Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia

Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia
Active provincial party
Leader Jamie Baillie
President Tara Miller
Founded 1867
Headquarters 1660 Hollis Street
Suite 1003
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 1V7
Ideology Progressive conservatism, Red Toryism
Colours Blue
Seats in House of Assembly
10 / 51
Website
pcparty.ns.ca

The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, commonly called the PC Party of Nova Scotia, is a moderate, right-of-centre political party in Nova Scotia, Canada.

History

The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, registered under the Nova Scotia Elections Act as the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, originated from the Confederation Party of Charles Tupper. Tupper united members of the pre-Confederation Conservative Party (who were predominantly United Empire Loyalists and members of the business elite) and supporters of Sir John A. Macdonald's national Conservative coalition. The party supported Macdonald's protectionist National Policy, nation-building, and the unification of British North America.

Canadian Confederation was initially unpopular in Nova Scotia, and the party was out of government for most of the late 19th century. It formed government for only a few of the years between 1867 and 1956.

The modern party was built by Robert Stanfield after World War II. Stanfield, the scion of a wealthy textile family, considered himself a socialist at university and, while he later moderated his views, he always remained a progressive. Under his leadership, what was by then the "Progressive Conservative Party" became a moderate Red Tory organization.[1] When Stanfield assumed leadership of the party in 1948, it had no seats in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. By 1956, he had built it into an organization that was able to sweep to power, winning re-election four times.

As premier, he led reforms in human rights, education, municipal government and health care and also created Industrial Estates Limited, a crown corporation that successfully attracted investment from world companies such as Michelin Tire.[2] He worked to modernized the road system, brought in the first form of Medicare, established the first economic development agency, invested heavily in education at all levels and established the predecessor to the Nova Scotia Community College.

After Stanfield left provincial politics to become leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party in 1967, G. I. Smith served as premier until 1970.[3] After being elected party leader in 1971, John Buchanan was elected premier in 1978.[4] He was re-elected in 1981, 1984 and 1988. In the 1984 election, voters served his largest majority, capturing 42 of the 52 seats in the legislature.[5] Buchanan's government first succeeded in convincing federal government to give Nova Scotia control over offshore resources such as gas and oil, resulting in future revenue for the province through the Crown Share.[6]

Roger Bacon became premier in 1990 after Buchanan was appointed to the Senate of Canada and until the party selected Donald W. Cameron as party leader and premier. During his term, Cameron reformed government finance practices, promoted anti-discrimination measures, introduced new government accountability measures and established the first non-partisan electoral boundaries revision commission in 1992.[7]

The party in recent years

John Hamm delivered the province's first truly balanced finances in 25 years.

After six years of Liberal rule under Russel MacLellan, PC leader John Hamm was elected elected premier in 1999. After taking office, he invested more in education and health care. implemented some tax cuts and sold or closed government-owned industries such as Sydney Steel.[8] His government also passed tough lobbyist registration legislation, introduced smoking cessation initiatives, provided new funding for community college modernization and achieved historically high economic growth and employment numbers.[9] His government was the first to truly balance provincial finances in 25 years in 2002.[10]

Jamie Baille is the current leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia.

Rodney MacDonald took the party reins from Hamm in 2006 and subsequently became Premier of Nova Scotia. Through strategic investments in rural broadband infrastructure, MacDonald continued to expand high-speed internet access throughout the province.[11] MacDonald’s government moved to help stabilize energy costs, grow the economy and attract new investment to the province.

The 2006 election resulted in a reduced minority for MacDonald and the Progressive Conservatives were reduced to third-party status in the 2009 election.[12] On June 24, 2009, MacDonald stepped down as leader and Karen Casey was named the interim leader.

As the only candidate in the leadership election, Jamie Baillie became leader of the PC Party on October 30, 2010.[13] He led the party into the 2013 election, and won eleven seats to form the Official Opposition.[14]

The party president is Tara Miller.[15] The party also has a recognized youth wing called the Nova Scotia Young Progressive Conservative Association whose president is Brianna Titus.[16]

Values and mission

According to the PC Party website, their mission is "to form a fiscally responsible, socially progressive government that promotes individual achievement and personal responsibility, is accountable to its citizens, listens to its people, embraces innovation, preserves the best of our unique heritage and diverse cultures and learns from the past".[17]

Current elected members

Name Riding Year elected
Jamie Baillie Cumberland South 2010
Chris d'Entremont Argyle-Barrington 2003
Pat Dunn Pictou Centre 2013
Larry Harrison Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley 2013
Tim Houston Pictou East 2013
John Lohr Kings North 2013
Karla MacFarlane Pictou West 2013
Alfie MacLeod Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg 2006
Allan MacMaster Inverness 2009
Eddie Orrell Northside-Westmount 2011

