CanadianTory's Wikibox Thread

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

Although he achieved one of the greatest comebacks in Canadian political history, much like Arthur Meighen, Prime Minister Nielsen’s second stint as head of the government turned out to be as equally bad as his first. Unable to form a fruitful relationship with Presidents Kennedy, Carter or Prime Minister Callaghan, Nielsen found himself locked out of global policy. The economy meanwhile had grown only worse since the last election, with unemployment rising to roughly 9 per cent with gas prices rising to 52 cents a liter. On top of that numerous scandals had emerged, including one which suggested the Prime Minister knew but failed to disclose the amount of money the government was spending on military contracts. There were also reports that a member of the Prime Ministers cabinet had attempted to bribe a media official in order to gain the government more positive coverage. Although Nielsen was cleared of any wrongdoing by the RCMP, who cited lack of knowledge on the part of the Prime Minister, the fact it occurred under his watch left the Tories plummeting in the polls.

In the interim before the election the Liberals had chosen a new leader whom many party faithful hoped would return the party to the government benches. Defeating both Don Johnson and John Turner in a narrow and bitter leadership campaign, Iona Campagnolo promised voters a return to government transparency, balanced budgets, and a stronger presence on the world stage. However a woman had never led a major political party in Canada before, which placed the newly minted Liberal leader in a fight against the political social structure of the country.

Despite initial polling which suggested the Liberals would form only a minority government, the campaign quickly became a worse nightmare for the Tories than either 1956 or 1979. At one point polling even began to indicate that the NDP was tied with the Tories for second place in voter support. The debates proved to be a disaster for Nielsen, who came across as overly aggressive and patronizing towards Campagnolo, who in turn came across as the more level headed of the party leaders. On Election Day the results weren’t even close. The Liberals formed the largest majority in Canadian history, while the Tories narrowly hung onto the status of Official Opposition.

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

Due to her historic majority win, Prime Minister Campagnolo faced little real opposition to the passage of her party’s campaign platform. The first term proved to be an uphill battle for the Liberal leader, who at times was undermined by her more ambitious, male cabinet ministers, and as a result came across as weak in the first year and a half of her mandate. Problems also began to unfold regarding the government’s ability to handle the economy, which had, albeit slowly, began to recover. However voter’s expectations, as reflected by in the overwhelming majority they granted her four years ago, meant many voters wanted a quick solution to a complex and resilient crisis. Yet the economy, by the time of the election campaign, had made sufficient gains, and the country had strengthened its presence on the world stage. In fact, almost immediately following her swearing in she was invited by President Carter to attend a White House summit on World Peace as a sign of rehabilitated relations with the United States.

Polling towards the beginning of the election year gave the Liberals enough support that pundits confidently predicted that the government would be returned with either a strong minority or a weak majority, but enough seats to keep them in power.

The Tories meanwhile found themselves in perhaps their worst crisis since John Diefenbaker’s poor showing in 1956. Not only had the party barely managed to hold onto their status as official opposition, but they were facing two parties whose leaders were held in high regard by voters. The ensuing leadership election following former Prime Minister Erik Nielsen’s expected resignation saw former Toronto Mayor and International Trade Minister David Crombie face off against former Finance Minister Michael Wilson and former Health Minister Flora Macdonald. Despite the hopes of many Tories that Brian Mulroney would enter the race, the Iron Ore Company President opted to stay out of the race, citing family reasons, although many suggested Mulroney was not prepared to leave his high paying job for a shot at a job he was not guaranteed.

Called one of the most civil elections in Canadian history, the Liberals were once again elected with a majority government, primarily on the themes of economic competence and a strengthening middle class, while the Tories managed to fend off Lorne Nystrom’s NDP and make small inroads in Toronto and the 905 area. Yet despite these gains the more troubling trend for the Tories was that the newly created Parti National, a pro-Quebec political party with some roots in sovereignty, had won a handful of Quebec seats in response to the Tories new, mainly unilingual leader.

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

Prime Minister Campagnolo’s second majority win suggested that voters were ready to bestow upon the Liberals the title of Canada’s natural governing party – a title which had previously belonged to the Tories under Davie Fulton – and with it an unrestricted mandate to govern the country in whichever way they saw fit. While voters respected and liked David Crombie, a man many voters saw as a decent and well meaning man who would have the experience to govern the country, his lack of proficiency in French raised the question of whether or not he could accurately maintain national unity, a topic which had risen on the minds of voters due in part to the Parti National. During the Prime Ministers second term much of the governments focus was given to providing voters a sense of proper economic management and transparency, the two pillars in which the government was originally elected on. However some rumours began to spread which suggested that the government was preparing to introduce major legislation of some kind, specifically in relation to the office of the Governor General, but no announcement was made before the election campaign.

