This is a list of federal leaders after Confederation who were members of federal conservative parties.
Tory leaders since Confederation
This a list of leaders of the
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Con ...
(1867–1942),
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003.
From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942, the ...
(1942–2003), and
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Con ...
(2003–present) ("the Tory parties"), and of
prime ministers
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
of Canada after Confederation who were members of those parties.
Conservative (1867–1942)
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–2003)
Conservative Party of Canada (2003–present)
Tory prime ministers of Canada
This a list of
prime ministers
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
of Canada after Confederation who were members of the "Tory parties": the
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Con ...
(1867–1942),
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003.
From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942, the ...
(1942–2003), and
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Con ...
(2003–present).
Conservative (1867–1942)
* Sir
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...
(1867–1873, 1878–1891)
* Sir
John Abbott
Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party.
Abbot ...
(1891–1892)
* Sir
John Sparrow David Thompson
Sir John Sparrow David Thompson (November 10, 1845 – December 12, 1894) was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician who served as the fourth prime minister of Canada from 1892 until his death. He had previously been fifth premier of Nova Sco ...
(1892–1894)
* Sir
Mackenzie Bowell
Sir Mackenzie Bowell (; December 27, 1823 – December 10, 1917) was a Canadian newspaper publisher and politician, who served as the fifth prime minister of Canada, in office from 1894 to 1896.
Bowell was born in Rickinghall, Suffolk, En ...
(1894–1896)
* Sir
Charles Tupper
Sir Charles Tupper, 1st Baronet, (July 2, 1821 – October 30, 1915) was a Canadian Father of Confederation who served as the sixth prime minister of Canada from May 1 to July 8, 1896. As the premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867, he led N ...
(1896)
* Sir
Robert Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I.
Borde ...
(1911–1920)
*
Arthur Meighen
Arthur Meighen (; June 16, 1874 – August 5, 1960) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Canada from 1920 to 1921 and from June to September 1926. He led the Conservative Party from 1920 to 1926 and fro ...
(1920–1921, 1926)
*
R. B. Bennett (1930–1935)
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–2003)
*
John Diefenbaker
John George Diefenbaker ( ; September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the 13th prime minister of Canada, serving from 1957 to 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 and 1979 to lead the party to an electio ...
(1957–1963)
*
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph Clark (born June 5, 1939) is a Canadian statesman, businessman, writer, and politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980.
Despite his relative inexperience, Clark rose quickly in federal polit ...
(1979–1980)
*
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993.
Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political sci ...
(1984–1993)
*
Kim Campbell
Avril Phaedra Douglas "Kim" Campbell (born March 10, 1947) is a Canadian politician, diplomat, lawyer, and writer who served as the 19th prime minister of Canada from June 25 to November 4, 1993. Campbell is the first and so far only female p ...
(1993)
Conservative Party of Canada (2003–present)
*
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
(2006–2015)
Electoral performance of Tory leaders
Conservative (historical; 1867–1942)
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–2003)
Conservative Party of Canada (2003–present)
Other conservative parties' leaders
Parties that have had representation in the House of Commons
"Reform-Alliance"
= Leaders of the
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada (french: Parti réformiste du Canada) was a right-wing populist and conservative federal political party in Canada that existed under that name from 1987 to 2000. Reform was founded as a Western Canada-based protes ...
=
*
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning (born June 10, 1942) is a Canadian retired politician. He was the founder and the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance in 2000 which in tur ...
(October 31, 1987 – March 25, 2000)
= Leaders of the
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed u ...
=
*
Deborah Grey
Deborah Cleland Grey, (born July 1, 1952) is a retired Canadian member of Parliament from Alberta for the Reform Party of Canada, the Canadian Alliance, and the Conservative Party of Canada. She was the first female leader of the Opposition in ...
(March 27, 2000 – July 8, 2000) (''
interim
An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities.
Interim may also refer to:
Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept)
*Provis ...
'')
*
Stockwell Day
Stockwell Burt Day Jr. (born August 16, 1950) is a Canadian former politician who led the Canadian Alliance from 2000 to 2001, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.
A provincial cabinet minister from Alberta, Day served as minister ...
(July 8, 2000 – December 12, 2001)
*
John Reynolds (December 12, 2001 – March 20, 2002) (''
interim
An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities.
Interim may also refer to:
Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept)
*Provis ...
'')
*
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
(March 20, 2002 – December 7, 2003)
Leaders of the
Reconstruction Party of Canada
The Reconstruction Party was a Canadian political party founded by Henry Herbert Stevens, a long-time Conservative Member of Parliament (MP). Stevens served as Minister of Trade in the Arthur Meighen government of 1921, and as Minister of Trad ...
*
Henry Herbert Stevens
Henry Herbert Stevens, (December 8, 1878 – June 14, 1973) was a Canadian politician and businessman. A member of R. B. Bennett's cabinet, he split with the Conservative Prime Minister to found the Reconstruction Party of Canada.
