Fonds 73-1006 - Progressive Conservative Party of Canada handbook. 1973 additions

The root of the modern day Progressive Conservative Party of Canada is found in the 1854 Liberal Conservative Coalition Government of the Province of Canada which was headed by Sir John A. Macdonald. Between 1873 and 1878, the Liberal Conservative Party dropped the Liberal label in favour of the title Conservative Party which was in keeping with the flavour of Macdonald's National Policy and pro-British election platform. From 1917 to 1920 the party was known as the Union Party. The name changed again to the National Liberal and Conservative Party from 1920 to 1922. It then reverted back to the original name of Liberal Conservative Party until 1938 when it became the National Conservative Party. The name of the party changed once again in 1942 with the election of former Progressive Party member and Manitoba Premier, John Bracken, to the Conservative Party leadership. The name became the Progressive Conservative Party, as it is known today. The ideologies of the Conservative Party have remained fundamentally the same since the inception of the party with some variations over the years. The party is tied, albeit loosely, to the British Conservative Party, and in turn, to the ideals of toryism (collectivism and privilege as the salient features of social and political life), but the Canadian Conservatives have also supported business liberalism. Business liberalism (ie. free enterprise) in combination with toryism are two sets of ideas which are not readily reconciled, therefore, the Conservative Party, regardless of title, has constantly been shifting, since its inception, to keep these ideals in balance with public and party opinion, and has not always been successful. Since 1935, the success of the federal Liberal Party has heavily outweighed the success of the Progressive Conservative Party. Some of the more notable Conservative Party leaders include Sir John A. Macdonald, R.B. Bennett, John Diefenbaker, and Brian Mulroney. (information taken from: "The Canadian Encyclopedia", second edition, 1988, and "Politcal Parties and Ideologies in Canada" by W. Christian and C. Campbell, 1983).