At the beginning of the campaign polls showed that voters maintained their confidence in the government’s ability to regulate the economy, despite both the rising dollar and stagnant growth. At the same time however polls also showed that voters preferred the idea of David Crombie as Prime Minister over Iona Campagnolo, who had become characterized by the media as a somewhat cold and calculating politician. Over the course of the campaign those same polls showed that the race had become narrowed with a noticeable segment of voters undecided, possibly enough so to give either the Liberals or the Tories a minority government. However Crombie’s inability to handle himself in the debate, specifically the French debate, once again proved to voters that the former Toronto Mayor was perhaps too nice and lacked the skills required to be Prime Minister.

On Election Night voters narrowly handed the Liberals their third majority government, primarily due to surprised vote splitting between the Tories and the NDP in the West and Ontario, and the Liberals almost unbeatable Federalist credentials in Quebec. Canadians had allowed Prime Minister Campagnolo to survive, but as voters would find out, what the Liberal Leader had planned for her upcoming mandate would radically transform the country forever, and Canadian politics along with it.

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

Campagnolo’s government spent much of its new mandate in the field of constitutional reforms. Hoping to not only weaken ties with Great Britain but to create a form of legacy legislation to which future historians could point to as a major accomplishment, the Prime Minister introduced a plan to begin the process of reforming both the Senate and the Office of the Governor General. Beginning negotiations with the provincial premiers, Campagnolo hoped that both institutions would face voters within the next few years. The Prime Minister proposed that the Senate hold elections concurrent with federal elections, while elections for the Governor General, who would serve single, six year terms, held similarly to the Presidential elections of France, although the office would still perform the same ceremonious function as it had in the past. However the move faced intense opposition from certain groups, which included the more traditional elements of the Tory party, the newly formed Heritage party under Deborah Grey, the Premiers of Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick, as well as some more traditional minded Liberals.

Yet despite the fierce opposition the government would continue to push the legislation, making the centerpiece of the government’s legislative agenda. Hoping to catch her opponents off guard the Prime Minister announced a referendum on the issue in the spring of 1994, a vote that the Liberals would narrowly win 50.019 per cent to 49.981 per cent. With passage of the reforms all but guaranteed in the Liberal dominated senate and endorsed by Governor General and former Liberal MP Romeo Leblanc, the parties in the House overwhelmingly voted in favor of the motion, with the exception of some rouge MP’s and was accepted by all Premiers, with the exception of those of New Brunswick, PEI, and Alberta. Yet the strong-armed tactics used by the Prime Minister left a sour taste in the mouths of voters, many of who viewed the Liberal leader as having forced unnecessary, albeit accepted legislation on the country for her own political gain. Those who voted in favor of the constitutional amendment were divided amongst the political spectrum, which robbed the Prime Minister and her government of any boost in the polls. With the opinion of both her and her party plummeting to historic lows, aided by the fact the government had neglected rising inflation across the country, Prime Minister Campagnolo announced her resignation as Prime Minister and was succeeded by Foreign Affairs Minister John Manley. Yet Manley’s victory, in which he narrowly defeated Paul Martin, Jr., the son of former Prime Minister Paul Martin, Sr., sowed the seeds of his own defeat. Achieved through an eventually leaked backroom deal with third place candidate Brian Tobin to run in the convention on the sole purpose of siphoning away Martin votes on the condition that upon his victory Manley would appoint the Newfoundland MP Deputy Prime Minister, various newspapers would play the deal as the new Prime Minister manipulating the convention and robbing Martin of his victory. Hoping to use the party’s weakened situation to his own advantage, Martin and several of his allies abandoned the Liberal Party and formed the Reform Party, which he presented as a new, center-left alternative to what he described as a Liberal party moving too far to the right under Manley and having abandoned the more Left-wing legacy of his father, although the Quebec Liberal was rumoured to have secretly hoped that the new party would steal enough support from the Liberals to force a merger with himself as leader. The Tories meanwhile, under their new leader Lucien Bouchard, were delighted by the situation. Polling showed them far ahead of the pack, and on track to win the House and the Senate, as well as the upcoming, albeit in practice non-partisan, Governor General Election, ironically scheduled to take place on Canada Day.