Early ...
(1935–1938)
Leaders of the
Social Credit Party of Canada
The Social Credit Party of Canada (french: Parti Crédit social du Canada), colloquially known as the Socreds, was a populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform. It was the federal wing of the Canadi ...
*
John Horne Blackmore (1935–1944) (parliamentary leader)
*
Solon Earl Low (1944–1961)
*
Robert Thompson Robert or Bob Thompson may refer to:
Entertainment
* Bobby Thompson (comedian) (1911–1988), English comedian
* Bob Thompson (musician) (1924–2013), American orchestra leader, arranger, composer
* Robert E. Thompson (screenwriter) (1924–2004 ...
(1961–1967)
*
Alexander Bell Patterson
Alexander Bell Patterson (April 22, 1911 – April 2, 1993) was a long-time Canadian member of Parliament (MP) and was briefly leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada.
He was the son of an Irish father and Scottish mother who immigrated t ...
(1967–1968) (''
interim
An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities.
Interim may also refer to:
Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept)
*Provis ...
'')
*
Réal Caouette
David Réal Caouette (September 26, 1917 – December 16, 1976) was a Canadian politician from Quebec. He was a member of Parliament (MP) and leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada and founder of the '' Ralliement des créditistes''. Outsid ...
(1971–1976)
*
André-Gilles Fortin
André-Gilles Fortin (November 13, 1943 – June 24, 1977) was a Canadian politician. Fortin was a member of the House of Commons of Canada for Lotbinière. He was first elected in the 1968 federal election for the Ralliement Créditiste ...
(1976–1977)
*
Gilles Caouette
Gilles Caouette (February 16, 1940 – August 13, 2009) was a Canadian politician and member of Parliament.
Caouette was born in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. His father, Réal Caouette, was a prominent Social Credit politician, and leader of the ...
(1977–1978) (''
interim
An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities.
Interim may also refer to:
Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept)
*Provis ...
'')
*
Charles-Arthur Gauthier (1978) (''
interim
An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities.
Interim may also refer to:
Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept)
*Provis ...
'')
*
Lorne Reznowski (1978–1979)
*
Charles-Arthur Gauthier (1979) (''
interim
An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities.
Interim may also refer to:
Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept)
*Provis ...
'')
*
Fabien Roy
Fabien Roy (born April 17, 1928) is a former Canadian politician who was active in Quebec in the 1970s. Roy was elected to the National Assembly of Quebec and the House of Commons of Canada, and advocated social credit theories of monetary refo ...
(1979–1980)
*
Martin Hattersley (1981–1983)
*
Ken Sweigard (1983–1986) (''
interim
An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities.
Interim may also refer to:
Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept)
*Provis ...
'')
*
Harvey Lainson
Harvey George Lainson (c. 1935 – February 28, 2005) was a Canadian Christian evangelical minister based in the Cambridge, Ontario, region and was leader of the Social Credit Party of Canada from 1986 to 1990 during which time he led a successful ...
(1986–1990)
*
Ken Campbell
Kenneth Victor Campbell (10 December 1941 – 31 August 2008) was an English actor, writer and director known for his work in experimental theatre. He has been called "a one-man dynamo of British theatre".
Campbell achieved notoriety in the 1 ...
(1990–1993)
Parties that have had no representation in the House of Commons
Leaders of the
Christian Heritage Party of Canada
The Christian Heritage Party of Canada (french: Parti de l'héritage chrétien du Canada), also referred to as CHP Canada, is a minor social conservative and Christian right federal political party in Canada; it was founded in 1987, the brainch ...
*
Ed Vanwoudenberg (1987–1991)
*
Charles Cavilla (1991–1993)
*
Heather Stilwell Heather Stilwell (January 26, 1944 – December 4, 2010) was a Canadian political activist and former school trustee in Surrey, British Columbia. A staunch Roman Catholic, she was well known for her opinions opposing homosexuality, abortion, and ...
(1993–1994) (''
interim
An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities.
Interim may also refer to:
Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept)
*Provis ...
'')
*
Jean Blaquière
Jean Blaquière, a Pentecostal pastor, was a candidate for the Christian Heritage Party of Canada in the Canadian federal election of 1993, and won the party leadership in March 1994 at a Vancouver convention, in a race with two other contenders.
...
(1994–1995)
*
Ron Gray (1995–2008)
*
Jim Hnatiuk (2008–2014)
*David J. Reimer (2014) (''
interim
An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities.
Interim may also refer to:
Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept)
*Provis ...
'')
*
Rod Taylor
Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including ''The Time Machine'' (1960), ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), '' The Birds'' (1963), and ''In ...
(2014 – present)
Leaders of the
Libertarian Party of Canada
The Libertarian Party of Canada (french: Parti libertarien du Canada) is a federal political party in Canada founded in 1973. The party subscribes to classical liberal tenets, and its mission is to reduce the size, scope, and cost of government ...
