Overview
The Reform Party was founded in 1987 as an effort to give a voice to Western Canadian interests.Policies
A cornerstone of the Reform Party's agenda was the rejection of the belief that Canada is a divided country, with division existing between English and French Canada. Instead,_Preston_Manning_called_for_a_"New_Canada"_with_a_new_identity_that_would_solve_existing_problems,_stating_in_his_book_''The_New_Canada''_(1992):The_leaders_of_Canada's_traditional_federal_parties_continue_to_think_of_our_country_as_"an_equal_partnership_between_two_founding_races,_the_English_and_French"—a_federation_of_founding_peoples_and_ethnic_groups_distinguished_by_official_bilingualism,_government-sponsored_multiculturalism,_and_government_enterprise._The_approach_to_national_unity_is_to_grant_special_status_to_those_Canadians_who_feel_constitutionally_or_otherwise_disadvantaged._This_is_Old_Canada—and_it_has_become_"a_house_divided_against_itself."Manning,_1992._Pviii.
Reformers_seek_a_New_Canada—a_Canada_which_may_be_defined_as_"a_balanced,_democratic_federation_of_provinces,_distinguished_by_the_sustainability_of_its_environment,_the_viability_of_its_economy,_the_acceptance_of_its_social_responsibilities,_and_the_recognition_of_the_equality_and_uniqueness_of_all_of_its_citizens_and_provinces."_New_Canada_must_include_a_new_deal_for_aboriginal_peoples_and_a_new_Senate_to_address_the_problem_of_regional_alienation._New_Canada_must_be_workable_without_Quebec,_but_it_must_be_open_and_attractive_enough_to_include_a_New_Quebec.The_Reform_Party_saw_the_Canadian_federal_government_as_led_by_the_ Instead,_Preston_Manning_called_for_a_"New_Canada"_with_a_new_identity_that_would_solve_existing_problems,_stating_in_his_book_''The_New_Canada''_(1992):
The_leaders_of_Canada's_traditional_federal_parties_continue_to_think_of_our_country_as_"an_equal_partnership_between_two_founding_races,_the_English_and_French"—a_federation_of_founding_peoples_and_ethnic_groups_distinguished_by_official_bilingualism,_government-sponsored_multiculturalism,_and_government_enterprise._The_approach_to_national_unity_is_to_grant_special_status_to_those_Canadians_who_feel_constitutionally_or_otherwise_disadvantaged._This_is_Old_Canada—and_it_has_become_"a_house_divided_against_itself."Manning,_1992._Pviii.
Reformers_seek_a_New_Canada—a_Canada_which_may_be_defined_as_"a_balanced,_democratic_federation_of_provinces,_distinguished_by_the_sustainability_of_its_environment,_the_viability_of_its_economy,_the_acceptance_of_its_social_responsibilities,_and_the_recognition_of_the_equality_and_uniqueness_of_all_of_its_citizens_and_provinces."_New_Canada_must_include_a_new_deal_for_aboriginal_peoples_and_a_new_Senate_to_address_the_problem_of_regional_alienation._New_Canada_must_be_workable_without_Quebec,_but_it_must_be_open_and_attractive_enough_to_include_a_New_Quebec.The_Reform_Party_saw_the_Canadian_federal_government_as_led_by_the_Liberal_Party_of_Canada">Liberal
The leaders of Canada's traditional federal parties continue to think of our country as "an equal partnership between two founding races, the English and French"—a federation of founding peoples and ethnic groups distinguished by official bilingualism, government-sponsored multiculturalism, and government enterprise. The approach to national unity is to grant special status to those Canadians who feel constitutionally or otherwise disadvantaged. This is Old Canada—and it has become "a house divided against itself."Manning, 1992. Pviii.