After weeks of campaigning, debating and politicking, Canadians handed Lucien Bouchard and the Tories a narrow majority government and a plurality in the Senate, and surprisingly catapulted the New Democrats, still led by the relatively popular Lorne Nystrom, to the status of Official Opposition, primarily the result of vote splitting between the Liberals and the Reform Party. Canada had changed dramatically since the last election, and had now entered a new era of political dynamics in Ottawa.

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

The first Prime Minister to hail from Quebec since the short term of Jean Marchand and the first one who at the same time was a conservative, Lucien Bouchard’s ascension to 24 Sussex began a new age for not only the Tory party, but the country as well. During the new parliament the government, in an attempt to rain in the government spending which had spiraled out of control during former Prime Minister Campagnolo’s constitutional reform campaign, introduced plans to cut the amount of money the government spent on social programs such as Healthcare and Employment Insurance. While immensely unpopular, economists across the country, including Finance Minister David A. Dodge, argued that the move would return Canada to the tradition of a balance budget. The Prime Minister also had to face opposition from within his own party to cementing the constitutional changes implemented by the previous government, changes which had ironically strengthened the Tories hold on power with former Alberta Premier Joe Clark occupying the office of Governor General and David Crombie, the popular former Tory leader, serving as leader of the government in the Senate. Crombie, while effective at passing his party’s legislative agenda without much opposition in the upper chamber, surprisingly resigned his position in favor of the promotion of Brian Mulroney, the Prime Minister’s close personal friend. Such Quebecois-favoured appointments, which included fellow Tory Benoit Tremblay as Governor of the Bank of Canada, left a sour taste in the mouths of many voters, who had disapproved the many patronage appointments made by the Liberals during their decade in power.

In the aftermath of their surprising surge in the last election the New Democrats saw many of their new, inexperienced MP’s embarrass themselves at the expense of the party. Many of the new MP’s failed to show up at the proper committees which they had been assigned to, and in one instance the NDP Member of Parliament for Champlain skipped the opening session of Parliament due to a previously scheduled vacation trip to Los Vegas. Due to these instances Lorne Nystrom, who had led the NDP since 1984, announced his intention to resign rather than face the uncertainty of the planned leadership review. The Official Opposition eventually chose the charismatic and long-time Broadview-Greenwood MP Bob Rae to replace the outgoing leader, and hoped the Ontario MP’s youthful energy, not to mention his connections in the country’s most populous province would be enough to force the government into a minority situation in the next election.

Sensing that his continued leadership was no longer welcomed by members of the party, former Prime Minister John Manley resigned as Liberal leader shortly after the election results sentenced his once powerful party to exile in third place. Hoping to bring back voters who had abandoned the party in favour of Paul Martin’s Reform Party, who polls suggested had overcome them in voter preference, many of the party’s grassroots members hoped to select Shelia Copps, the former Heritage Minister, as their next leader. However in a surprise turn of events the party delegates instead narrowly chose Peter Miliken, the candidate the media declared best positioned to continue the legacy of John Manley. The selection prompted some analysts to speculate that the Reform party would form the official opposition to the Tories in the upcoming campaign.

The first election of the new millennium began as a horse race for second between the New Democrats and the Reform Party, with polls indicating that the Tories, who had campaigned on their economic management and the promise of a balanced budget, would form yet another majority government. The French debate became a verbal fist-fight between Paul Martin and Lucien Bouchard over who would represent French Canada better while the English debate was noted by a surprisingly strong performance by Bob Rae, who stressed interparty cooperation as the best way to begin the new century. In the final week, with many still confident in the projection of another Tory majority, the dot com bubble collapsed, sending Canada into yet another, albeit minor, recession and the stock market into the red. While not enough to cost Lucien Bouchard the keys to 24 Sussex, the collapse had cost the Tories their coveted second majority. Voters had sentenced the Prime Minister to governing with a minority, once again faced with an opposition led by the New Democrats, who had narrowly fended off Reform to maintain ownership of the title of Official Opposition.