* Sieg Pedde (1973–1974)
* Charles 'Chuck' Lyall (1974–1976)
* Ron Bailey (1976–1978)
*
Alex Eaglesham (1978–1979)
*Linda Cain (1980–1982)
*
Neil Reynolds (May 1982 – 1983)
*Victor Levis (1983–1987)
*Dennis Corrigan (1987–1990)
*
Stanislaw Tyminski (1990–1991)
*George Dance (1991–1993)
*Hilliard Cox (May 1993 – 1995)
*George Dance (1995–1996)
*Vincent Pouliot (May 12, 1996 – April 5, 1997)
*Robert Morse (1997)
*
Jean-Serge Brisson
Jean-Serge Brisson (born June 28, 1954) is a Canadian political activist, tax reform advocate, politician, and author. He is a former leader of the Libertarian Party of Canada and gained national notoriety in the 1990s for his opposition to busin ...
(1997 - May 18, 2008)
Agenda
*Dennis Young (May 18, 2008 - May 2011)
*Katrina Chowne (May 2011 – May 2014)
* Tim Moen (May 2014 – 2021)
*Jacques Boudreau (2021 – present)
Leaders of the
Progressive Canadian Party
The Progressive Canadian Party (PC Party) (french: Parti progressiste canadien) was a minor centre-right federal political party in Canada. It was registered with Elections Canada, the government's election agency, on March 29, 2004.
Under prov ...
*Ernie Schreiber
The Progressive Canadian Party (PC Party) (french: Parti progressiste canadien) was a minor centre-right federal political party in Canada. It was registered with Elections Canada, the government's election agency, on March 29, 2004.
Under prov ...
(2004–2005) (''interim
An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities.
Interim may also refer to:
Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept)
*Provis ...
'')
*Tracy Parsons (2005–2007)
*Sinclair Stevens
Sinclair McKnight Stevens, (February 11, 1927 – November 30, 2016) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman and cabinet minister.
Early life
He was born in Esquesing Township (today part of Halton Hills, Ontario), the third child of Northern Irish ...
(2007–2016)
*Joe Hueglin
Joseph Fred Hueglin (February 7, 1937 – July 5, 2022) was a Canadian politician who was a Member of Parliament and a founder of the Progressive Canadian Party.
Born in Stratford, Ontario, Hueglin was elected to Parliament in 1972 in the r ...
(2016–2019)
Leaders of the
Western Block Party
The Western Block Party (WBP) was a federal political party in Canada, founded in 2005 by Doug Christie. The party was registered on December 29, 2005, and deregistered on January 31, 2014.
Platform
The aim of the party was to promote the indep ...
*Doug Christie
Douglas Dale Christie (born May 9, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at , he played the shooting guard p ...
(November 30, 2005 – March 11, 2013)
*Paul St. Laurent (March 11, 2013 – January 31, 2014)
Leader of the
Alliance of the North
The Alliance of the North (french: Alliance du Nord) was a Canadian social conservative and right-wing populist political party, originating from the province of Quebec. In the 2015 federal election, the party nominated its leader François Béla ...
*François Bélanger (September 11, 2013 — present)
Leader of the People's Party of Canada
The People's Party of Canada (french: Parti populaire du Canada, PPC) is a right-wing populist federal political party in Canada. The party was formed by Maxime Bernier in September 2018, shortly after his resignation from the Conservative Pa ...
*Maxime Bernier
Maxime Bernier (born January 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who is the founder and leader of the People's Party of Canada (PPC). Formerly a member of the Conservative Party, Bernier left the caucus in 2018 to form the PPC. He was the member ...
(September 14, 2018 – present)
References
Notes
* Created Viscount Bennett following his retirement from office.
* On this occasion, Meighen failed in his attempts to win re-election to the House of Commons, so Hanson remained Leader of the Opposition throughout Meighen's term
* Bracken did not win election to the House of Commons until 1945, so Hanson remained Leader of the Opposition until January 1943, when he was replaced by Gordon Graydon
Gordon Graydon (December 7, 1896 – September 19, 1953) was a Canadian politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Peel from 1935 to 1953.
Background
Graydon received his early education at S.S. No. 6 Chinguacousy in the Cou ...
* On two occasions when Drew was too ill to perform his duties, William Earl Rowe
William Earl Rowe, (May 13, 1894 – February 9, 1984), was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1963 to 1968.
Background
Rowe was born in Hull, Iowa, United States, of Canadian pare ...
served as Leader of the Opposition
* Michael Starr served as Leader of the Opposition until November 5, 1967, when Stanfield, who had previously been premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, won election to Parliament''
* Brisson led the party on an interim basis prior to being elected at a delegated convention in 2000.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian conservative leaders
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
*
Conservatism-related lists