The Conservative Party in Canada

As you may or may not know, our neighbors up North are powered by a Conservative government. I have family members up in Canada, and after listening to my uncle rant about the Conservative Party, I decided to do some research and write about them. So here it goes:

The Conservative party of Canada was originally the Liberal-Conservative Party, founded by Sir John A Macdonald in 1854, and it turned into the Conservative Party in the 1880s. Early Conservative parties had different beliefs. They emphasized Canada's ties to the UK, and opposed trade with the US. The Conservative Party we know today has actually merged with the Canadian Alliance in December 2003.

Most of the supporters of Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party come from Ontario. Although the Liberals actually had more ridings than them in Ontario, the Conservatives won all the Western Provinces, and some of the maritime provinces, so combined they got more than the Liberals. Altogether, the Conservatives got 36.3% of the votes, therefore winning a minority government.

The Leader of the Conservative Party is Stephen Harper (born April 30, 1959). He was born in Toronto, the eldest of 3 sons. He received a Master's degree in economics from the University of Toronto. Harper married Laureen Teskey in 1993. They have 2 children. Harper is an enthusiastic hockey fan. He cheers for the lowly Flames, and he is currently writing a book about the history of the sport. Since Stephen Harper has become, Prime Minister, Canada's relationship with the US has gotten better, since Stephen Harper gets along with George Bush.

Since the Conservatives are in power, they have the most seats in the House of Commons. They currently have 124 seats in the House of Commons, compared to 103 from the Liberals. They are a minority government since they do not have 50% of the seats in the house. The Conservatives are more to the right wing of the political spectrum. They believe that it is not the government's job to improve social conditions; individuals are responsible for their own well being. Government should not interfere with the love of individuals. Private charity and self reliance are better. Law and order have the highest priority. Also, the Conservatives are trying to lower taxes.

The Conservatives, are in power now, but there may be an election coming up really soon. That could either mean the Conservatives may fall out of power, or gain more power. If people like what the Conservatives are doing, more people can vote for them, and the Conservatives can get more seats in the House of Commons. If they were to win a majority government, the Conservatives can finally make all the decisions.