Prime Ministers of Canada:
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1920-1921
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1921-1926
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1926
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1926-1930
R.B. Bennett (Conservative) 1930-1935
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1935-1944
John Bracken (Progressive Conservative) 1944-1952
Charles Gavan Power (Liberal) 1952-1962
Paul Martin, Sr. (Liberal) 1962-1967
Davie Fulton (Progressive Conservative) 1967-1978
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1978-1979
Jean Marchand (Liberal) 1979-1980
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1980-1984
Iona Campagnolo (Liberal) 1984-1994
John Manley (Liberal) 1994-1996
Lucien Bouchard (Progressive Conservative) 1996-

Senate Leaders of Canada:
John Turner (Liberal) 1996
David Crombie (Progressive Conservative) 1996-1999
Brian Mulroney (Progressive Conservative) 1999-

Governor Generals of Canada:
Joe Clark (Non-Partisan) 1996-

Bracken over Socialism
Canadian federal election, 1944
Canadian federal election, 1946
Canadian federal election, 1951
Canadian federal election, 1952
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1953
Canadian federal election, 1956
Canadian federal election, 1960
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1961
Liberal leadership election, 1962
Canadian federal election, 1965
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1966
Canadian federal election, 1967
Liberal leadership election, 1970
Canadian federal election, 1971
Canadian federal election, 1975
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1978
Liberal leadership election, 1978
Canadian federal election, 1979
Canadian federal election, 1980
Liberal leadership election, 1981
Canadian federal election, 1984
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1986
Canadian federal election, 1988
Canadian federal election, 1992
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1993
Liberal leadership election, 1994
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 1996
Governor General election, 1996
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2000

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

Prime Ministers of Canada:
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1920-1921
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1921-1926
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1926
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1926-1930
R.B. Bennett (Conservative) 1930-1935
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1935-1944
John Bracken (Progressive Conservative) 1944-1952
Charles Gavan Power (Liberal) 1952-1962
Paul Martin, Sr. (Liberal) 1962-1967
Davie Fulton (Progressive Conservative) 1967-1978
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1978-1979
Jean Marchand (Liberal) 1979-1980
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1980-1984
Iona Campagnolo (Liberal) 1984-1994
John Manley (Liberal) 1994-1996
Lucien Bouchard (Progressive Conservative) 1996-

Senate Leaders of Canada:
John Turner (Liberal) 1996
David Crombie (Progressive Conservative) 1996-1999
Brian Mulroney (Progressive Conservative) 1999-2001
John Crosbie (Progressive Conservative) 2001-

Governor Generals of Canada:
Joe Clark (Non-Partisan) 1996-2002
Margaret Atwood (Non-Partisan) 2002-

Bracken over Socialism
Canadian federal election, 1944
Canadian federal election, 1946
Canadian federal election, 1951
Canadian federal election, 1952
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1953
Canadian federal election, 1956
Canadian federal election, 1960
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1961
Liberal leadership election, 1962
Canadian federal election, 1965
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1966
Canadian federal election, 1967
Liberal leadership election, 1970
Canadian federal election, 1971
Canadian federal election, 1975
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1978
Liberal leadership election, 1978
Canadian federal election, 1979
Canadian federal election, 1980
Liberal leadership election, 1981
Canadian federal election, 1984
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1986
Canadian federal election, 1988
Canadian federal election, 1992
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1993
Liberal leadership election, 1994
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 1996
Governor General election, 1996
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2000
Governor General election, 2002

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

The following interim between elections had failed to strengthen the position of both Lucien Bouchard and the Tory party in the eyes of the electorate. Having survived a backroom attempt to replace him, spearheaded by Treasury Board President Perrin Beatty, the Prime Minister saw his party lose control of their legislative agenda, primarily due to the unpredictable nature of the minority parliament. While the economy had improved considerably since the dot com bubble the government had narrowly failed to deliver on its promise to present a balanced budget to Canadians. As well, the attacks on the United States by religious extremists, dubbed the 711 bombings, plunged the Western world into a conflict in which a majority of voters preferred not to take part in at all. Pressured by President Wilson to enter with America into a military conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq to expel the Taliban from the Middle East, the Prime Minister only agreed to send limited forces to Afghanistan, a move which earned hostility from the American administration, who in turn saw fit to impose protectionist economic policies as retribution. While finding limited support in the form of Great Britain and Prime Minister Kinnock, the Prime Minister and the government would find themselves unable to stop the resulting pain brought on by the Americans to the Canadian economy.

