant sources of revenue and key achievements of the previous NDP government. The PCs also attempted to privatize SaskEnergy , but
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#17327931012452376-648: A similar result, with the PR party remaining in Opposition. In 1912, Haultain left politics when he was appointed the Chief Justice of Saskatchewan. When he left, the party opted to re-adopt the Conservative name under the leadership of Wellington Willoughby . The change did not improve the party's fortunes; it lost a third straight election in 1912 to the Liberals and Premier Walter Scott , with its share of
2484-540: A special program was reiterated by a Conservative Party spokeswoman after the first such conscientious objector (Robin Long) had been deported and sentenced to 15 months in jail. (See Canada and Iraq War resisters for details about two motions in Parliament concerning Canada and Iraq War resisters.) Consistent in all recent Canadian governments is strong ties to China . In 2013, the Conservative administration approved
2592-587: A teacher, and in 1918 the Liberal government appointed him as provincial director of education among new Canadians, a role in which he advocated for more assimilationist policies towards the rapidly growing immigrant population. The following decade, Anderson capitalized on the racial and religious animosity created by the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in Saskatchewan—the organization boasted 25,000 members in
2700-521: A traditional pre-industrial standard of morality – which has never been as evident in American conservatism. Red Toryism derives largely from a classical conservative tradition that maintained that the unequal division of wealth and political privilege among social classes can be justified if members of the privileged class practiced noblesse oblige and contributed to the common good. Red Tories supported traditional institutions such as religion and
2808-442: A universal, low-interest loan program to farmers that cost the province $ 1 billion. By 1986, the government had raised the provincial debt to $ 1.5 billion. Part of Devine's strategy was a close relationship with Brian Mulroney 's federal PC government, and in a particularly important move, Devine secured a $ 1 billion farming aid package from Ottawa on the eve of the 1986 election . Saskatchewan historian Bill Waiser has argued that
2916-490: A year in office he died from a stroke. Two more short-serving Conservatives, Mackenzie Bowell and Charles Tupper , served out the end of the Conservative government, until the election in 1896 when the coalition of French and English Canadians fell apart and Sir Wilfrid Laurier became the second Liberal prime minister of Canada. The Liberals would dominate for the next fourteen years until the emergence of Robert Borden . Robert Borden's Conservative government led Canada into
3024-415: Is Scott Moe , who was sworn in as premier on February 2, 2018, after winning the 2018 Saskatchewan Party leadership election . The first premier of Saskatchewan was Liberal Thomas Walter Scott , who served from 1905 to 1916. Since Saskatchewan was created as a province in 1905, 15 individuals have served as premier. Although the premier is the day-to-day leader of the provincial government, they receive
3132-641: Is an adherent of a centre-right or paternalistic-conservative political philosophy derived from the Tory tradition, predominantly in Canada, but also in the United Kingdom. This philosophy tends to favour communitarian social policies, while maintaining a degree of fiscal discipline and a respect of social and political order. It is contrasted with " Blue Tory " or " High Tory ". Some Red Tories view themselves as small-c conservatives . In Canada, Red Toryism
3240-475: Is found in provincial and federal Conservative political parties. The history of Red Toryism marks differences in the development of the political cultures of Canada and the United States . Canadian conservatism and American conservatism have been different from each other in fundamental ways, including their stances on social issues and the role of government in society. The adjective "red" refers to
3348-401: Is generally considered a movement which is primarily represented by the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada in federal party politics , as well as various centre-right and right-wing parties at the provincial level. Far-right politics have never been a prominent force in Canadian society. The first party which called itself "Conservative" in what would become Canada was elected in
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3456-499: Is represented mainly by the Libertarian Party of Canada , People's Party of Canada , and other small provincial parties. These parties have never been successful in having members elected. While social conservatism exists throughout Canada, it is not as pronounced as it is in some other countries, such as the United States . It represents conservative positions on issues of culture, family, sexuality and morality. Despite
