Party progressist-conservative of Ontario

The Parti progressist-conservative Ontario (also called party PC of Ontario) is a political party of center-droite in the Canadian province of Ontario. The progressist-conservatives, or tories , were with the capacity for most of time since the confederation, and controlled without interruption of 1943 to 1985. For 73 the 100 last years, Ontario was under a government progressist-conservative. Party PC of Ontario was known during many years like the " party controlling natural of Ontario".

History

Origins

The first Conservative party in the High-Canada is made up loyal supporters ( United Empire Loyalists ) and of partisans of the rich person Family Compact which reigns at that time on the colony and is opposed to the responsible Gouvernement. Once the government responsible granted in answer to the Rebellions for 1837, the tories reappear as moderate reformists who oppose the radical policies Reformers, then Clear Grits.

The modern Conservative party has its origins in the liberal-preserving coalition founded by Sir John A. Macdonald and George-Etienne Cartier in 1854. It is an alternative of this coalition which forms the first government in Ontario with John Sandfield Macdonald like Prime Minister. After having lost the capacity in 1871, this coalition preserving is put to dissolve. What was in the beginning an accessible party catholic and Protestant becomes a party almost exclusively protesting and English, increasingly dependant on Orange the Ordre protesting for its supports, and even its leadership. The party then opposes the financing separate schools (catholic), the linguistic rights of the French Canadian and being wary towards the immigrants. In a paradoxical way, an element of the party acquires the reputation to be pro-trade-union in result of the bonds between the Orange order and the labor movement.

The Whitney years

After 33 years in the Opposition, the tories are renewed with the capacity under James P. Whitney, which carries out an administration progressist in his development of the province. The Whitney government starts massive projects of public works like the creation of Ontario Hydro. It also adopted legislations reactionaries (like the Règlement 17) against the population Canadian-Frenchwoman in Ontario. The tories are with the capacity of 1905 with 1934, with only one 5 years interruption. After the death of Whitney in 1914, however, they miss vision and become obliging. The tories are ejected capacity by the United Farmers off Ontario at the time of the election of 1919 but take again the capacity in the election of 1923 because of the disintegration of the UFO and divisions within the Liberal party of Ontario. They are demolished by the liberals of Mitchell Hepburn in 1934 because they are unable to compose with the Grande Depression.

Dynasty of post-war period

Between 1943 and 1985, the party works out a political apparatus which becomes known under the name of Big Blue Machine (Large blue machine). During most of this period, the party is done very center, often making countryside on the left Liberal party of Ontario. This tendency knows its apogee under John Robarts, which is Prime Minister of 1961 with 1971, and Bill Davis, a Red Tory which is Prime Minister of 1971 to 1985.

The fiber anti-catholic, anti-French and anti-immigrant of the Conservative party become obvious under George Drew, which incorporates all these elements. In 1961, John Robarts becomes the 17th Prime Minister for Ontario. He is one of most popular the Prime Ministers since years. Under the direction of Robarts, the party personifies the capacity. He is a defender of individual freedoms and defends the rights of the provinces against what he perceives like the centralizing initiatives of the federal government, while preaching the unit nétionale against the Québécois separatism. He is the host of the conference " Confederation of demain" in 1967 with Toronto, a tentavie failed to reach an agreement for a news Constitution of Canada.

Robarts is opposed initially to the universal health system when it is proposed, but later has suddenly supported it completely. It carries out the party towards a movement of civil Libertarianisme. A fervent supporter of the promotion of the two official languages, it opens the door with French education in the Ontarian schools.

The era of the Large blue machine

In 1971, Bill Davis becomes chief of the party and 18th Prime Minister. Anti-Catholicism again becomes a hot spot in the election of 1971, when the tories make countryside against a proposal of the liberals widen the financing of the Catholic schools separated until thirteenth year. Davis changes idea into 1985, and one of its last acts before leaving the capacity is to make adopt the extension of the financing.

Davis controls until 1985 with a team of advisers known under the name of the Large blue machine (Big Blue Machine) because of their political and strategic talents quasi-legendary.

During the years of Davis to the head of the Party progressist-conservative, the party moves towards the center, positioning even on the left Liberal party on certain questions. This undoubtedly contributes to do of him one of the most popular politicians of the history of Ontario. Certain conservatives in the Parti federal progressist-conservative show it to damage the preserving image in Canada while positioning on the left.

End of the dynasty

According to a congress of nomination in February 1985, the new head of party and Prime Minister, Frank Miller, starts an election at the conclusion which the conservatives are reduced at a minority government. Miller resigns after the Nouveau Democratic party of Bob Rae concludes an agreement with the liberal from David Peterson which makes it possible the latter to form a Minority government with Peterson at the station of first minstre. Miller is replaced at the post of head by Larry Grossman at the time of a second congress of nomination.

When the liberal-NPD agreement ends, an election is held in 1987 at the time from which the tories fall in third place to the legislative Assemblée from Ontario - Grossman is personally demolishes in its district of the downtown area Toronto-native and resigns immediately. Andy Brandt is the temporary chief of the new party until a new congress of nomination is held in 1990, at the time which Mike Harris is elected chief of the party, demolishing Diane Cunningham.

The tories hardly improve their positon in the election of 1990 Harris pennies, while the government Peterson east demolishes with the hands of the NPD which forms a majority Gouvernement under the Prime Minister Bob Rae.