While the government toiled away in the agonies of international policy, foreign relations and the economy, the opposition parties plotted their future. Still led by Bob Rae, the New Democrats had become the voice of the moderate isolationist Canadian and became seemingly positioned, according to the polls, to threaten the Progressive Conservatives seemingly invincible hold on power, due in part to vote splitting, which would potentially mark the first time in Canadian history that neither the Tories nor the Grits would win power. Reform meanwhile had lost credibility with voters following the defeat of their leader and founder, Paul Martin, in the most recent Governor General Elections, having narrowly been defeated in the first round of voting. Although the election had also cost the Tories one of their most effective soldiers in the form of Brian Mulroney, it had caused voters to reassess Reform’s ability to form government, having lost momentum following their narrow defeat for the title of Government in Waiting. Reform rejected calls for reunification with the Liberals, who had replaced the disastrous Milliken with former Ontario Finance Minister Gerard Kennedy, by selecting Martin loyalist Joe Volpe as their new leader, who promised to rebut cooperation with either the New Democrats or the Liberals on any grounds.

The campaign itself unsurprisingly focused on the Tories record on the affairs of the economy, international relations, and the war in Afghanistan. While flustered during the French debate, in which the Prime Minister had nearly referred to himself as Quebecois rather than Canadian, the English debate ironically would allow the Quebec-born leader to appeal to voters, portraying his party as the only option to prevent the New Democrats from spending the country into oblivion. While voters had tired of Bouchard’s somewhat stubborn and blusterous persona, they were not yet ready to hand Bob Rae the keys to 24 Sussex, and thus awarded the Tories their third straight plurality of the seats in the House of Commons. However in perhaps one of the most unexpected turn of events in Canadian political history the New Democrats announced that they had formed a coalition agreement with the fourth place Liberals, with support from the Parti National, to effectively form a workable majority government.

Prime Ministers of Canada:
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1920-1921
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1921-1926
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1926
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1926-1930
R.B. Bennett (Conservative) 1930-1935
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1935-1944
John Bracken (Progressive Conservative) 1944-1952
Charles Gavan Power (Liberal) 1952-1962
Paul Martin, Sr. (Liberal) 1962-1967
Davie Fulton (Progressive Conservative) 1967-1978
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1978-1979
Jean Marchand (Liberal) 1979-1980
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1980-1984
Iona Campagnolo (Liberal) 1984-1994
John Manley (Liberal) 1994-1996
Lucien Bouchard (Progressive Conservative) 1996-2003
Bob Rae (New Democrat) 2003-

Senate Leaders of Canada:
John Turner (Liberal) 1996
David Crombie (Progressive Conservative) 1996-1999
Brian Mulroney (Progressive Conservative) 1999-2001
John Crosbie (Progressive Conservative) 2001-2003
Alexa McDonough (New Democrat) 2003-

Governor Generals of Canada:
Joe Clark (Non-Partisan) 1996-2002
Margaret Atwood (Non-Partisan) 2002-

Bracken over Socialism
Canadian federal election, 1944
Canadian federal election, 1946
Canadian federal election, 1951
Canadian federal election, 1952
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1953
Canadian federal election, 1956
Canadian federal election, 1960
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1961
Liberal leadership election, 1962
Canadian federal election, 1965
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1966
Canadian federal election, 1967
Liberal leadership election, 1970
Canadian federal election, 1971
Canadian federal election, 1975
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1978
Liberal leadership election, 1978
Canadian federal election, 1979
Canadian federal election, 1980
Liberal leadership election, 1981
Canadian federal election, 1984
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1986
Canadian federal election, 1988
Canadian federal election, 1992
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1993
Liberal leadership election, 1994
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 1996
Governor General election, 1996
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2000
Governor General election, 2002
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2003

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

Prime Ministers of Canada:
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1920-1921
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1921-1926
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1926
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1926-1930
R.B. Bennett (Conservative) 1930-1935
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1935-1944
John Bracken (Progressive Conservative) 1944-1952
Charles Gavan Power (Liberal) 1952-1962
Paul Martin, Sr. (Liberal) 1962-1967
Davie Fulton (Progressive Conservative) 1967-1978
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1978-1979
Jean Marchand (Liberal) 1979-1980
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1980-1984
Iona Campagnolo (Liberal) 1984-1994
John Manley (Liberal) 1994-1996
Lucien Bouchard (Progressive Conservative) 1996-2003
Bob Rae (New Democrat) 2003-

Senate Leaders of Canada:
John Turner (Liberal) 1996
David Crombie (Progressive Conservative) 1996-1999
Brian Mulroney (Progressive Conservative) 1999-2001
John Crosbie (Progressive Conservative) 2001-2003
Alexa McDonough (New Democrat) 2003-