3564-536: The 1921 election the Conservatives were relegated to third place, at the expense of the new Progressive movement based mostly in the Prairie West (see Western alienation ). Once the Progressive movement had largely been subsumed into the Liberal Party of Canada , the Conservatives were once again in opposition, until the election of 1930, under the leadership of R. B. Bennett. But in the 1935 election
3672-565: The 1964 election ; neither was re-elected. Those years were marked by an effective return to a two-party system consisting of the Liberals and the CCF, the latter of which formed five successive majority governments from 1944 to 1964, after which it became the New Democratic Party (NDP). The PCs spent long periods without a leader, and in the early 1970s nearly merged with the provincial Social Credit party; PC members in fact approved
3780-588: The 1993 federal election . The Liberal Party was elected with a strong majority and the Reform Party gradually replaced the Tories as the major right-wing party in Canada. The Reform Party under Preston Manning would become the Official Opposition from 1997 to 2000. Throughout the 1990s, many social conservatives and Blue Tories in the PC Party began to drift slowly to the Reform Party and then in droves to
3888-539: The Bloc Québécois or the Reform Party were the Official Opposition. After the 1997 federal election some members of the Reform Party tried to end the vote splitting by merging the two parties. A new party was formed, called the Canadian Alliance, and Stockwell Day was elected its leader. However, many PCs resisted the move, suspecting that Reform Party ideology would dominate the new party, and
3996-557: The Canadian National Railway ) to develop and protect Canadian industries, protectionist programs such as the National Policy . Canadian conservatism thus mirrored British Conservatism in its values and economic and political outlooks. Canadian conservatives have generally favored the continuation of old political institutions and the preservation of strong ties to the monarchy . In the latter half of
4104-622: The Conservative Party of Canada . This party was the dominant political force in Canadian politics from 1867 to 1935. Thereafter, the party (renamed the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 1945) spent more time in opposition than in government. During the twentieth century rival " small-c conservative " movements appeared, most notably the federal Social Credit and Reform parties. Conservatism
4212-686: The Falun Gong . These positions are not materially different than those of other parties. Prior to winning election, Stephen Harper openly favoured the alternative vote method of selecting both MPs and Senators. As the successor of the Western Canada-based Canadian Alliance (formerly the Reform Party of Canada), the party supported reform of the Senate to make it "elected, equal, and effective" (the " Triple-E Senate "). However, party leader Stephen Harper advised
4320-705: The Governor General to appoint the unelected Michael Fortier to both the Senate and to the Cabinet on 6 February 2006, the day his minority government took office. On 22 December 2008, Prime Minister Harper asked the Governor General to fill all eighteen Senate seats that had been vacant at the time. It was earlier reported in The Toronto Star that this action was "to kill any chance of
4428-509: The MV Sun Sea incident . These changes cleared an immigration backlog that had persisted for many years under the previous Liberal government, reducing the processing time from over 1000 days to less than two months. All 110 Conservative Party MPs voted against an opposition motion concerning conscientious objectors and the introduction of programs to allow objectors to seek refuge in Canada. On 13 September 2008, this refusal to set up
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4536-621: The Province of Canada election of 1854 . Canadian conservative ideology has its origins in British Toryism , but over time has been influenced by American conservatism . Stemming from the resettlement of United Empire Loyalists after the American Revolutionary War with traditionalist conservative views alongside pro-market liberalism ideals, is the reason that Canadian conservatives generally prefer
4644-543: The United Province of Canada , and when joined by liberal George Brown , provided the broad support necessary to negotiate Confederation with the Maritime Provinces . The MacDonald-Cartier coalition's prestige was only strengthened by the creation of the new Canadian Confederation in 1867. Their coalition dominated the early politics of the new state. Their "National Policy" of high tariffs against