The Revolution of the good sense

In the election of 1995, Harris catapults its party of the third place to an electoral victory, making countryside on a platforme called the " Revolution of the good sense " , a platforme of right-hand side which puts the emphase on important falls of taxes, cuts with the social assistance, the introduction of the workfare (social assistance in exchange of work), privatization and other measurements néolibérales. Harris gains one second majority in 1999 in spite of strikes and demonstrations during its first mandate.

The Harris government is criticized on the questions of the health care, the environment and its policies of imposition, that criticize them blame for the creation of a budget deficit of 5 billion $ left by the Conservative party in its last year with the capacity.

The fall in the supports of the progressist-conservatives begins in 2000, according to the house of survey Ipsos Reid, when the tories fall behind the liberals in the public opinion polls for the first time since the election from 1999, with 36% compared with 42% for the liberals and 17% for the NPD. Later in 2000, the supports with the liberals go up to approximately half of the probed people, while the conservatives remained in the neighborhoods of 30%. This tendency is maintained in the countryside with the leadership of 2002, the supports of the conservatives reaching 37% and the liberals continuing to receive the supports of half of the questioned people.

Ernie Eves: a distance vis-a-vis the Revolution of the good sense

With the resignation of Mike Harris in 2002, the progressist-conservatives hold a congress of nomination. Ernie Eves, which had been Minister for Finance of Harris, and which enjoyed the support of almost all the Député S of its party, gains the race.

Eves rejects the Révolution of the good sense after having reached the post of Prime Minister. It cancels plans to sell Hydro One when the deregulation of the prices of energy contribute to a rise out of arrow of the prices of eletricity and make plane the threat of a revolt of the consumers. In answer, it again imposes a price control on electricity, putting a ceiling to the price to 4,3 hundreds per kilowatt-hour and swears to maintain the ceiling at least until 2006. The result is a national debt in rapid growth to compensate for the low price of electricity.

During the summer after the election of Eves as chief, the progressist-conservatives join the liberals in the popular support, placing themselves at only two points behind the liberals in two surveys. In autumn 2002, however, the honeymoon of Eves with the voters ends, and the party falls again in the surveys, incompetent to exceed the bar of the 40%, while the liberals approach 50%.

Defeat at the polls of 2003

In spite of an attempt to redefine the image of the government as being moderated, Eves is unable to reverse the downward trend in the surveys whose tories suffered since the last year from the mandate from Harris.

Eves recruits the organizer of countryside of Jim Flaherty, Jamie Watt, to manage jointly the preserving electoral campaign, as well as the remainder of the " team; Whiz Kid" who had worked before for Harris. Only Long Tom, the central organizer of the campaigns of Harris, refuses to work for Eves.

Reputation of competence of the " Whiz Kids" is obscured by advertizing operations like the presentation of the second budget of the government at the head office of Magna International instead of the legislative Parliament. The reaction of the voters towards this breaking of the parliamentary tradition forced the handing-over with the autumn of the electoral campaign initially planned for the autumn 2003.

In May 2003, Eves returns public the platforme of the party, entitled " The Road Ahead". Documant preaches a aggressif diary of right-hand side, and was closer to the spirit of the countryside to the leadership of Flaherty than that of Eves. While publishing this document, Eves reconsiders its preceding positions on the prohibition of the strikes of teachers, the imprisonment of the homeless people, the taxation of the private schools and the Homosexual marriage.

The electoral campaign of the progressist-conservatives is strewn with errors and blunders, and Eves is obviously badly at ease to promote a platforme which he had previously criticized. Publicities televised attacking the liberal chief Dalton McGuinty are badly received from the public and makes it possible to the liberals to qualify the countryside of the tories like an useless confrontation campaign.

A critical point of the countryside arrives when members of the team of Eves humorously refer to McGuinty like a " malicious eater of kittens reptilian of another planète" , a comment which makes appear the tories like desperate diaboliseurs. In the last days before the vote, Eves is criticized égalament to have said of McGuinty that it " known as all that comes to him in its small head pointue". The day of the poll, the conservatives are demolished and reduced to 24 seats with the legislature.

Return to the positions Red Tory

Early in 2004, Eves announces its intention to resign as head of party. A congress of nomination to replace it is convened for the autumn.

Jim Flaherty is the first to be launched out in the race, making countryside with same the platforme of right-hand side as in 2002. He is quickly opposed by John Tory, an former executive of Rogers Calbe and former candidate with the town hall of Toronto in 2003, condidéré like Red Tory because of his association with the former Ontarian Prime Minister Bill Davis. The deputy Frank Klees, the third candidate in the race, is a partisan of the Révolution of the good sense and the only candidate to preach a parallel system of health care private.

The congress of nomination is held the September 18th 2004, electing John Tory with the head of the party. Tory, a associate of long time of Party PC, is elected with the Ontarian legislature at the time of a by-election in March 2005, in the old district of Eves.

In the recent surveys, the popular support with the progressist-conservatives increased since the first liberal budget in 2004. They succeeded in keeping the momentum, remainder with equality with the liberals.

During the political congress of 2006, the chief John Tory reveals his plan for the progressist-preserving electoral platforme for the electoral campaign of 2007. Its ideas are enumerate in documents called " The White Papers".

Chiefs of the party

John Tory

See too

Conservative party of Canada (old)
Left progressist-conservative Canada
Conservative party of Canada
List of the Prime Ministers for Ontario
Ontarian Political parties

External bond

Official site

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