II.

Formation of the Party

The Progressive Conservative Party developed in largely French-speaking Canada East (now Québec) and English-speaking Canada West (now Ontario) in the 1850s when both were part of the British colony of Canada. From the beginning the party was defined by cautious loyalty to traditional authorities and interests, and in particular to the monarchy of Britain and the traditions of British Toryism.

In 1854 the more moderate members of a reform movement in Canada East joined with English-speaking Conservatives to form a coalition government for the province of Canada, which was a union of Canada East and Canada West. The new group was called the Liberal-Conservative Party, a name that can be confusing because the labels liberal and conservative typically stand for opposite poles of political thinking. In many countries each of these poles is represented by a major party. Eventually this would be true in Canada: the Liberal-Conservatives gradually dropped Liberal from their name, seldom using it after the 1870s, and a new Liberal Party formed to oppose them. In 1942 the Conservatives added Progressive to their name in an effort to appeal to reformist sentiments among voters.

Throughout Canadian history, the Progressive Conservative Party tended to stress national economic development, economic protectionism, and central management of the Canadian state. However, like their primary rivals the Liberals, the Progressive Conservatives demonstrated few consistent positions in national affairs. Rather, the party’s positions were fluid over time, directed more by opportunism than by principle.