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 provisions of the Canada Elections Act that took effect on May 14, 2004, parties were only required to nominate one candidate in order to qualify for official party status in the June 28, 2004, federal election. This meant that Progressive Canadian Party candidates were listed on the ballot alongside the party's name, rather than being designated as independents.
The party was deregistered by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada on November 30, 2019, for failing to comply with Canada Elections Act requirements set out in subsection 415(1).
Founding and 2004 election
Following the dissolution of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and its merger with the Canadian Alliance into the new Conservative Party of Canada, the Progressive Canadian Party was formed by "Red Tories" who opposed the merger. One of the organizers, Joe Hueglin, was a former Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) from Niagara Falls, Ontario.3
In announcing the new party, Hueglin stated that the party had about a dozen potential candidates and a mailing list of 330 names. The party nominated 16 candidates for the 2004 general election, mostly in southern Ontario and Nova Scotia.
The party held a national convention in 2005 to select a leader and to develop policies. It has also established the "Macdonald-Cartier PC Fund" to raise money for the party, under the direction of Sinclair Stevens, a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney.
On November 17, 2005, the Federal Court of Appeal rejected Stevens' lawsuit to force Chief Electoral Officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley to rescind recognition of the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party with the Canadian Alliance. The court did rule, however, that Kingsley erred in not waiting 30 days to register the merger. Stevens appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada, but that court announced on April 27, 2006, that it would not hear the appeal. The court gave no reason for its decision.
2006 election
Founding party leader Ernie Schreiber resigned in 2005 because of a heart condition. The party appointed Tracy Parsons as his successor. The party nominated 25 candidates for the 2006 federal election. Former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister and leadership candidate Heward Grafftey stood as a candidate for the party during that election. (See also: Progressive Canadian Party candidates, 2006 Canadian federal election.)
2011 election
| Riding | Province | Candidate | Votes | % | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macleod | Alberta | Brad Carrigan | 1754 | 3.40 | 5/6 |
| South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale | British Columbia | Brian Marlatt | 228 | 0.39 | 7/9 |
| Vancouver Centre | British Columbia | Michael Huenefeld | 285 | 0.48 | 6/8 |
| West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country | British Columbia | Roger Lagassé | 293 | 0.47 | 5/9 |
| Hamilton East—Stoney Creek | Ontario | Gord Hill | 468 | 0.96 | 5/9 |
| Newmarket—Aurora | Ontario | Dorian Baxter | 998 | 1.71 | 5/6 |
| Oak Ridges—Markham | Ontario | John Siciliano | 1080 | 1.19 | 5/5 |
| Ottawa South | Ontario | Al Gullon | 513 | 0.87 | 5/6 |
| Prince Edward—Hastings | Ontario | Andrew Skinner | 171 | 0.31 | 6/6 |
2015 election
In the 2015 election, the party ran eight candidates, none of whom were elected with five getting the fewest votes in their riding.
| Riding | Province | Candidate | Votes | % | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etobicoke Centre | Ontario | Rob Wolvin | 378 | 0.6 | 5/5 |
| Newmarket—Aurora | Ontario | Dorian Baxter | 762 | 1.3 | 5/5 |
| Ottawa South | Ontario | Al Gullon | 361 | 0.6 | 5/7 |
| Toronto—Danforth | Ontario | John Richardson | 1,275 | 2.3 | 5/6 |
| Calgary Skyview | Alberta | Najeeb Butt | 957 | 2.1 | 4/9 |
| Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies | British Columbia | Barry Blackman | 464 | 0.9 | 5/5 |
| South Surrey-White Rock | British Columbia | Brian Marlatt | 108 | 0.2 | 5/5 |
| Vancouver South | British Columbia | Raj Gupta | 167 | 0.3 | 6/6 |
Platform and goals
The party aimed to be the successor to the former Progressive Conservative Party. A few prominent figures were associated with this new party (Stevens and Heward Grafftey). David Orchard, a fervent opponent of the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and the Canadian Alliance, made no official statement about the new party. During the 2006 election, Orchard endorsed and later joined the Liberal Party.
