CANADA HISTORY - Political Parties

Reform Party of Canada

The Reform Party of Canada was a right-wing populist federal political party that emerged in the late 1980s in response to widespread discontent in Western Canada with the perceived dominance of Eastern Canada in federal politics and dissatisfaction with the existing political establishment. The party was founded in 1987 by Preston Manning, the son of Ernest Manning, a long-serving Premier of Alberta. Preston Manning and other Western political figures felt that the interests of Western Canadians, particularly Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan, were being ignored by both the Progressive Conservative (PC) and Liberal parties, which were seen as overly focused on the needs and priorities of Ontario and Quebec. The Reform Party aimed to address this imbalance by giving a voice to Western Canada and advocating for political and economic reforms that would decentralize power and enhance regional representation within the federal system.

The Reform Party’s origins were rooted in several long-standing grievances that had been simmering in the West, particularly related to issues such as economic policy, energy management, and constitutional reform. The federal government’s controversial National Energy Program (NEP), introduced by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1980, had been particularly damaging to relations between the West and Ottawa. The NEP, which was seen as an attempt to centralize control over energy resources and redistribute wealth from Western oil-producing provinces to the rest of Canada, fueled resentment among Westerners who believed they were being unfairly targeted by Eastern politicians. The Reform Party capitalized on this sense of alienation and frustration, positioning itself as a party that would defend the interests of Western Canada and work to reform the structures of federalism that had, in the view of its supporters, marginalized the West.

At its founding convention in 1987 in Winnipeg, the Reform Party adopted a populist platform that called for direct democracy, fiscal conservatism, and the reform of Canada’s political institutions. One of the party’s key demands was the Triple-E Senate—a Senate that would be elected, equal, and effective—which Reformers believed would give the provinces more influence in federal decision-making, particularly the smaller and less populous Western provinces. The party also called for referendums, recall elections, and citizen-initiated legislation, reflecting its commitment to giving ordinary Canadians more control over the political process. Additionally, the Reform Party advocated for smaller government, lower taxes, and a reduction in federal spending, particularly on social programs that they believed had become too costly and inefficient.

In its early years, the Reform Party struggled to gain traction outside of Western Canada, but it quickly became a powerful political force in the West. Its first breakthrough came in the 1988 federal election, when Preston Manning won a seat in Parliament, representing the Alberta riding of Calgary Southwest. Although Manning was the only Reform candidate to win a seat, his election marked the beginning of the party’s rise in national politics. Over the next few years, the Reform Party capitalized on growing dissatisfaction with the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney, particularly its handling of economic issues and its attempts to resolve Canada’s constitutional crises, including the failed Meech Lake Accord and Charlottetown Accord. These accords, which sought to address Quebec’s demands for greater autonomy, were seen by many Western Canadians as favoring Quebec at the expense of the rest of the country, further fueling regional resentment.

The 1993 federal election was a turning point for the Reform Party. Riding a wave of discontent with Mulroney’s government and the collapse of the Progressive Conservatives, the Reform Party made significant gains, winning 52 seats—almost all of them in Western Canada. The party became the dominant political force in the West, particularly in Alberta, where it won a majority of the seats. The election saw the decimation of the Progressive Conservative Party, which was reduced to just two seats, and established the Reform Party as the primary voice of conservatism in Canada, particularly outside of Quebec and Ontario. Despite its success in the West, the Reform Party struggled to make inroads in Central and Eastern Canada, which limited its ability to challenge the Liberals for national power. Its populist message, focus on Western alienation, and socially conservative policies did not resonate as strongly with voters in Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces.

The Reform Party’s political philosophy was grounded in populism, fiscal conservatism, and social conservatism. It sought to reduce the size of the federal government, lower taxes, and balance the budget. Manning and the Reform Party were staunch advocates of free market principles, arguing that government should play a minimal role in the economy, and that individuals should be responsible for their own economic success. The party also called for significant reforms to Canada’s social programs, including welfare and unemployment insurance, which it believed had become too costly and were contributing to a culture of dependency. On social issues, the Reform Party took a conservative stance, particularly on topics such as same-sex marriage, abortion, and immigration. The party’s emphasis on traditional family values and a tougher stance on crime resonated with many socially conservative voters, particularly in rural and suburban areas.

However, the Reform Party also faced criticism for some of its more controversial positions, particularly on issues of race and immigration. Some members of the party were accused of promoting anti-immigrant or xenophobic views, and there were several instances where Reform candidates or supporters made inflammatory remarks about minority groups. While Preston Manning tried to distance the party from these elements and emphasized that the party supported legal immigration, the perception that the Reform Party was intolerant or exclusionary hurt its appeal in urban areas and among more moderate voters.

One of the Reform Party’s greatest successes came in its ability to reshape the political landscape of the Canadian right. Its rise forced the Progressive Conservative Party, which had traditionally been the home of Canadian conservatism, into decline. By the late 1990s, it had become clear that the conservative vote was being split between the Reform Party and the remnants of the Progressive Conservatives, which allowed the Liberal Party under Jean Chrétien to dominate federal politics throughout the 1990s. In response to this split, Manning and other conservatives began advocating for the unification of the right to create a stronger challenge to the Liberals.

In 1997, the Reform Party rebranded itself as The United Alternative in an attempt to broaden its appeal beyond Western Canada and to attract disaffected Progressive Conservatives. This effort culminated in the formation of the Canadian Alliance in 2000, a new party that merged the Reform Party with some elements of the Progressive Conservative Party. Manning lost the leadership of the Canadian Alliance to Stockwell Day, a former Alberta cabinet minister, who led the party in the 2000 federal election. Despite initial optimism, the Canadian Alliance failed to make significant gains, and internal divisions continued to plague the right-wing political movement.

By 2003, it became clear that a more permanent solution was needed to unite the conservative forces in Canada. In that year, the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance officially merged to form the Conservative Party of Canada, with Stephen Harper, a former Reform MP and Canadian Alliance leader, emerging as the new leader of the united party. This merger marked the end of the Reform Party as an independent political entity, but its influence on Canadian conservatism remained profound. The new Conservative Party adopted many of the Reform Party’s core principles, including fiscal conservatism, a commitment to smaller government, and a focus on decentralizing federal power.

Under Stephen Harper’s leadership, the Conservative Party won the 2006 federal election and formed a minority government, followed by majority government victories in 2011. The success of the Conservative Party in the 2000s was, in many ways, a continuation of the populist, fiscally conservative, and Western-based politics that had been championed by the Reform Party. Harper’s government focused on tax cuts, deficit reduction, and a more assertive foreign policy, while also appealing to socially conservative voters on issues such as crime and family values.

In conclusion, the Reform Party of Canada played a crucial role in reshaping the Canadian political landscape by giving a voice to Western Canadians who felt alienated by the traditional political establishment. Through its advocacy for Senate reform, fiscal conservatism, and a decentralized federation, the Reform Party was instrumental in challenging the status quo and creating the conditions for the eventual unification of the Canadian right under the Conservative Party of Canada. While the Reform Party no longer exists, its legacy endures in the policies and political philosophy of the modern Conservative Party, which continues to reflect many of the core values and priorities that were championed by the Reform movement. The rise and fall of the Reform Party also serve as a reminder of the power of regionalism in Canadian politics and the importance of addressing the concerns of all regions within the federation.