Governor Generals of Canada:
Joe Clark (Non-Partisan) 1996-2002
Margaret Atwood (Non-Partisan) 2002-

Bracken over Socialism
Canadian federal election, 1944
Canadian federal election, 1946
Canadian federal election, 1951
Canadian federal election, 1952
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1953
Canadian federal election, 1956
Canadian federal election, 1960
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1961
Liberal leadership election, 1962
Canadian federal election, 1965
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1966
Canadian federal election, 1967
Liberal leadership election, 1970
Canadian federal election, 1971
Canadian federal election, 1975
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1978
Liberal leadership election, 1978
Canadian federal election, 1979
Canadian federal election, 1980
Liberal leadership election, 1981
Canadian federal election, 1984
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1986
Canadian federal election, 1988
Canadian federal election, 1992
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1993
Liberal leadership election, 1994
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 1996
Governor General election, 1996
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2000
Governor General election, 2002
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2003
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 2004

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

Although it seemed to be filled with promise the New Democrat-led coalition government became plague by various problems almost immediately following its inception. Aside from the opposition charges that the government was illegitimate due to the fact the NDP has failed to win a plurality of seats in the House of Commons, some members of the Prime Minister’s cabinet butted heads over the direction of foreign and domestic policy. Despite the fact he was made Deputy Prime Minister and allowed the freedom to choose a third of the cabinet, Liberal leader Gerard Kennedy used every opportunity made available to himself to strengthen his own party’s position at the expense of the government, hoping to swing back enough support to his own party so as to form his own coalition government following the next election. The coalition suffered another setback following the conclusion of the governments first year in power, with the Parti National renouncing their support for the government, citing the NDP’s disinterest in providing the pro-Quebec party any influence with regards to Quebec and French language policy. Yet the government’s ability to pass such measures as the legalization of Same-Sex Marriage, not to mention having provided Canadians with their first balanced budget in more than a decade allowed both the New Democrats and the Liberals to fend off any major disaster in the polls.

Meanwhile the opposition had undergone significant changes since the previous election. Although Bouchard had planned to fight the next election, the Quebec MP was forced to resign by caucus members due to the defection of several western MP’s to the Heritage Party as a protest against the former Prime Minister’s more liberal, eastern establishment positions. Following the surprise announcement that former Deputy Prime Minister Jim Prentice would not enter the race, the ensuing leadership election pitted a unified Blue Tory faction, represented by former Environment Minister Brian Pallister, against a heavily splintered Red Tory faction, represented by New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord, former Finance Minister John Tory, and former Justice Minister Lawrence Cannon. Despite the hopes that either Lord or Tory would emerge as the leading candidate of their respective faction, both carried enough support to divide the convention in favour of Pallister, who eventually won on the fourth ballot. Though the selection of a western Blue Tory conservative quelled the Heritage Party’s rise in the polls and would reclaim the lost members in the House, voters seemed uneasy with a man who appeared to be at odds with a majority of Canadians on social issues, specifically on same-sex marriage and abortion. Regarding the former, Pallister attempted to vote down the measure legalizing the new marriage laws, but saw many of his own members vote in favor, allowing the passage of the Bill and the formation of a rift between himself and the leaders of the Red Tory caucus.

The campaign itself became a battle over parliamentary procedure, with the Tories attacking the NDP for forming an illegitimate government and disregarding the will of voters while the NDP hailed their coalition as a new step towards a more conciliatory, cooperative parliament. Gerard Kennedy and the Liberals found themselves in a bind, unable to attack the government which they had been a part of, and unable to effectively quell attacks from Reform that they had become nothing more than the New Democrats henchmen. Both the Heritage Party and Parti National meanwhile retreated to their respective home provinces to find support. While many voters were inclined to support the New Democrats, who had delivered on many of their election promises, an equal amount still felt distrust towards a party which had formed power despite coming in second. On Election Day Canadians gave the NDP their first elected mandate in the party’s history, but with the continued dissipation of support for the Liberals, removed any possible majority coalition from forming in the House of Commons. The Tories however managed to hold many of their seats in the west while suffering almost a complete loss in Quebec, although partially saved in the Atlantic once again from vote splitting between the NDP, Liberals and Reform.