4752-463: The Westminster system of government. Originally, Canadian conservatism tended to be traditionalist . Conservative governments in Canada, such as those of John A. Macdonald , Robert Borden , R. B. Bennett , and John Diefenbaker , were known for supporting an active role for the government in the economy and the creation of government-operated businesses (early Crown Corporations such as
4860-642: The state of Israel and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . Harper also took aggressive action against perceived sponsors of terrorism such as Iran, closing the Canadian embassy and expelling the Iranian diplomats in 2012. In 2012, the Conservative government introduced reforms to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act which limited refugee claims from those on a list of designated countries of origin, those considered safe by Canada for most persons. Other changes allowed for detention of mass arrivals, following
4968-461: The "sharpest thorn in Harper's side". Major media commentators often use Page's reports as a starting point for general criticisms of Harper's budgetary and transparency practices, including comedic rants. Premier of Saskatchewan The premier of Saskatchewan is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan . The current premier of Saskatchewan
5076-466: The 1960s, these Conservatives were most identified with the Montreal and Toronto commercial elite who took positions of influence within the Progressive Conservative Party. Since the mid-1970s, they have been heavily influenced by the libertarian movement and the more individualist nature of American conservatism . Blue Tories tend to favour libertarian policies such as devolution of federal power to
5184-487: The 1986 election bear this out. Blakeney's NDP narrowly edged out the PCs in the popular vote, but the concentration of that vote in urban centres—the NDP won 16 out of 20 seats in Regina and Saskatoon—allowed Devine's PC, who won a majority of rural seats, to form another majority government. In effect, Devine staked the PCs on rural support. Possibly owing in part to the divided election result, and doubtless owing in part to
5292-555: The 20th-century, Canadian conservatism embraced neoliberal economic policies which included free trade, the seeking of balanced budgets, and the support of the privatizations of Crown Corporations which were claimed to be better provided for by the private sector. During this time, division arose between the conservatives in Eastern and Western Canada because Western conservatives perceived Canada's federal parliament as being dominated by Eastern interests. This Western alienation led to
5400-582: The Canadian Alliance dominated the opposition benches. Support for both the Reform Party and the Progressive Conservatives was negligible in Quebec until the 2006 federal election , where the renewed Conservative party won 10 seats in Quebec. In the west, the Reform Party took most of the PC Party's former seats, but held much more socially or economically conservative views than the old party on most subjects (regarding, for example, homosexuality, religion in public life, gun control , and government intervention in
5508-548: The Conservatives campaigned strongly against Liberal abuses in the Sponsorship scandal and vowed to introduce several accountability measures that would hold even a majority government to account. These included a Parliamentary Budget Office whose first head Kevin Page found himself often sharply at odds with Harper government policy and issued several reports scathing of Conservative practices, even sometimes being described as
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#17327931012455616-399: The Conservatives were handed a major defeat by the Liberals, with a new right-wing party, Social Credit, placing a close third, again on the strength of Western alienation . Throughout most of the last century, the Progressive Conservative Party (often abbreviated PC ) dominated conservative politics at the federal level and in most provinces. Canada had many conservative Prime Ministers in
5724-499: The Devine years marked a fundamental shift in Saskatchewan politics, with a widening divide between urban and rural Saskatchewan re-defining the province's political landscape. Similarly, political analyst Dale Eisler has written that Saskatchewan politics can be grouped into distinct "Before Devine" and "After Devine" categories. Devine's intent focus on rural priorities, and farming in particular, contributed to this divide. The results of
5832-550: The First World War, with the Laurier-led Liberal in opposition. The government wanted to introduce conscription , and sought a coalition to pursue this policy. Most English-speaking Liberals joined the Tories to form a coalition called "Unionist" with the mostly-French speaking Liberal rump in opposition. After the war this coalition, now led by Arthur Meighen could not govern with a stable majority. In
