Red Tory Background Red Tories Post merger "Red" Tory

Throughout the federal PC Party's decline, Red Tories were generally seen as the most vocal opponents of the Unite the Right initiative which proposed merging or cooperating with the competing Reform Party of Canada (later the Canadian Alliance), viewing it as too radically conservative.

When the PCs did ultimately merge in late 2003 with the much-larger Alliance to form the Conservative Party of Canada, many Red Tories expressed the view that they were "now without a political home." Notable Red Tories such as Scott Brison and John Herron defected to the Liberal Party of CanadaLiberal Party of Canada Current Leader Paul Martin Founded July 1, 1867 (nation's founding) Headquarters Suite 40081 Metcalfe Street Ottawa, OntarioK1P 6M8 Colours Red Political ideology liberal International alignment Liberal International The Liberal Pa. Some Red Tories joined the new Conservative Party. Some prominent Red Tories, including Joe Clark, refused to join the new party, or any other, and are now independents. A small number formed the fledgling Progressive Canadian PartyProgressive Canadian Party Current Leader Ernie Schreiber Founded March 29, 2004 Colours blue and red Political ideology centrist The Progressive Canadian Party PC Party is a new federal political party in Canada. It is a right-of-centre party that was of, while others may have joined other parties.

1 Background

The leading philosopher of Red Toryism was George GrantGeorge Parkin Grant ( 1918- 1988) was a Canadian political philosopher. In 1965, he published Lament for a Nation which regretted what he claimed was Canada's inevitable absorption by the United States. Grant articulated a political philosophy which becam who saw conservative values of collectivism and community responsibility as anathama to liberalIn terms of politics, the word liberal (or Liberal can refer to: an adherent of the ideology of liberalism or something in accordance to this ideology. Note: the words "liberal" or "liberalism" can be different in various countries and can be related to t values of individualism. Notable Red Tories have been Dalton CampDalton K. Camp ( September 11, 1920 March 18, 2002) was a Canadian politician, political commentator and supporter of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. Despite having never been elected to a seat in the House of Commons, he is generally regard and Robert Stanfield and to a lesser extent Joe Clark and John Diefenbaker. The collective nation building policies of Sir John A. Macdonald are seen as the foundation of the Red Tory tradition.

In the 1960s, Red Tories such as Grant and Camp opposed the stationing of American Bomarc nuclear missiles in Canada and opposed the Vietnam War. In some ways, Red Tories were closer to the NDP than to the Liberals. Some Red Tories have joined the NDP as the Tories have moved to the right. David Orchard and his supporters have put themselves as the modern inheritors of the Red Tory tradition, although many Red Tories would not embrace this strident opponent of free trade with the United States as a Red Tory.

In recent years, "Red Tories" clashed with neoconservatives within the Progressive Conservative Party. Joe Clark saw his leadership challenged by more conservative Blue Tories who endorsed Brian Mulroney, while on the provincial level, Albertan Red Tory supporters of Peter Lougheed were marginalized following Ralph Klein's assumption of power. As right-wing support for the Progressive Conservatives bled away to the Reform Party and then the Canadian Alliance, Red Tories increasingly gained control of the federal party. The controversial election of Blue Tory leader Peter MacKay, however, paved the way for merger with the Alliance.

2 Red Tories post-merger

One of the most important issues facing the newly created Conservative Party is what will happen with the Red Tories. Many high-profile Red Tories had opposed the merger and do not support the new party. The union has resulted in a number of PC Red Tories leaving the party, either to retire, or to defect to the Liberals. The latter group includes Scott Brison and John Herron. Joe Clark served the balance of his parliamentary term as a Progressive Conservative, outside the new Conservative party caucus.

Other high-profile Red Tories such as Sinclair Stevens and Flora MacDonald applied to re-register the old Progressive Conservative Party name; however this was refused by Elections Canada. On March 26, the Progressive Canadian Party was registered with Elections Canada. It aims to be perceived as a revival of the "PC Party". It is not clear how successful it will be in this regard, since no prominent former PC Tories such as Clark, Stevens, or MacDonald, or any sitting MP or senator, is associated with the new party.

Finally, some Red Tories have decided to join the new Conservative Party. A group of them formed the Red Tory Council , a group contructed to give voice to the Red Tories, monitor the party and its positions, and to prevent too great a swing to the right.

3 "Red" Tory?

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.

4 Definition Drift?

With the conservative movement's drift to the political right, the term Red Tory is often used today not to refer to those in the traditional Red Tory tradition of George Grant or Robert Stanfield but simply to moderates in the conservative movement, particularly those who reject or do not sufficiently embrace social conservatism.

Thus, in the 2004 Conservative Party of Canada leadership race, Tony Clement and Belinda Stronach were sometimes referred to as Red Tories even though Clement was on the right wing of the Mike Harris cabinet Clement is a firm neoliberal, who advocates privatization, tax cuts , the curtailment of social spending and free trade with the United States. He opposes government intervention in the economy. (These policies that most Red Tories would reject). Belinda Stronach's support for free trade is not unqualified; she is willing to consider government intervention in the economy, and she supports public Medicare; (policies that Red Tories typically support).

5 Red Tories in the Provinces

The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party has held power in that province for most of the time since Confederation. The Ontario PCs were often labelled Red Tory, for example under the leadership of William Davis from 1971 to 1985. Under Davis the Tories often ran to the left of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Throughout the Maritimes, Red Tories are the dominant force in the Conservative Party. This tends to explain why Canadian provinces are often ruled at the provincial level by a party that may be Conservative yet at the same time elect Liberal Members of Parliament to the Canadian House of Commons. Outsiders may not understand the large amount of ideological common ground shared by the two nominally different parties.

6 External links

Canadian politics

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