Prime Ministers of Canada:
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1920-1921
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1921-1926
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1926
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1926-1930
R.B. Bennett (Conservative) 1930-1935
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1935-1944
John Bracken (Progressive Conservative) 1944-1952
Charles Gavan Power (Liberal) 1952-1962
Paul Martin, Sr. (Liberal) 1962-1967
Davie Fulton (Progressive Conservative) 1967-1978
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1978-1979
Jean Marchand (Liberal) 1979-1980
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1980-1984
Iona Campagnolo (Liberal) 1984-1994
John Manley (Liberal) 1994-1996
Lucien Bouchard (Progressive Conservative) 1996-2003
Bob Rae (New Democrat) 2003-

Senate Leaders of Canada:
John Turner (Liberal) 1996
David Crombie (Progressive Conservative) 1996-1999
Brian Mulroney (Progressive Conservative) 1999-2001
John Crosbie (Progressive Conservative) 2001-2003
Alexa McDonough (New Democrat) 2003-

Governor Generals of Canada:
Joe Clark (Non-Partisan) 1996-2002
Margaret Atwood (Non-Partisan) 2002-

Bracken over Socialism
Canadian federal election, 1944
Canadian federal election, 1946
Canadian federal election, 1951
Canadian federal election, 1952
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1953
Canadian federal election, 1956
Canadian federal election, 1960
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1961
Liberal leadership election, 1962
Canadian federal election, 1965
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1966
Canadian federal election, 1967
Liberal leadership election, 1970
Canadian federal election, 1971
Canadian federal election, 1975
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1978
Liberal leadership election, 1978
Canadian federal election, 1979
Canadian federal election, 1980
Liberal leadership election, 1981
Canadian federal election, 1984
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1986
Canadian federal election, 1988
Canadian federal election, 1992
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1993
Liberal leadership election, 1994
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 1996
Governor General election, 1996
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2000
Governor General election, 2002
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2003
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 2004
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2005

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

Due to the volatile nature of the minority parliament, Bob Rae’s government failed to last even a year in power, brought down by a vote of non-confidence by the combined support of the Tories and Reform. The brief time between elections had not even allowed the New Democrats to pass any form of major legislation whatsoever, in particular their controversial Bill C-18, entitled An Act to Amend the Canadian Labour Code, which allowed Unions greater strength with respect to strikes and lockouts and the removal of the term Right to Work. Although easily defeated, the Bill provided the Opposition with enough ammo to paint the New Democrats as what they had been described as in the 1960’s, a vessel for Union bosses and not the average, hardworking Canadian voter.

Much like the previous campaign the election was fought over the issue of who Canadians could trust to lead their government, with the Tories, who had moderated many of their positions to win over swing voters, using the slogan “Demand Better”. Pallister attempted to portray himself as the boring economist candidate with no interest in social issues like abortion or same-sex marriage, saying both issues had been decided upon by voters and as a result his party would not revisit them. The New Democrats however argued that the Tories had a hidden agenda based on social conservatism, much akin to the Republican party of the United States, which would be implemented if they assumed power. Gerard Kennedy, who due to brief time frame between elections had been allowed by the party caucus to stay on as leader for one more election, campaign on the concept of introducing a Transparency Act to Parliament, which would hold parties and politicians to higher account with respect to spending.

Yet the party with the greatest difficulty in the campaign was Reform. Having been formed primarily as a tool for Paul Martin to seek revenge on former Prime Minister John Manley, and with Martin retired to the quiet life of academia in Montreal, the party had little purpose or difference with their counterpart. While the party had gained a significant number of seats in the previous election, their victory was more the result of angry Liberal voters letting off steam than actually siding with them. As such, while polls still showed a number of Liberal voters angry towards their leader, the fact that the Grits had proposed the transparency act suggested to voters that the Reform party lacked any real ideas of reforming parliament. In the hopes of dealing a crippling blow to the Liberals, Volpe made the idea that if the New Democrats gained enough seats in the election the Liberals would simply form yet another coalition with them, selling out their supporters for power, the driving force of his entire campaign.

At the end of the campaign voters decided the New Democrats still had some maturing to do if they were to granted true power, handing the Tories a narrow minority government and sending the New Democrats back to the Opposition benches. Prime Minister-designate Pallister promised to usher in a new era of responsible conservative government, while the NDP looked to a desperate ally to retake power, even if that meant sacrificing their founding principles to attain it.