5940-633: The Legislative Assembly , political party, and the public. The premier's responsibilities are varied. They serve as president of the Executive Council and head of the provincial Cabinet . The Executive Council is the formal name of the Cabinet when it is acting in its legal capacity, as well as the head of the provincial government. The premier is a leader concerning the development and implementation of government policies, as well as communicating and coordinating priorities within
6048-400: The Legislature. The results were even better for the Tories in the 1978 election as they surged to Official Opposition status, winning 17 seats while the Liberals were shut out for the first time in provincial history. In a twist, Collver resigned the party leadership in 1979 to sit as an Independent. Some within the party had begun to see Collver and his business dealings—he was embroiled in
6156-579: The Liberals as well as a new socialist political movement going by the name of Farmer–Labour, which would in 1935 become the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). The government did establish the Saskatchewan Relief Commission to provide some aid to residents, but this did not address the systemic issues creating depression conditions. In 1932, Anderson asked Liberal leader Gardiner to join
6264-532: The Liberals surpassed them to become the Opposition to Roy Romanow 's NDP. Romanow had pursued further spending cuts in order to address the province's fiscal crisis. While the NDP had balanced the finances by 1995, extensive cuts to rural health and education services further exacerbated the urban-rural divide. With neither the PCs nor the Liberals seeing a clear path back to power, four MLAs from each party—including Boyd and all representing rural districts—agreed in 1997 to walk away from their parties and help establish
6372-499: The PC Party with the Alliance. Later on that year, the Progressive Conservative Party, which dated back to 1854 (though existing under many different names), merged with the Canadian Alliance. 96% of the Alliance's membership and 92% of the PC Party's riding representatives approved the merger. The contemporary Conservative Party of Canada was then created, and, in 2004, Stephen Harper was elected leader. Dissident Red Tories opposed to
6480-464: The PC party's standings, Peter MacKay was chosen in a leadership contest to replace him. MacKay immediately created controversy within the party by entering into negotiations with Canadian Alliance leader Stephen Harper to merge the two parties. MacKay had been elected on a third ballot of the party's leadership convention as a result of an agreement that he signed with another leadership contestant, David Orchard , in which he promised never to merge
6588-486: The PCs were calling off the merger discussions, citing Buffalo's "extensive focus on out-of-scope federal and international issues" as a barrier. The party ultimately finished in fifth place for the fifth consecutive election, receiving approximately one percent of the vote province wide. Provincial Provincial † Denotes vacancy or acting/interim leader Canadian conservatism Provincial Provincial Conservatism in Canada ( French : conservatisme )
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#17327931012456696-715: The PCs were more neutral on controversial social issues. The PCs faced an unprecedented collapse in the 1993 federal election and Reform surpassed the PCs as the largest conservative party in Canada's parliament. After several elections of neither party making significant gains, the two parties agreed to merge into the new Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. Meanwhile, although Quebec delivered few seats to conservative parties in federal elections from 1993 on, conservative themes were influential in Quebec provincial politics . Blue Tories are, in Canadian politics, Conservatives who are more free-market or liberal economically. Prior to
6804-492: The Reform Party's direct successor, the Canadian Alliance. This left the PC Party under the control of the moderate Red Tory faction. Despite taking what they believed to be more popular socially progressive approaches on certain issues, the PCs significantly fell in the popular vote from the 1997 to 2000 federal elections and were not able to greatly increase their representation in the House of Commons. The Reform Party and then
6912-587: The Sask Party—were conspiring with the Sask Party to deny them access and halt the PC party revival. The case was not settled until 2014, when Swenson announced that the PCs had been given control of the fund. In the meantime, the party ran five candidates in each of the 2007 and 2011 elections, capturing less than 0.5% of the overall vote in both elections. The party ran 18 candidates in the 2016 election , its largest number since 1995, and collected 1.3% of
7020-518: The Saskatchewan Legislature. Nineteen staff or MLAs were charged in the scheme, and fifteen were convicted—including ten cabinet members and a caucus chair—with many serving jail time. Scraba was sentenced to two years in prison. Former MLA Michael Hopfner , whose defence claimed he was too financially incompetent to commit fraud, was sentenced to 18 months. The stiffest sentence went to former caucus chair Lorne McLaren at three and