The party adopted the last policy platform of the Progressive Conservative party; they also began to create new policies for Canada to meet new situations and challenges. These platforms included (but were not limited to): support of the Canadian Wheat Board, support for small business, belief in a single-tier health-care system, the promise of eliminating student debt, and a foreign policy that emphasizes Canada's dual role of peace-keepers and diplomats. The new party's official logo and initials were an homage to the Progressive Conservative Party, from where the party claims to draw its history, policy, and constitution.
Seven Pillars for Prosperity
According to the party's website, the Progressive Canadian Party had "seven pillars for bringing prosperity to Canada".4 These seven pillars are:
- "Facilitating post-secondary education"
- "Realizing growth opportunities"
- "Harnessing renewable resources"
- "Meeting differing needs"
- "Serving the world"
- "Allying for peace and stability"
- "Bringing new hope"
Election results
| Election | # of candidates | # of votes | % of popular vote | % of popular vote in ridings with PC candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 16 | 10,733 | 0.08% | 1.4% |
| 2006 | 25 | 14,151 | 0.10% | 1.1% |
| 2008 | 10 | 5,920 | 0.04% | 1.2% |
| 2011 | 9 | 5,790 | 0.04% | 1.07% |
| 2015 | 8 | 4,476 | 0.03% | 1.03% |
| 2019 | 3 | 1,534 | 0.01% | 0.85% |
- Eligibility: March 29, 2004
- Short-form name: PC Party
- Party leader: Hon. Sinclair Stevens, P.C.
- President: Dorian Baxter
- National co-ordinator: Joe Hueglin
- Chief agent: Macdonald Cartier PC Fund
- Auditor: Ben Seto, C.A.
| By-Election | candidate | # of votes | % of popular vote | place | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London North Centre | Steve Hunter | 146 | 0.38% | 5/7 | Glen Pearson (Lib) |
| Vaughan | Dorian Baxter | 110 | 0.28% | 7/8 | Julian Fantino (Con) |
| Toronto-Danforth | Dorian Baxter | 208 | 0.64% | 5/11 | Craig Scott (NDP) |
| Toronto Centre | Dorian Baxter | 453 | 1.30% | 5/11 | Chrystia Freeland (Lib) |
| Markham-Thornhill | Dorian Baxter | 566 | 2.90% | 4/7 | Mary Ng (Lib) |
| South Surrey—White Rock | Michael Huenefeld | 86 | 0.28% | 7/7 | Gordie Hogg (Lib) |
| York-Simcoe | Dorian Baxter | 634 | 3.80% | 4/9 | Scot Davidson (Con) |
| Nanaimo—Ladysmith | Brian Marlett | 248 | 0.61% | 6/7 | Paul Manly (Green) |
PC Party leaders
| Name | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernie Schreiber | 2004 | 2005 | First leader |
| Tracy Parsons | 2005 | 2007 | |
| Sinclair Stevens | 2007 | 2016 | Interim leader |
| Joe Hueglin | 2016 | 2019 | Interim leader |
See also
External links
- Progressive Canadian Party – Canadian Political Parties and Political Interest Groups - Web Archive created by the University of Toronto Libraries
References
Canada, Elections (October 30, 2019). "Deregistration of the Progressive Canadian Party". Ottawa, ON: Elections Canada. Archived from the original on November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019. https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=med&document=oct3019&dir=pre&lang=e ↩
"Progressive Canadian Party to be deregistered by Elections Canada". Democracy Law Blog. November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019. http://democracylawblog.com/progressive-canadian-party-to-be-deregistered-by-elections-canada/ ↩
The Blueprint. University of Toronto Press. 2017. ISBN 9781487521684. JSTOR 10.3138/j.ctv1n358pg. 9781487521684 ↩
"Prosperity Canada". Pcparty.org. Retrieved September 30, 2017. http://www.pcparty.org/index.php/prosperity-canada ↩