List_of_Canadian_conservative_leaders
This is a list of federal leaders after Confederation who were members of federal conservative parties.
This is a list of leaders of the Conservative Party of Canada (historical) (1867–1942), Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–2003), and Conservative Party of Canada (2003–present) ("the Tory parties"), and of prime ministers of Canada after Confederation who were members of those parties.
Conservative (1867–1942)
Further information: Liberal-Conservative Party, Conservative Party of Canada (historical), Unionist Party (Canada), National Liberal and Conservative Party, and National Government (Canada)
More information Name, From ...
| Name | From | To | Riding as leader | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Sir John A. Macdonald | July 1, 1867 | June 6, 1891 | Kingston, ON (1867–18, 1887–91); Victoria, BC (1878–82); Carleton, ON (1882–88) |
1st Prime Minister |
 |
Sir John Abbott | June 16, 1891 | November 24, 1892 | Senator for Inkerman, QC | 3rd Prime Minister |
 |
Sir John Sparrow David Thompson | December 5, 1892 | December 12, 1894 | Antigonish, NS | 4th Prime Minister |
 |
Sir Mackenzie Bowell | December 21, 1894 | April 27, 1896 | Senator for Hastings, ON | 5th Prime Minister |
 |
Sir Charles Tupper | May 1, 1896 | February 6, 1901 | Cape Breton, NS | 6th Prime Minister |
 |
Sir Robert Laird Borden | February 6, 1901 | July 10, 1920 | Halifax, NS (1900–04, 1908–17); Carleton, ON (1905–08); Kings, NS (1917–21) |
8th Prime Minister |
 |
Arthur Meighen | July 10, 1920 | September 24, 1926 | Portage la Prairie, MB (1908–21, 1925–26); Grenville, ON (1922–25) |
9th Prime Minister |
 |
Hugh Guthrie (interim leader) | October 11, 1926 | October 12, 1927 | Wellington South | |
 |
R. B. Bennett | October 12, 1927 | July 7, 1938 | Calgary West, AB | 11th Prime Minister |
 |
Robert Manion | July 7, 1938 | May 14, 1940 | London, ON | Resigned after lost seat in 1940 election |
 |
Richard Hanson (interim leader) | May 14, 1940 | November 12, 1941 | York—Sunbury, NB | |
|
Arthur Meighen | November 12, 1941 | December 9, 1942 | Senator for St. Marys, Ontario | Resigned after defeat in attempt to enter House of Commons via York South by-election |
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Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–2003)
Main article: Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
More information Picture, Name ...
| Picture | Name | Term start | Term end | Riding as leader | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | John Bracken | December 11, 1942 | July 20, 1948 | Neepawa | Former Premier of Manitoba |
 | George Drew | October 2, 1948 | November 29, 1956 | Carleton | Former Premier of Ontario |
| William Earl Rowe | November 29, 1956 (Interim) | December 14, 1956 | Dufferin—Simcoe | Interim leader until 1956 leadership convention | |
 | John Diefenbaker | December 14, 1956 | September 9, 1967 | Prince Albert | 13th Prime Minister of Canada |
 | Robert Stanfield | September 9, 1967 | February 22, 1976 | Halifax | Former Premier of Nova Scotia |
 | Joe Clark | February 22, 1976 | February 19, 1983 | Rocky Mountain, Yellowhead | 16th Prime Minister of Canada |
| Erik Nielsen | February 19, 1983 (Interim) | June 11, 1983 | Yukon | Interim leader until 1983 leadership convention | |
 | Brian Mulroney | June 11, 1983 | June 13, 1993 | Central Nova, Manicouagan, Charlevoix | 18th Prime Minister of Canada |
 | Kim Campbell | June 13, 1993 | December 14, 1993 | Vancouver Centre | 19th Prime Minister of Canada |
 | Jean Charest | December 14, 1993 | April 2, 1998 | Sherbrooke | Former Premier of Quebec |
 | Elsie Wayne | April 2, 1998 (Interim) | November 14, 1998 | Saint John | Interim until 1998 leadership election |
| Joe Clark | November 14, 1998 | May 31, 2003 | Kings—Hants, Calgary Centre | His second tenure as leader | |
 | Peter MacKay | May 31, 2003 | December 7, 2003 | Central Nova | Final leader of the Progressive Conservative Party; merged the PC Party with Stephen Harper's Canadian Alliance in 2003, cofounding the new Conservative Party of Canada. |
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Conservative Party of Canada (2003–present)
Further information on current "Tory" Leaders: Conservative Party of Canada
More information Leader, Term start ...