7128-401: The US and UK. With the rise in inflation and a large budgetary deficit in Canada from the Trudeau government, emphasis was put on "shrinking the size of government" (in part, through privatization), pursuing continental trade arrangements ( free trade , creating tax incentives and cutting "government waste"). Joe Clark became Prime Minister with a minority government in 1979, but lost to
7236-403: The United States during the American Revolution and War of Independence. They were wary of emulating the US's "mob rule" and preferred a strong role for traditional elites such as landowners and Christianity in politics. Many were Anglicans who supported keeping the Anglican Church of Canada as Canada's established church . In each colony, Tories contested elections as the personal party of
7344-405: The United States, and Crown Corporations such as Teleglobe , Petro-Canada and Air Canada (some created by previous Conservative governments) were sold to both domestic and foreign private buyers (privatized). However, due to the failure of the Mulroney government to balance the budget and service debt, the federal debt continued to rise. It was not until the end of Mulroney's administration and
7452-437: The United States, and intense railway building , became the basis of a political dynasty that dominated Canadian politics from Confederation until Macdonald's death in office in 1891. The greatest strain in this coalition came during the Riel rebellions of 1869 and 1885 , which inflamed French-English and Protestant-Catholic tensions in the country. After Macdonald's death, the coalition faltered. The death of Macdonald left
7560-450: The acquisition of Nexen by a Chinese firm. It also advanced, as of 2013, FIPA agreement, containing guarantees that Chinese buyer would have the legal right to sue Canada in private settlement of inhibition to its activities by that government (including provincial or municipal for whom the federal government would be liable). The actual extent or limit of these powers would not be publicly known and settlements would be private, in effect
7668-414: The attempted takeover, and that Wilson and the other organizers instead formed the Saskatchewan United Party . The PCs further alleged that Sask United organizers stole a hard drive containing member and donor information, a charge United organizers denied. Ahead of the 2024 provincial election , Buscholl approached the far-right Buffalo Party to discuss a merger. On September 12, Buscholl announced that
7776-547: The authority to govern from the Crown , represented in Saskatchewan by the lieutenant governor . Formally, the executive branch of government in Saskatchewan is said to be vested in the lieutenant governor acting by and with the advice of the premier . The executive branch of the Saskatchewan government consists of the premier, the lieutenant governor, the Cabinet and the Public Service. The political party that wins
7884-545: The beginning of Jean Chrétien 's Liberal government that the government's program of spending finally halted the growth in the federal debt. The government's willingness to affirm Quebec's demands for recognition as a distinct society was seen as a betrayal by many westerners as well as angering Canadian Nationalists mostly from Ontario . The Reform Party of Canada was founded on a strongly right-wing populist conservative platform as an alternative voice for these western conservatives. The Progressive Conservative Party lost
7992-488: The coalition, but the Opposition refused. In the 1934 election , the Liberals returned to power and Anderson's Conservatives were wiped out, failing to win a single seat as the Farmer–Labour Group took over Official Opposition status. After the 1934 defeat, Anderson stayed on as party leader until 1936, when the party chose a young lawyer, John Diefenbaker , as his successor. Although Diefenbaker would go on to revive
8100-711: The creation of the Reform Party of Canada as a Western-based populist protest party promoting constitutional reform to balance the regions' interests and sought to expand into the East—especially in Ontario—to displace the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada . While the PCs and Reform had some similar economic policies, Reformers wanted deeper cuts to government services than the PCs and Reformers had strong social conservative stances whereas
8208-552: The economic libertarian positions of the former Canadian Alliance ; as such, they supported the merger between the PCs and the Alliance to form the new federal Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). Some notable Blue Tories include many prominent federal and provincial Progressive Conservatives such as former PC Party Leader and Attorney General Peter MacKay , Conservative Party leadership contender and former Treasury Board President Tony Clement , former Premier of Ontario Mike Harris , and former CPC leader Andrew Scheer . A Red Tory