Prime Ministers of Canada:
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1920-1921
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1921-1926
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1926
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1926-1930
R.B. Bennett (Conservative) 1930-1935
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1935-1944
John Bracken (Progressive Conservative) 1944-1952
Charles Gavan Power (Liberal) 1952-1962
Paul Martin, Sr. (Liberal) 1962-1967
Davie Fulton (Progressive Conservative) 1967-1978
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1978-1979
Jean Marchand (Liberal) 1979-1980
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1980-1984
Iona Campagnolo (Liberal) 1984-1994
John Manley (Liberal) 1994-1996
Lucien Bouchard (Progressive Conservative) 1996-2003
Bob Rae (New Democrat) 2003-2006
Brian Pallister (Progressive Conservative) 2006-

Senate Leaders of Canada:
John Turner (Liberal) 1996
David Crombie (Progressive Conservative) 1996-1999
Brian Mulroney (Progressive Conservative) 1999-2001
John Crosbie (Progressive Conservative) 2001-2003
Alexa McDonough (New Democrat) 2003-

Governor Generals of Canada:
Joe Clark (Non-Partisan) 1996-2002
Margaret Atwood (Non-Partisan) 2002-

Bracken over Socialism
Canadian federal election, 1944
Canadian federal election, 1946
Canadian federal election, 1951
Canadian federal election, 1952
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1953
Canadian federal election, 1956
Canadian federal election, 1960
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1961
Liberal leadership election, 1962
Canadian federal election, 1965
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1966
Canadian federal election, 1967
Liberal leadership election, 1970
Canadian federal election, 1971
Canadian federal election, 1975
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1978
Liberal leadership election, 1978
Canadian federal election, 1979
Canadian federal election, 1980
Liberal leadership election, 1981
Canadian federal election, 1984
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1986
Canadian federal election, 1988
Canadian federal election, 1992
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1993
Liberal leadership election, 1994
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 1996
Governor General election, 1996
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2000
Governor General election, 2002
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2003
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 2004
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2005
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2006

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Bracken over Socialism

Prime Ministers of Canada:
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1920-1921
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1921-1926
Arthur Meighen (Conservative) 1926
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1926-1930
R.B. Bennett (Conservative) 1930-1935
William Lyon Mackenzie King (Liberal) 1935-1944
John Bracken (Progressive Conservative) 1944-1952
Charles Gavan Power (Liberal) 1952-1962
Paul Martin, Sr. (Liberal) 1962-1967
Davie Fulton (Progressive Conservative) 1967-1978
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1978-1979
Jean Marchand (Liberal) 1979-1980
Erik Nielsen (Progressive Conservative) 1980-1984
Iona Campagnolo (Liberal) 1984-1994
John Manley (Liberal) 1994-1996
Lucien Bouchard (Progressive Conservative) 1996-2003
Bob Rae (New Democrat) 2003-2006
Brian Pallister (Progressive Conservative) 2006-

Senate Leaders of Canada:
John Turner (Liberal) 1996
David Crombie (Progressive Conservative) 1996-1999
Brian Mulroney (Progressive Conservative) 1999-2001
John Crosbie (Progressive Conservative) 2001-2003
Alexa McDonough (New Democrat) 2003-

Governor Generals of Canada:
Joe Clark (Non-Partisan) 1996-2002
Margaret Atwood (Non-Partisan) 2002-2008
Romeo Dallaire (Non-Partisan) 2008-

Bracken over Socialism
Canadian federal election, 1944
Canadian federal election, 1946
Canadian federal election, 1951
Canadian federal election, 1952
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1953
Canadian federal election, 1956
Canadian federal election, 1960
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1961
Liberal leadership election, 1962
Canadian federal election, 1965
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1966
Canadian federal election, 1967
Liberal leadership election, 1970
Canadian federal election, 1971
Canadian federal election, 1975
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1978
Liberal leadership election, 1978
Canadian federal election, 1979
Canadian federal election, 1980
Liberal leadership election, 1981
Canadian federal election, 1984
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1986
Canadian federal election, 1988
Canadian federal election, 1992
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 1993
Liberal leadership election, 1994
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 1996
Governor General election, 1996
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2000
Governor General election, 2002
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2003
Progressive Conservative leadership election, 2004
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2005
Canadian federal and Senate elections, 2006
Liberal Democrat leadership election, 2007
Governor General election, 2008

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

There, all caught up!

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

oh, and here's a gift for the fans

Rick Orman

Alberta:
Rick Orman

Turquoise Blue · Sep 21, 2014

CanadianTory said:
There, all caught up!

You flubbed up in 2005.

CanadianTory · Sep 21, 2014

Turquoise Blue said:
You flubbed up in 2005.

Whoops, had the image listed wrong in the file

Fixed!