Made by Olga Gryb

Political roots and the party's creation

Western interest groups protested against the federal government of Brian Mulroney

Click to add text

In 1986 they Introduced the idea of new party formation at

the conference "Canada's Economic and Political Future", which was held in

Vancouver, British Columbia. British Columbia.

1987 – The Reform Party of Canada has been established in Winnipeg,

Manitoba

Why British Columbia?Why Manitoba?

Western provinces have developed a unique political culture:They have never had close ties with central governmentAlberta, and Saskatchewan - quasi-colonial statusA sense of alienation

All these factors brought to the proliferation of anti-establishment parties and movements

CEO of Canada West Foundation defines western alienation as “a political ideology of regional discontent rooted in the dissatisfaction of western Canadians with their

relationship to and representation within the federal government.

Liberals from British Columbia

1. Stan Roberts – a former liberal politician from Manitoba and the president of the Canada West foundation

2. Francis Winspear – a retired millionaire from Edmonton

Conservative composed to Calgary oilmen (Conservative)

1.Ted Byfield - a conservative Canadian journalist, publisher, and editor. Owber of the Alberta Report and Western Report newsmagazines.2.Preston Manning - son of long-time Social Credit Alberta Premier Ernest Manning.

Son of long-time Social Credit Alberta Premier Ernest Manning.Education:1960 – the University of Alberta. Physics.1964 – BA in economics1965 – candidate of Social Credit Party in federal election (finishing second)1966 - Policy researcher position at the National Public Affairs Research Foundation (lobbing interests of Social Credit Party)1967 – Systems of Redondo Beach1984 - policy consultant by the Representative Party of Alberta1987 – leader of the Reform Party of Canada

In his speech “Choosing a Political Vehicle to represent the West” Manning propose to create a trans-ideological western party.

It was not just regional party. Manning said he wanted to found “truly national party with its roots in the resourse-producing regions”.

He introduced the idea of New Canada with a new identity that would solve existing problems

“Reformers seek a New Canada—a Canada which may be defined as "a balanced, democratic federation of provinces, distinguished by the sustainability of its environment, the viability of its economy, the acceptance of its social responsibilities, and the recognition of the equality and uniqueness of all of its citizens and provinces." New Canada must include a new deal for aboriginal peoples and a new Senate to address the problem of regional alienation. New Canada must be workable without Quebec, but it must be open and attractive enough to include a New Quebec”.

1987 1988 1993 1997 2000

2.1% of the total national vote

"The West Wants In".

Economic Fairness (Jobs for the West)Political Equality (a Voice for the West)Responsible Government.

18,69% of the total national

vote

Success was related to the mobilization of

people who were opposed to the welfare state

19,35% of the total national

vote

Reform changed tactics by running a candidate in every riding in Canada, including those in Quebec. The party increased its total seats to 60 and became the Official Opposition.

After the election Manning realized the Reform Party would never win control of Parliament, and therefore the prime minister's office, without gaining support in Eastern provinces, particularly populous Ontario.The goal was to create a conservative political alternative to the Liberals that could won Ontarian and Atlantic Canadian voters. He started negotiation with the Progressive Conservatives and…

The Reform Party of Canadathe Canadian Reform and

Conservative Alliance (in opposition between 2000 ans 2003)

The Conservative Party of Canada

2000

The Manning Centre's Web site states that its mission is to “equip the next generation of

political leaders, especially those who share

our conservative values”.

Each year the Manning Centre puts on the largest conference in Canada for conservatives and classical liberals – the Manning Centre Conference. This annual event provides grassroots volunteers, think tanks, academics, advocacy organizations, elected officials and others with an opportunity to network, learn new skills and discuss emerging issues.

Populist themes in the Reform Party (Laycock)

•Regionalism, anti-party, anti-state and into-minority structured the Party’s articulation; however, its populism was quite inclusive •The Party identified ‘the people’ as ordinary, hard-working citizens or westerns•Other party as “tax-grabbing bureaucratic elites’•Regular use of the instruments of direct democracy •After entering Parlament, Reform promoted further decentralization of power to the provinces, fiscal belt tightening major social and regional development programmes cuts, replacement of many social services programmes by private charity work•‘Workfare’ as an alternative to welfare•Elimination of state support for multi-cultural advocacy groups•Promote harsher treatment of criminals

References

1. Cohen, T. Is Canada's Reform Party of the 1990s a Tea Party model? CNN, August 26, 2010. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/08/25/tea.party.canada.reformers/ - last accessed on October 23, 2015. 2. Flanagan T. Waiting for the wave: The Reform Party and The Conservative movement. McGill-Queens University Press, 1995, 268 pp. 3. Harrison, Trevor. Of Passionate Intensity: Right-Wing Populism and the Reform Party of Canada. University of Toronto Press, 1995, 325 pp.4. Levant, E. Manning doesn't speak for conservatives, SUN, November 22, 2014. http://www.torontosun.com/2014/11/22/manning-doesnt-speak-for-conservatives - last accessed on October 23, 2015. 5. Mudde C., Kaltwasser C.R. (ed.) Populism in Europe and Americas: treat or corrective for democracy? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. 6. Reform Party of Canada, http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Reform_Party_of_Canada - last accessed on October 23, 2015 .7. Reform Party of Canada, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/reform-party-of-canada/ - last accessed on October 23, 2015.

Reform’s party was thus unquestionably ‘thin-centred’, with much of its ideological core found in the nostrum of the contemporary North America new right.

It triggered a transformation of the federal party system, mobilized new regional groups, started constriction of new political alliances, added potent fuel to the flames of citizens’ suspicion of governments and established parties, and laid the foundation of political success for a party far more conservative than most commentators would thought possible two decades ago.