8316-452: The economically left-leaning nature of Red Toryism in comparison with Blue Toryism, since socialist and other leftist parties have traditionally used the colour red . The term reflects the broad ideological range traditionally found within conservatism in Canada. Historically, Canadian conservatism has been derived from the Tory tradition, with a distinctive concern for a balance between individual rights and collectivism, as mediated through
8424-566: The economy). The PCs retained moderate support in the Atlantic Provinces , would manage to regain a few seats. They also retained scattered support across the country. The result was that neither new party managed to approach the success of the Progressive Conservatives prior to 1993. In many ridings the conservative vote was split , letting other parties win: the Liberal Party under Jean Chrétien won three successive majority governments starting in 1993. During this period, either
8532-421: The election. Encouraged by the popularity of the federal PCs in Saskatchewan, Collver sensed an opportunity to gain ground, and presented himself as a populist leader railing against the big government of the NDP. The Tories returned to the legislature in the 1975 election , winning 7 seats to the Liberals' 15 and the NDP's 39, marking the first time since 1929 that three major parties had sizeable representation in
8640-488: The first half of the twentieth century, securing 36% of the popular vote and 24 of 63 seats. Despite having fewer seats than the Liberals' 28, the Conservatives were able to form a coalition government with the support of Progressive and Independents Legislative members (MLAs), and Anderson became Premier . What was known as the "Co-operative government" would introduce amendments to the Schools Act , banning French as
8748-630: The fortunes of the federal Progressive Conservatives in the 1950s, he was not able to gain ground as the provincial party leader. However, it was not just Diefenbaker. Between 1934 and 1975, only two PC members—the party adopted the Progressive Conservative name in 1942, in line with the federal party—would be elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature: one in a 1953 by-election, and party leader Martin Pederson in
8856-861: The governor to the elected assemblies. This new arrangement, called responsible government , mirrored earlier changes that had occurred in Britain. After the failure of radical liberalism during the Rebellions of 1837, a new set of moderate liberals, led by Robert Baldwin in Canada West , Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine in Canada East and Joseph Howe in Nova Scotia rose to prominence. They campaigned for and won responsible government by creating broad coalitions that took in liberals, moderates, and conservatives. The only way for conservatives as
8964-841: The governor. Business elites who surrounded the governor also hoped to gain patronage . In Upper Canada this was the Family Compact , in Lower Canada the Chateau Clique . Opposition to the rule of these oligarchies resulted in the Rebellions of 1837 . After the rebellions, Lord Durham (a Whig or liberal) issued his Report on the Affairs of British North America , a report to the British government that recommended that most powers in colonial governments be given from
9072-550: The history and ideology of conservatism, identified Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson as the most significant conservative thinker to appear in the English-speaking world in a generation. While in Opposition, Stephen Harper voted in favour of Canadian military involvement in the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq; he later admitted this had been a mistake. Conservative Party member resolutions express strong support for
9180-407: The largest number of seats in a general election is usually invited by the lieutenant governor to form the government. The governing party's leader becomes the head of the provincial government and is known as the premier. The position of premier is not described in Canadian constitutional statutes. Instead, the position’s power and authority largely depend on their relationship with other members of
9288-529: The merger in November 1970, but it was ultimately rejected by Social Credit members in February 1971. The PC party was rejuvenated by the leadership of Dick Collver , who took over the party reins in 1973. The Liberals had formed two consecutive majority governments from 1964 to 1971; however, they were soundly defeated by Allan Blakeney 's NDP in 1971, and Liberal leader Ross Thatcher died just weeks after
