Conservative Party of Canada (CP)

Leader: Stephen Harper

http://www.conservative.ca/

Read a letter from the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada (PDF format)

Want to know more about the Conservative Party? Check out our Fact Sheet here.

We have assembled the content for this political party platform summary from the sources listed at the bottom of the page. If you notice any incorrect information or have any questions, please get in touch with us using our contact us form - we welcome all feedback!

Aboriginal Rights	Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered an apology for the treatment of students of Indian Residential Schools June 11, 2008. Invested $300 million in on-reserve housing in the First Nations Market Housing Fund. Invested $330 million to clean up the drinking water on reserves.
Accountability	The Harper government passed the Federal Accountability Act in 2006. The act bans political contributions by corporations and unions. Makes it easier for the Auditor General to track where money is spent by the government.
Armed Forces/Military	Has increased military spending since 2005. Proposes to raise military spending by 18.2 Billion in budget 2008. Will raise number of active troops. Will increase the role of Parliament in defense policies.
Arts/Culture	Recently announced a $45 million cut in funding for arts and culture.
Childcare	Created the Universal Child Care Benefit to give $1,200 per year to families for each child under six. Invested $250 million per year to help the provinces and territories create new childcare spaces.
Democratic Reform	Wants to have a fixed election date every four years. Free votes by MPs on moral issues. Better knowledge of exactly where money is spent in social programs. Believes in smaller government and less involvement in the individual’s life.
Economy	Wants to take action to lower national debt. Wants to lower taxes paid by each citizen Promotes startup of small businesses Supports the free competitive market economy. Harper government  is working on creating a tax-free savings account.
Environment	Created ecoAUTO, which gives rebate to buyers of fuel efficient vehicles. Has given grants to individuals and businesses to help them invest in energy and pollution-saving upgrades. Will create harsher laws for industry about greenhouse gas emission limits. Proposes to give public transit riders a tax credit to encourage use of the system.
Gun Registry	Opposed to the gun registry. Would like to invest money in law enforcement. Believes the solution to crime is having more police on the streets to control criminal activity
Healthcare	Believes everybody should have access to healthcare whether they can pay or not. Work with the provinces to develop a Health Care Guarantee to make sure patients can get the medical help they need in a shorter amount of waiting time.
International Policy	Work with NATO and the United Nations to address international security threats. More trade through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Make generic drugs less costly and more accessible to developing countries. Begin talks with the USA about joining a North American missile-defense system.
Immigration	Made an amendment to the Immigration and Refugee protection act in 2008. This change gives more power to the government to decide which immigrants get it based on their work experience and skills, and what is needed in the Canadian workforce.
Marijuana	Opposed to legalization of marijuana.
Post Secondary Education	Removed tax from scholarships.
Same-Sex Rights	Believes in traditional definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Harper held a free vote to re-open issue of same-sex marriage but it was defeated.
Seniors/Low Income	Harper government has created the new Working Income Tax Benefit to help 1.2 million people over the “welfare wall”. And enacted the Tax Fairness Plan to provide $1 billion in tax relief for Canadian seniors and pensioners.
Taxation	Believes that in general Canadians pay too many taxes. In favour of major tax cuts, especially GST and lower taxes for families and small businesses.

Sources:
http://www.conservative.ca
http://www.cbc.ca
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdnmilitary/   
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/immigration/




Conservatism is the oldest political tradition in Canada, dating back to the “Tories” of the mid-19th century.  While the current Conservative Party is quite young, it is the heir of previous parties that bear the conservative moniker. 

Under the leadership of John A. Macdonald, the Conservative Party formed the first official government of Canada in 1867.  It reigned as the dominant party for much of the 19th century, and despite losing momentum, has enjoyed much political clout throughout the 20th century as well.  

The present Conservative Party is the result of a merger between the far-right Canadian Alliance party and the right-of-centre Progressive Conservatives in 2003.  They agreed to merge because of “vote-splitting”, which had led to low election results for both parties. 

It is important to note how much policies differ between old Conservatives and their modern counterparts, particularly in the area of free trade.







The first Prime Minister of Canada was Sir John A. Macdonald. He implemented such initiatives as the “National Policy”, which imposed high tariffs on imports and served to protect the country’s blooming industries.  He was also a key player in developing the Canadian Pacific Railway.

John Diefenbaker led the party to a monumental victory in 1957 and restored Conservative support throughout the country during his years in power.  He also introduced the first federal Bill of Rights.

Though under legal scrutiny today, Brian Mulroney was one of the most influential leaders.  He signed on to NAFTA and introduced the GST.

Kim Campbell became Canada’s first female Prime Minister in 1993.




Stephen Harper, Canada’s 22nd and current Prime Minister was influential in merging its predecessors into the modern Conservative Party.  He has also managed to hold power for a significant period, despite a previous minority government.

Peter MacKay is Harper’s right-hand man and a key member of the party.  Prior to the merger, he was leader of the Progressive Conservatives.

In serving as Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty carries on Paul Martin’s legacy of balancing budgets and creating surpluses.




After suffering a major defeat in the ’93 election that left the Progressive Conservatives with only two seats in the House of Commons, the party has managed to bounce back in the tradition of Diefenbaker. 

Harper and MacKay rebuilt a party from the ashes of the PCs and the fledgling Canadian Alliance in 2003.  Since then, the party has been able to form two consecutive minority governments. 


Smaller government, tough on crime, cutting taxes/spending.




The results of the 1993 election constitute the worst defeat for a major party in Canadian history. 

Jean Charest, the current Quebec Liberal Party Premier of Quebec was leader of the PCs while they held only two seats in the House.

The Conservative minority government of 2006-2008 is the longest running minority government in Canadian history.

In conflict with traditionally conservative principles of reducing taxes, it was a Conservative government that introduced the GST.

Sources

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Party_of_Canada
MSN Encyclopedia Encarta:
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761555233/Conservative_Party.html
Mapleleafweb Party Profiles:
http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/2008-canadian-political-party-profiles
http://www.politicalparty.ca/
www.Thecanadianencyclopedia.com
www.conservative.ca