Reformers seek a New Canada—a Canada which may be defined as "a balanced, democratic federation of provinces, distinguished by the sustainability of its environment, the viability of its economy, the acceptance of its social responsibilities, and the recognition of the equality and uniqueness of all of its citizens and provinces." New Canada must include a new deal for aboriginal peoples and a new Senate to address the problem of regional alienation. New Canada must be workable without Quebec, but it must be open and attractive enough to include a New Quebec.The Reform Party saw the Canadian federal government as led by the Liberal Party of Canada">Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
Role of government
Decentralization and Senate reform
The Reform Party called for a decentralized Canadian federation in which the provinces would have more authority and advocated that the Canadian federal government ensure provincial equality in Canada such as by creating aReductions in government-provided services
The Reform Party called for the privatization of various government services that the party believed could be better provided by the private sector. These government services included a number of state-owned corporations includingEconomic policy
International trade policies
The Reform Party supported aTaxation policies
The Reform Party supported significant tax cuts for citizens and businesses and opposed the Goods and Services Tax (Canada), Goods and Services Tax (GST).Social policy
Aboriginal affairs
The Reform Party called for major changes in the federal government's relations with Aboriginal peoples, which included dismantling theGay rights
The Reform Party strongly opposed extending marriage rights to gays and lesbians. Many members of the Reform Party saw homosexuality as a moral wrong. Reform leader Preston Manning himself once publicly stated that "homosexuality is destructive to the individual, and in the long run, society". Rayside, David Morton. 1998. ''On the Fringe: Gays and Lesbians in Politics''. Cornell University Press. Pp. 12Immigration policy, language, and minority rights
The Reform Party advocated an immigration policy based solely on the economic needs of Canada and differed from the other main parties by calling for more restrictions on immigration and for an annual limit on migration into Canada. Reform's early policy proposals for immigration were seen as highly controversial in Canada including a policy pamphlet called ''Blue Sheet'' that was issued in mid-1991 stating that Reformers opposed "any immigration based on race or creed or designed to radically or suddenly alter the ethnic makeup of Canada". The statement was considered too controversial and subsequent Reform Party policy documents did not declare any similar concern for a radical alteration of the ethnic make-up of Canada. By 1993, the party began to soften its image as intolerant of minorities and ahead of the 1997 election sought to both recruit candidates and appeal to voters from ethnic minority backgrounds.Tropper, Harold Martin; Weinfeld, Morton. Pp. 257 In an updated version of the party's policy platform released as the ''Blue Book'' in 1996, Reform supported the acceptance and integration of immigrants and refugees that met the requirements of the UNNational unity
The Reform Party differed greatly with other major federal political parties in regards to national unity, as it did not treat the Francophone province of Quebec in a unique manner. Instead, it believed Quebec was just one province of Canada, all of which were equal and none having a special status. Unlike the other parties, Reform did not believe that Quebec secession should be sought to be avoided at all costs and by all means, because the party believed that this amounted to favouritism to Quebec. Reformers believed that Canada could continue to exist without Quebec, but hoped that offers of decentralization would satisfy the desire of the Quebec government for greater autonomy while still being equitable to all the provinces.Public controversies regarding Reform's policies
Manning denied that he and most Reformers based their policies on intolerant views, but admitted that the party's populism had an inadvertent effect of drawing in some intolerant people whom Manning claimed he had always sought to keep out.Manning, Preston. ''The New Canada''. Macmillan Canada, 1992. P24. Manning claimed that he was just as committed to purging extremists from the Reform Party as his fatherIf a revival of grassroots democratic populism is to be characteristic of the revitalization of Canadian federal politics of the 1990s, especially in Quebec and the West, it is of primary importance that its leaders be well versed in ways and means of preventing populism from developing racist or other extremist overtones. (This, of course, is also the number-one challenge facing those attempting to lead the reform movements of eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.)"By 1997, the Reform Party attempted to combat distaste for its views on immigration and minority rights by selecting multiple members of ethnic minority groups as candidates in that year's federal election. As a result, multiple minorities became Reform MPs, including
