Together Again

Canadian conservatism, like most other political philosophies, contains different ideological components under its lofty umbrella: left-leaning Red Toryism, right-leaning Blue Toryism, fiscal conservatism and social conservatism. Throw in some fairly like-minded ideologies like libertarianism and classical liberalism, and you have a big political tent to contend with.

That is nothing compared to what Canadian conservatives once faced. The split between the federal Progressive Conservatives and Reform Party (later the Canadian Alliance) threw this movement into the political wilderness for 16 years. During that time conservatives from the East and West, populists, Quebec libertarians, right-of-centre independents and even business-oriented Liberals all claimed to be the guiding light of Canada’s right. The PC-Alliance merger united the right once more, and shifted the focus back onto...