9396-464: The merger would go on to form the minor Progressive Canadian Party . Under Stephen Harper, the platform of the Conservative Party emphasized the Blue Tory policies of fiscal restraint, increases in military spending, tax cuts and Senate Reform. The Harper-led Conservative Party has, however, come under fire, with many accusing them of adopting neoconservative policies. Yoram Hazony , a scholar on
9504-496: The monarchy, and maintenance of the social order. This position was later manifest in their support for some aspects of the welfare state . This belief in a common good, as expanded on in Colin Campbell and William Christian 's Political Parties and Ideologies in Canada , is at the root of Red Toryism. Libertarianism as a political philosophy is not considered to be a primary force in Canadian conservatism. This philosophy
9612-405: The move to the new party was PC MLA Jack Gooshen , who was convicted in 1999 of consorting with a 14-year old prostitute. In June 2005, the dormant PCs announced that they were taking applications for new members, and that a members' meeting would be held to decide the future of the party. Changes to provincial electoral laws passed during the previous Legislature decreased the number of candidates
9720-441: The new party garnered only a little more support than its predecessor. Meanwhile, the PC Party re-elected Joe Clark as their leader and attempted to regain lost ground. Day's tenure was marked by a number of public gaffes and apparent publicity stunts, and he was widely portrayed as incompetent and ignorant. Several MPs left his party in 2002. In 2003, when former Prime Minister Joe Clark retired after being brought back to improve
9828-445: The other western provinces from Canada and a union with the United States —the name Unionest was a portmanteau of "best" and "union". One other PC MLA, Dennis Ham , joined Collver in sitting as a Unionest, but neither ran for re-election in 1982 and the party was dissolved. Collver's abrupt departure from the PCs led to agricultural economist Grant Devine being named leader. Devine had lost his election bid in 1978, and he lost again in
9936-403: The party ran a handful of paper candidates in both the 1999 and 2003 provincial elections. However, with so much of the PC membership along with its office and executive staff moving to the new party, the perception that the Sask Party was merely a re-branded PC Party persisted for years. Even Devine publicly expressed support for the Saskatchewan Party. One member who tried but was unable to make
10044-434: The party, a charge that the party denied. Grey cited as an example that he had been "inundated" with Islamophobic messages after he was photographed with an official from Pakistan in 2019. In November 2022, Rose Buscholl was appointed as interim leader in charge of a three-point revitalization plan, including building constituency organizations, engaging with members, and developing new policy. Party insiders also stated that
10152-429: The past, but the first to be elected under the Progressive Conservative banner was John Diefenbaker, who served from 1957 to 1963. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, with the rise of Conservative politicians in Canada such as Ralph Klein , Don Getty , Brian Mulroney , Preston Manning , Mike Harris and others, the objectives and values of Conservatives in Canada began to mimic those of fiscal conservatives in both
10260-469: The province by 1929—to gain support for Conservative policies on immigration and education; in 1928, Liberal Premier Jimmy Gardiner claimed that the Klan was a tool of the Conservative Party. There certainly was crossover between the organizations, and the Conservatives aided Klan organization by providing it with party membership lists. In the 1929 election , Anderson led the party to its best performance in
10368-542: The province was facing the risk of bankruptcy. In January 1983, energy minister Colin Thatcher resigned from cabinet. Days after Thatcher's resignation, his ex-wife JoAnn Wilson was murdered, and Thatcher was charged with the crime in May 1984. In November 1984, a jury found him guilty and Thatcher was sentenced to life in prison for 25 years. In April 1995, after an RCMP investigation dubbed "Project Fiddle", police charged
10476-532: The provincial governments, a reduced role for government in the economy, reduction of taxation and similar mainstream market liberal ideals. The term Blue Tory does not refer to social conservatism . One example of a Blue Tory administration in Canada was the ' Common Sense Revolution ' provincial Progressive Conservative government of Ontario Premier Mike Harris . The Harris Tories were widely viewed as radical by Canadian standards in their economic policies and style of governance. Harris' government embarked on
10584-526: The recent Conservative government having influential members who would be defined as social conservatives in its caucus, social conservatism is considered to have little influence on Canadian society and political policy. One of their notable wins was a 2014 neo-abolitionist law passed against prostitution, which banned buying services as well as third party involvement. The conservative movement in Canada evolved from relatively informal pre-Confederation political movements or parties, gradually coalescing into
