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New Calls to Unite the Right
With Mr. Clark’s retirement announcement, there have been new calls to unite the Progressive Conservatives
and the Canadian Alliance into one party.
Stephen Harper’s Offer
Shortly after Mr. Clark announced his intention to step down, Steven Harper (leader of the Canadian
Alliance) reiterated that his offer to the PC Party, which he had initially put forth in April 2002, remained
on the table. This offer included the following:
- That what is now the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties run a single slate of
candidates in the next federal election.
- That the two parties begin this process by forming a full coalition in the House of Commons on the
principles of the PC-DR coalition.
- That the parties commit to eventually forming a single political entity.
- Mr. Harper also urged the PC Party to hold a joint leadership convention. Ex-Ontario premier Mike Harris
recently stated that he may be interested in running for the leadership of a united conservative party.
Prospects for Uniting the Right
Initially, it seems natural that the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance should merge into
one party. Some reasons for uniting include:
- Many Common Policies: There is much common ground between the two parties in terms of policy.
Chuck Strahl (Alliance MP) estimated that the parties agree on 90 per cent of their policies. This includes
tax-cutting, debt reduction, and tougher crime laws.
- Election Success: A recent Ipsos-Reid poll has placed the Alliance’s popularity at 17 percent
and the PC Party’s at 14 percent, while the Liberals stood at 46 percent. This suggests that neither party
has a chance of defeating the Liberals alone. The only way to win an election may be to merge the two
parties.
However, the chasm between the parties may be too great. Some differences include:
- Regional Ties: The Progressive Conservative Party is regarded as a national party, representing
all parts of the country. The Alliance Party is seen as mainly a western party. It was born out of Western
alienation and the vast majority of its caucus are westerners.
- Policy Differences: While there is much common ground between the parties, they do disagree on
some fundamental issues. For example, the Alliance favours direct democracy, in particular the right of
binding citizen-initiated referendums. On the other hand, the Progressive Conservatives favour
parliamentary democracy, in which voters choose representatives (Members of Parliament) to make decisions
on their behalf.
- Different Supporters: Recent studies have also shown that the parties’ supporters are different.
For example, only 17 percent of Progressive Conservative voters in the 2000 general election had an
Alliance candidate as their second choice. Half the PC voters said their second choice was a Liberal.
Stephen
Harper’s
Statement on PC Leadership
Canadian Alliance
Website
Progressive Conservative Website
Common Ground Website
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