Party leaders

Election results 1867–2013

General election PC
Leader
 Seats
won
 Seat
change
 Seats
place
 Popular vote % of popular vote
1867 Hiram Blanchard
2 / 38
 Steady Steady2nd 38.5%
1871
14 / 38
 Increase12 Steady 43.7%
1874 Simon Hugh Holmes
12 / 38
 Decrease2 Steady 43.6%
1878
32 / 38
 Increase20 Increase1st 51.7%
1882 John Sparrow David Thompson
14 / 38
 Decrease18 Decrease2nd 46.9%
1886 Adam Carr Bell
10 / 38
 Decrease4 Steady 28.6%
1890 William McKay
9 / 38
 Decrease1 Steady 46.7%
1894
13 / 38
 Increase4 Steady 47.3%
1897
3 / 38
 Decrease10 Steady 44.4%
1901 Charles Smith Wilcox
2 / 38
 Decrease1 Steady 41.7%
1906 Charles Elliott Tanner
4 / 38
 Increase2 Steady 42.1%
1911 John M. Baillie
12 / 38
 Increase8 Steady 45.4%
1916 Charles Elliott Tanner
12 / 43
 Steady Steady 48.8%
1920
3 / 43
 Decrease9 Decrease4th 24.7%
1925 Edgar Nelson Rhodes
40 / 43
 Increase37 Increase1st 60.9%
1928
24 / 43
 Decrease16 Steady 51.7%
1933 Gordon Sidney Harrington
8 / 30
 Decrease16 Decrease2nd 45.9%
1937
5 / 30
 Decrease3 Steady 46.0%
1941 Frederick Murray Blois
5 / 30
 Steady Steady 40.3%
1945
0 / 30
 Decrease5 Decrease3rd 33.5%
1949 Robert Stanfield
8 / 37
 Increase8 Increase2nd 39.2%
1953
13 / 37
 Increase5 Steady 43.6%
1956
24 / 43
 Increase11 Increase1st 48.6%
1960
27 / 43
 Increase3 Steady 48.3%
1963
39 / 43
 Increase12 Steady 56.2%
1967
40 / 46
 Increase1 Steady 52.8%
1970 George Isaac Smith
21 / 46
 Decrease19 Decrease2nd 46.9%
1974 John Buchanan
12 / 46
 Decrease9 Steady 38.6%
1978
31 / 52
 Increase19 Increase1st 45.8%
1981
37 / 52
 Increase6 Steady 45.8%
1984
42 / 52
 Increase5 Steady 209,298 50.6%
1988
28 / 52
 Decrease14 Steady 204,150 43.4%
1993 Donald William Cameron
9 / 52
 Decrease19 Decrease2nd 152,383 31.1%
1998 John Hamm
14 / 52
 Increase5 Decrease3rd 133,540 29.75%
1999
30 / 52
 Increase16 Increase1st 169,383 39.20%
2003
25 / 52
 Decrease5 Steady 148,182 36.32%
2006 Rodney MacDonald
23 / 52
 Decrease2 Steady 160,119 39.57%
2009
10 / 52
 Decrease13 Decrease3rd 101,203 24.54%
2013 Jamie Baillie
11 / 51
 Increase1 Increase2nd 109,452 26.31%

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lewis, Robert. "Robert Stanfield (Obituary)". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  2. ↑ "Industrial Estates Limited Act". nslegislature.ca. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
  3. ↑ "Premier named party leader by N.S. Tories". The Globe and Mail. November 4, 1967.
  4. ↑ "N.S. Tories swing to right with election of Buchanan as leader". The Globe and Mail. March 8, 1971.
  5. ↑ "Buchanan Tories crush opponents in N.S. election". The Globe and Mail. November 7, 1984.
  6. ↑ "Historic Crown share settlement a political victory - Editorials - The News". www.ngnews.ca. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
  7. ↑ "Just Boundaries: Recommendations for Effective Representation for the People of Nova Scotia" (PDF). Nova Scotia Legislature. Nova Scotia Legislature.
  8. ↑ "No more steel from Cape Breton as Sysco closes". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  9. ↑ "Building a New Normal: Changing Social Norms Around Tobacco" (PDF). Smoke Free Kings.
  10. ↑ "Co-operation, More Money for Health Care, Balanced Budget". novascotia.ca. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Former premier Rodney MacDonald recalls the glory days - Local - Cape Breton Post". www.capebretonpost.com. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
  12. ↑ "June 9th, 2009 Nova Scotia Provincial General Election, Elections Nova Scotia". electionsnovascotia.ca. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  13. ↑ "New N.S. PC leader promises fiscal restraint". CBC News, October 30, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Baillie leads PCs into 2nd". The Chronicle Herald, October 9, 2013.
  15. ↑ "PC Party President". PC Party. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  16. ↑ "NS Young PC". PC Party. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  17. ↑ "Our Mission". PC Party. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
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