10692-516: The slogan, "There's so much more we can be". Notably, not a single member of the PC caucus had experience in government, and observers have noted that during this term, Devine's government "lacked ideological clarity". The PCs did cut taxes—eliminating the province's 20% gasoline tax—and royalties, but it kept most government assets public and spent freely, rapidly running up a string of deficits. It used public money to support private ventures and, more than anything else, agriculture. The government offered
10800-413: The status of Quebec through the failed Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords . During the government of Brian Mulroney (1984–1993), government spending on social programs was cut, taxes for individuals and businesses were reduced (but a new national tax appeared for nearly all goods and services), government intervention in the economy was significantly reduced, a free trade agreement was concluded with
10908-408: The vote falling to 42%. In fact, the Liberals built an impressive political dynasty, securing further majority governments in 1917, 1921, and 1925. In 1921, the Tories were reduced to third-party status as the agrarian Progressive Party gained Opposition status. However, party fortunes began to improve when James T. M. Anderson became leader in 1924. Anderson had moved to Saskatchewan in 1908 to be
11016-481: The vote while finishing third in 10 districts. Swenson announced after the 2016 election that he would step aside as leader once a new leader was chosen. On November 3 2018, Ken Grey was elected as the new leader of the party. In the 2020 provincial election , the party ran 31 candidates and captured 1.9% of the vote. Grey resigned as leader on January 18, 2021. Later in the year, Grey alleged that conspiracy theorists and far-right elements were working to take over
11124-468: Was common knowledge, and that "if you needed money, all you had to do was go to John Scraba". Instances included former cabinet minister Joan Duncan , who pleaded guilty to fraud in the amount of $ 12,405, which was spent on a vacation in Hawaii , and former MLA Gerald Muirhead , who was found guilty of spending over $ 2,000 on an embroidered saddle and bridle sash. Money was distributed through invoices from
11232-712: Was divided (especially by region) until the merger of the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance (the direct successor to the Reform Party) in 2003. In the early days of electoral politics in Canada, the term conservatives or Tories applied to those people who supported the authority of colonial governors and their advisers over the elected assemblies. These conservatives took their cues from British Tories , especially Burke. They supported royal privilege, and were avowedly anti-democratic. Tory supporters were often descended from loyalists who had fled
11340-536: Was founded in 1905. Saskatchewan joined Confederation on September 1, 1905, and its first election was slated for December of that year. Former Northwest Territories Premier Frederick Haultain had been instrumental in the granting of provincehood. However, while he had advocated for the creation of one large western province—for which he favoured the name Buffalo — Wilfrid Laurier 's federal government opted to create two new provinces instead, with Alberta joining Confederation alongside Saskatchewan. Moreover, like Manitoba
11448-415: Was going to be arrested; he was found dead that day. Grant Devine was never charged in the fraud scheme; he testified that he was too busy to pay attention to finances and was unaware of the scheme, although he took responsibility as the leader of the party. The PCs were reduced to 10 seats in 1991 and became the Official Opposition. Devine resigned as PC leader in 1992, and Rick Swenson —who, like Devine,
11556-453: Was not implicated in the expense fraud scandal—became interim leader. In 1994, the party chose Bill Boyd as its new permanent leader. Particularly when news began to break about the expense fraud scandal, the PCs were expected to be wiped out in the 1995 election . Boyd attempted to promote the party as the "New PCs", while some PC candidates left the party name off their campaign materials altogether. The PCs ultimately held on to five seats as
11664-407: Was one of the largest public protests in Regina history with approximately seven thousand people descending on the Legislature in 1987—along with the unpopularity of Mulroney's federal government and a growing fiscal crisis, which saw provincial debt soar to $ 13 billion by 1992, all led to Devine's government being defeated by the NDP in the 1991 election . By then, the fiscal crisis was so severe that
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