Canadian Conservative Party Agenda

Can you summarize the main actions of the Canadian conservative party over the last 50 years, and the effects of those actions?

I’ll search for some key information to supplement my knowledge, particularly on more recent developments.Here’s a summary of the main actions and effects of Canadian conservatism over the past 50 years, covering the Progressive Conservative Party and its successor, the Conservative Party of Canada.

The Mulroney Era (1984–1993)

Brian Mulroney won a massive majority in 1984 and governed for nearly a decade. His government’s key actions and their effects:

Free Trade with the United States and NAFTA. Mulroney negotiated the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (1988) and then NAFTA (signed 1992, taking effect in 1994). This was enormously controversial at the time — opposition to free trade peaked at 69% in early 1992 — but over time public opinion reversed dramatically. By 2022, 83% of Canadians supported free trade between the three North American countries. Economically, a 2004 study found that long-term productivity rose by up to 15% in industries that saw the deepest tariff cuts, though some job losses occurred in the short term. Critics argue that free trade contributed to a significant decline in Canada’s manufacturing sector as a share of GDP and weakened union bargaining power.

Introduction of the GST (1991). Mulroney replaced the hidden Manufacturer’s Sales Tax with a visible 7% Goods and Services Tax. It was deeply unpopular — arriving during a recession — but proved durable. The Liberals did not undo it when they returned to power in 1993. It became a permanent feature of Canadian taxation and a major revenue source for the federal government.

Privatization. Mulroney privatized Crown corporations like Air Canada and Petro-Canada, shifting Canadian economic policy in a more market-oriented direction.

Constitutional Reform Attempts. Mulroney invested enormous political capital in the Meech Lake Accord (1987) and the Charlottetown Accord (1992), both aiming to bring Quebec into the constitutional framework by recognizing it as a distinct society and reforming the Senate. Both failed — Meech Lake died when Manitoba and Newfoundland didn’t ratify it, and Charlottetown was rejected by referendum. The failures deepened national divisions and fueled both Quebec separatism and Western alienation.

Environmental Action. On the positive side, Mulroney’s government negotiated the 1991 Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement with President Bush, committing both countries to reducing acid rain pollutants through an early cap-and-trade mechanism. He also took a strong stance against South African apartheid.

Collapse. The combined weight of the GST, the recession, failed constitutional deals, and the Atlantic cod fishery collapse destroyed Conservative support. In the 1993 election, the party was reduced from a majority to just two seats — the worst electoral disaster in Canadian history. The conservative vote fractured between the Western-based Reform Party and the Quebec-based Bloc Québécois.

The Wilderness Years (1993–2003)

The right was split between the Progressive Conservatives, the Reform Party (later Canadian Alliance), and the Bloc. Canada’s first-past-the-post system meant that in many ridings the combined conservative vote exceeded the Liberal total, yet Liberals won seat after seat. This enabled three consecutive Liberal majority governments under Jean Chrétien. Eventually, the two main conservative parties merged in 2003 to form the modern Conservative Party of Canada under Stephen Harper.

The Harper Era (2006–2015)

Harper governed first with minority governments (2006–2011) and then a majority (2011–2015). Key actions:

Economic Management and Tax Cuts. Harper cut the GST from 7% to 5% and reduced corporate and personal income taxes. During the 2008 financial crisis, his government introduced major stimulus spending and income tax cuts, though the deficit ballooned to $55.6 billion — Canada’s largest at the time. Canada weathered the global recession comparatively well, partly due to its well-regulated banking system (which predated Harper), and the Conservatives balanced the budget by 2014–15.

Withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol. The Harper government withdrew Canada from the Kyoto Protocol and repealed the long-gun registry. The Kyoto withdrawal was praised by industry and criticized by environmentalists, effectively signaling that Canada would not pursue binding international emissions targets during that period.

Crime and Security Legislation. The government passed the Anti-terrorism Act, expanded surveillance powers, and pursued a “tough on crime” agenda with mandatory minimum sentences. It also launched military operations against ISIL.

Trade Agreements. The government negotiated the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the EU and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), continuing the Conservative tradition of trade liberalization.

Quebec and Social Issues. Harper passed a motion recognizing Quebec as a nation within a united Canada. Despite the party’s social conservative base, the government did not attempt to reverse same-sex marriage or change abortion laws, representing a pragmatic moderation of the party’s social positions.

Controversies. The Harper years were marked by the Senate expenses scandal (involving improper expense claims by appointed senators), the robocall scandal related to voter suppression tactics, and criticism of the government’s approach to Indigenous issues, science funding, and environmental regulation. Harper’s government was also found in contempt of Parliament in March 2011 for failing to release budgetary information — a first in Canadian history.

Defeat in 2015. Harper lost to Justin Trudeau’s Liberals after a long campaign, winning 99 seats to the Liberals’ 184.

The Poilievre Era (2022–Present)

After interim and short-lived leaders (Ambrose, Scheer, O’Toole), Pierre Poilievre won the leadership in 2022 with a populist, anti-establishment message focused on inflation, housing affordability, and opposition to the carbon tax. His rhetoric centered on “bringing home” lower costs and “axing the tax.”

In the April 2025 federal election, the Conservatives received over 40% of the popular vote — a party record — and formed the largest Official Opposition in Canadian history, but lost the election to the Liberals. Poilievre himself lost his own seat of Carleton, a rare event for a major party leader, and faced calls to resign.

Broad Themes and Effects

Across the 50-year period, Canadian conservatism’s most enduring legacy is probably the free trade architecture — the FTA, NAFTA, and subsequent agreements fundamentally reshaped the Canadian economy toward continental integration. The GST remains a core feature of the tax system. On the other hand, the party’s repeated difficulty in bridging regional divides (Quebec, the West, Atlantic Canada) has been a persistent vulnerability. The movement has also gradually evolved from the Red Tory tradition of moderate, nation-building conservatism under Mulroney toward a more populist, economically libertarian style under Poilievre, reflecting broader trends in conservative politics across the Western world.