For the first 50 years of Canada's existence as a country, the
Conservative Party (also known as the "Tories") subscribed to policies that required the government to play an active role in the economy. The signature achievement of
John A. Macdonald, Canada's first
prime minister from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891, was the
National Policy, which
nationalized industries and promoted high
tariffs to protect domestic industries. The party strictly opposed
free trade with the United States, and this vigorous opposition played a key role in the party's return to power under
Robert Borden in
1911. As such, Blue Toryism was essentially non-existent in the Conservative Party during its governance of Canada from 1867 to 1873, 1878 to 1896, and from 1911 to 1921. However, in the 1930s,
R. B. Bennett as prime minister adopted
laissez-faire policies during the Great Depression, differing himself from his previous
Red Tory predecessors.
The Common Sense Revolution in Ontario One example of a provincial Blue Tory government in Canada was the "
Common Sense Revolution" provincial Progressive Conservative government of
Ontario Premier
Mike Harris. The Harris Tories were widely viewed as
radical by Canadian standards in their economic policies and style of governance. Harris' government embarked on a number of initiatives, including cuts to education, welfare and
Medicare, privatization of government services and health care, the sale of provincial highways and the forced
amalgamation of municipalities. Provincial income taxes were also cut by 30% and corporate tax rates were nearly cut in half during the Harris mandate.
Harper era (2006–2015) Federally, the most popular example of a Blue Tory government was that of
Stephen Harper, who was prime minister from 2006 to 2015. Tax cuts were prevalent during Harper's tenure; he reduced the
goods and services tax (GST) from seven percent to five percent; reduced the corporate income tax rate from 21 percent to 15 percent; and implemented personal income tax cuts during the
Great Recession. Other economically liberal policies from the Harper government included the privatization of the
Canadian Wheat Board, the negotiation of
free-trade agreements such as the
Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), and the introduction of the
tax-free savings account (TFSA). In order to
balance the budget, Harper implemented various public spending cuts during his third term in office (2011–2015); one notable change was the increase in eligibility for
Old Age Security from 65 years of age to 67, though this planned change did not go into effect as it was subsequently reversed by the succeeding
Liberal government of
Justin Trudeau in 2015. Most Blue Tories are at least somewhat ideologically aligned close to the economically liberal positions of the former
Canadian Alliance; as such, they supported the merger between the PCs and the Alliance to form the new federal
Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). == Notable adherents ==