The Conservative Party of Canada

Author(s):

The Encyclopedia of Conservatism

Editor(s):

The Editors of The Encyclopedia of Conservatism

Home Organizations The Conservative Party of Canada

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Introduction

The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) is a federal political party in Canada formed in 2003 by the merging of the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance. It is a center-right to right-wing party with a “big tent” approach. Under Stephen Harper‘s leadership from 2006 to 2015, the party focused on reducing taxes, balancing the budget, and implementing social policy changes. They won a majority government in 2011 but were defeated in 2015. Pierre Poilievre became the new leader in September 2022.

History

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks at the Conservative Party Convention in Québec City on Friday, 9 Sep 2023. Delegates on Saturday voted to ban medical treatments for minors questioning their gender identity.

The CPC has its roots in a series of right-of-center parties, beginning when John A. Macdonald and George-Étienne Cartier founded the Liberal-Conservative Party in the 19^th century. Over the years, various center-right parties have existed in Canada, sometimes with numerous parties at once. For much of the 20^th century, the Liberal party was in government. In the 1980s, the Progressive Conservative party’s fortunes improved under Brian Mulroney, who formed a broad coalition of supporters. However, in the 1990s, the emergence of the Reform Party split conservative voters amongst the two parties, handing the Liberals victory after victory. In 2003, the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties merged to form the present-day Conservative Party under the leadership of Stephen Harper. The merger faced opposition but was eventually ratified, and Harper became the party’s first leader.

Stephen Harper led the Conservative Party of Canada from 2004 to 2015. He became Prime Minister in 2006 and won a majority government in 2011. After the 2015 election, he resigned as leader. Andrew Scheer and Erin O’Toole followed as leaders, but both faced challenges and leadership reviews. O’Toole was voted out as leader in 2022. Pierre Poilievre was elected as leader of the party in 2023 and still resides as its leader.

Composition

The National Council of the Conservative Party of Canada is its highest governing body. The current president is Stephen Barber, elected in 2023.

The Conservative Party of Canada has traditionally had strong support in the Canadian Prairies and rural Ontario. It is particularly strong in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where it holds the majority of federal seats. However, it tends to be weaker in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, especially in Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island.