Liberal-Conservative Party#History
{{distinguish|Liberal Party of Canada|Conservative Party of Canada}}
{{about|the historic Canadian political party|the historic political party known as Liberal-Conservative in the UK|Peelite|the political party in Spain with the same name|Liberal-Conservative Party (Spain)|the political ideology|Liberal conservatism}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = Liberal-Conservative Party
| logo =
| colorcode = {{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative (historical)}}
| leader =
| deputy_leader =
| president =
| chairman =
| general_secretary =
| first_secretary =
| secretary_general =
| presidium =
| secretary =
| spokesperson =
| predecessor = Parti bleu
| merged = Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
| founders = John A. Macdonald
George-Étienne Cartier
| foundation = 1867
| dissolution = 1938 (party renamed)
| ideology = Conservatism
| position = Centre-right to right-wing
| headquarters =
| international =
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| country = Canada
}}
{{Conservatism Canada}}
The Liberal-Conservative Party ({{langx|fr|le Parti libéral-conservateur}}) was the formal name of the Conservative Party of Canada until 1917, and again from 1922 to 1938. Prior to 1970, candidates could run under any label they chose, and in many of Canada's early elections, there were both "Liberal-Conservative" and "Conservative" candidates; however, these were simply different labels used by candidates of the same party. Both were part of Sir John A. Macdonald's government and official Conservative and Liberal-Conservative candidates would not, generally,{{clarify|reason=Were there exceptions?|date=January 2018}} run against each other. It was also common for a candidate to run on one label in one election and the other in a subsequent election.Donald Creighton, John A. Macdonald (2 vol 1955).
History
The roots of the name are in the coalition of September 11, 1854{{Cite web |title=MORIN, AUGUSTIN-NORBERT |url=https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/morin_augustin_norbert_9E.html |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Dictionary of Canadian Biography}} in which moderate Reformers and Conservatives from Canada West joined with bleus from Canada East under the dual premiership of Sir Allan MacNab and A.-N. Morin. The new ministry committed to secularizing Clergy reserves in Canada West and abolishing seigneurial tenure in Canada East.J. M. S. Careless, The Union of the Canadas 1841–1857, Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1967, pp. 192–197. Over time, the Liberal-Conservatives were commonly referred to as the Conservative party and their opponents, the Clear Grits and the Parti rouge evolved into the Liberal Party of Canada.Joseph Wearing, "Finding our parties' roots" in Canadian Parties in Transition, 2nd ed., Toronto: Nelson Canada, 1996, pp. 19–20 However, the Liberal-Conservative Party remained the official name to 1917,{{Cite web |title=Liberal Conservative hand-book : - Canadiana |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.62926/10 |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.canadiana.ca}}{{Cite web |title=Liberal Conservative hand-book on organization ... - Canadiana |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.64802/5 |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.canadiana.ca}}{{Cite web |title=The Liberal-Conservative platform as laid down ... - Canadiana |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.73759/1 |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.canadiana.ca}}{{Cite web |title=[The Liberal-Conservative handbook, 1913]. - Canadiana |url=https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.87250/1 |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=www.canadiana.ca}} and again from 1922 to 1938.{{Cite book |last=MacNicol |first=John R. |url=https://archive.org/details/P011361/P011361/ |title=National Liberal-Conservative convention held at Winnipeg, Manitoba, October 10th to 12th, 1927 |publisher=Southam Press |language=English}}
Prominent Liberal-Conservative Members of Parliament and Senators in Canadian history include:
- Sir John A. Macdonald
- Sir George-Étienne Cartier
- Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt
- Sir John Carling
- Sir John Rose
- Thomas D'Arcy McGee
- Joseph Howe
- Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley
- Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott
- John Henry Pope
- Joseph-Aldric Ouimet (Liberal-Conservative MP 1873–1896, ran as Conservative and defeated in 1908)
- Sir John Sparrow David Thompson
- Sir Sam Hughes
- Sir Hugh John Macdonald
- Archibald McLelan (Liberal-Conservative Senator, resigned and elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative after 1881)
- Joseph Godéric Blanchet (Liberal-Conservative from 1867 to 1875, Conservative 1875–1878, Liberal-Conservative 1878–1883)
- John Costigan (Liberal-Conservative 1867–1900, crossed the floor to join the Liberals in 1901)
The party resumed formally referring to itself as Liberal-Conservative from 1922{{cite web|title=MEIGHEN, ARTHUR|url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/meighen_arthur_18E.html|website=Dictionary of Canadian Biography|publisher=University of Toronto/Université Laval}} until 1938 when it officially became the National Conservative Party;{{cite web|title=1938 CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP CONVENTION|url=http://www.cpac.ca/en/1938-conservative-leadership/|website=CPAC|publisher=Cable Public Access Channel|access-date=2016-02-07|archive-date=2018-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106015315/http://www.cpac.ca/en/1938-conservative-leadership/|url-status=dead}} however, it was commonly referred to as the Conservative Party throughout this period.
Liberal Conservative Coalition
In the 1957 election, George Rolland, a watchmaker, sought election as a Liberal Conservative Coalition candidate in the Toronto riding of Eglinton. He placed last, winning only 252 votes, or 0.7% of the total. Both the Liberal and Conservative parties nominated candidates in the riding, so Rolland did not have the endorsement of either party.
Source: [https://www.parl.ca/ Parliament of Canada History of the Federal Electoral Ridings since 1867]
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- Creighton, Donald Grant. John A. Macdonald: The Old Chieftain. Vol. 2. (1955).
- English, John. The Decline of Politics: The Conservatives and the Party System, 1901-20 (1977)
- Gwyn, Richard J. Nation Maker: Sir John A. Macdonald: His Life, Our Times. 1867-1891. Volume Two (2011)
- Neatby, H. Blair, and John T. Saywell. "Chapleau and the Conservative Party in Quebec." Canadian Historical Review 37 (1956): 17. [http://www.erudit.org/revue/RAM/1961/v40/n1/300582ar.pdf online]
=Primary sources=
- J. H. Stewart Reid, et al., eds. A Source-book of Canadian History: Selected Documents and Personal Papers (1964). [https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=91233293 online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102133940/http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=91233293 |date=2007-11-02 }} pp 333–49
{{Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942)}}
{{Canadian conservative parties}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1864 establishments in Canada
Category:Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942)
Category:Defunct political parties in Canada