Political roots and the party's creation
In May 1987, a conference called "A Western Assembly on Canada's Economic and Political Future" was held inThe party in the late 1980s
The Reform Party was founded as a1990s
In 1991 and 1992, support for Reform rose not only in Western Canada, but also in other parts of Canada as well, including1993 election
The constitutional debacle, unpopular initiatives such as the introduction of a Goods and Services Tax (Canada), Goods and Services Tax (GST), together with a series of high-profile scandals, all contributed to the implosion of the Progressive Conservative "grand coalition" in the 1993 election. The Progressive Conservatives suffered the worst defeat ever for a governing party at the federal level, falling from 151 to only two seats, while the Liberals under Jean Chrétien won a majority government. The Reform Party's success in 1993 was related to the mobilization of people who were opposed to the welfare state, but this represents only one dimension of the party's appeal. Jenkins (2002) examines the effect of issues on Reform support during the campaign and considers the actual process by which issues affected party support. Although candidates can prime or stress certain issues for voters, the priming label is sometimes misused. Jenkins makes a distinction between campaign learning and priming. If voters do not know where a party stands on an issue, they cannot adequately employ this information in their overall evaluation. Evidence demonstrates that the increased importance of attitudes toward the welfare state was largely a function of the distribution of new information or learning, while the increased importance of cultural questions represented priming.Electoral base
Reform was the major beneficiary of the Tory collapse, taking nearly 16% of the popular vote – a healthy increase from 1988. With few exceptions, the PCs' Western support transferred ''en masse'' to Reform. It won all but four seats in Alberta and dominatedStatus in Ottawa
Reform began as a Western protest party in the minds of most Canadians. Its heavy concentration of support in the West netted it 52 seats. However, the Bloc Québécois's concentration of support in Quebec was slightly larger, leaving Reform three seats short of Official Opposition status despite finishing second in the popular vote. Even with these disappointments, the 1993 election was a tremendous success for Reform. In one stroke, it had replaced the Progressive Conservative Party as the major right-wing party in Canada.Ontario
Reform's ambitions of becoming a national party and spreading into the east, particularly into Ontario, were helped by the rise of Ontario Progressive Conservative PremierPolicies
Reform claimed credit for pressuring the Liberal government to initiate spending cuts and focus on deficit reduction in 1995, though the party had wanted even deeper cuts. It also managed to put forward its own strategy for national unity after the slim federalist victory in the 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty, which advocated deep decentralization of powers from the federal government to the provinces and territories. Manning was attacked, however, for not appearing at federalist rallies in Quebec, as Prime Minister Chrétien and new Progressive Conservative leader1997 election
From 1996 to the 1997 election, the party's executive tried to refurbish the party's image and shed its controversial past. A number of ethnic minorities were sought out as Reform candidates for the upcoming 1997 election. Also, Reform changed tactics by running a candidate in every riding in Canada, including those in Quebec. The party increased its total seats to 60 and became the Official Opposition. Despite this breakthrough, however, Reform failed to win any seats east of Manitoba. The 1997 election also saw the return of the Progressive Conservative Party to official party status following their electoral dominance of the conservative vote in eastern Canada. The party was considerably hampered in its efforts to reach Francophone voters because of Manning's inability to speak fluent French. There was also a perception of the party as being anti-Quebec due to its position on official bilingualism and its opposition to theRebranding
The outcome was the renaming of the Reform Party effective March 27, 2000, as the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance. The new short form name (to appear on the ballot) wasProvincial wings
The Reform Party of Canada had two official provincial wings, that were registered by the party to be kept in a mostly dormant state. The Reform Party of Ontario ran only one candidate in each election to maintain registration, whilst the Reform Party of Alberta ran candidates in the first two senatorial elections. There were also two unaffiliated provincial parties, theElectoral results
See also
*References
Further reading
* Cody, Howard. "Captive Three Times Over: Preston Manning and the Dilemmas of the Reform Party." ''American Review of Canadian Studies.'' Volume: 28. Issue: 4. 1998. pp 445–67External links