| Leader | Term start | Term end | Constituency | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — |  | John Lynch-Staunton | 8 December 2003 | 20 March 2004 | Senator for Grandville, Quebec | Interim leader, served concurrently as Senate Opposition Leader. |
| 1st |  | Stephen Harper | 20 March 2004 | 19 October 2015 Acting: 19 October 2015 – 4 November 2015 | Calgary Southwest, Alberta | First official leader of the modern Conservative Party of Canada;
Served as Leader of the Official Opposition from 2004–2006, and Prime Minister from 2006–2015. |
| — | .png) | Rona Ambrose | 5 November 2015 | 27 May 2017 | Sturgeon River—Parkland, Alberta | Interim leader, served concurrently as Leader of the Official Opposition. |
| 2nd | .jpg) | Andrew Scheer | 27 May 2017 | 24 August 2020 | Regina—Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan | Served concurrently as Leader of the Official Opposition 2017–2020;
(resigned 12 December 2019, remained leader until his successor was chosen on 24 August 2020).[1] |
| 3rd | .jpg) | Erin O'Toole | 24 August 2020 | 2 February 2022 | Durham, Ontario | Served concurrently as Leader of the Official Opposition 2020–2022;
(removed 2 February 2022 by the Conservative caucus). |
| — | .jpg) | Candice Bergen | 2 February 2022 | 10 September 2022 | Portage—Lisgar, Manitoba | Interim leader, served concurrently as Leader of the Official Opposition 2022. |
| 4th |  |
Pierre Poilievre | 10 September 2022 | Incumbent | Carleton, Ontario | Serves concurrently as Leader of the Official Opposition. |
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This is a list of prime ministers of Canada after Confederation who were members of the "Tory parties": the Conservative Party of Canada (historical) (1867–1942), Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–2003), and Conservative Party of Canada (2003–present).
Conservative (1867–1942)
Further information: Liberal-Conservative Party, Conservative Party of Canada (historical), Unionist Party (Canada), National Liberal and Conservative Party, and National Government (Canada)
- Sir John A. Macdonald (1867–1873, 1878–1891)
- Sir John Abbott (1891–1892)
- Sir John Sparrow David Thompson (1892–1894)
- Sir Mackenzie Bowell (1894–1896)
- Sir Charles Tupper (1896)
- Sir Robert Borden (1911–1920)
- Arthur Meighen (1920–1921, 1926)
- R. B. Bennett (1930–1935)[a]
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–2003)
Further information: Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
- John Diefenbaker (1957–1963)
- Joe Clark (1979–1980)
- Brian Mulroney (1984–1993)
- Kim Campbell (1993)
Conservative Party of Canada (2003–present)
Further information: Conservative Party of Canada
- Stephen Harper (2006–2015)
Conservative (historical; 1867–1942)
More information Election, Leader ...
| Election | Leader | Party name | # of candidates nominated | # of seats won | +/– | Election Outcome | # of total votes | % of popular vote | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1867 | John A. Macdonald | Conservatives, Liberal-Conservatives | 112 | 100 / 180 |
 100 |
1st |
92,656 | 34.53% | Majority |
| 1872 | John A. Macdonald | Conservatives, Liberal-Conservatives, one Conservative Labour | 140 | 100 / 200 |
 |
1st |
123,100 | 38.66% | Minority |
| 1874 | John A. Macdonald | Conservatives, Liberal-Conservatives, one Conservative Labour | 104 | 65 / 206 |
 35 |
2nd |
99,440 | 30.58% | Opposition |
| 1878 | John A. Macdonald | Conservatives, Liberal-Conservatives | 161 | 129 / 206 |
64 |
1st |
229,191 | 42.06% | Majority |
| 1882 | John A. Macdonald | Conservatives, Liberal-Conservatives | 168 | 136 / 215 |
7 |
1st |
208,544 | 40.39% | Majority |
| 1887 | John A. Macdonald | Conservatives, Liberal-Conservatives | 203 | 111 / 215 |
25 |
1st |
343,805 | 47.41% | Majority |
| 1891 | John A. Macdonald | Conservatives, Liberal-Conservatives | 212 | 117 / 215 |
6 |
1st |
376,518 | 48.58% | Majority |
| 1896 | Charles Tupper | Conservatives, Liberal-Conservatives | 207 | 98 / 213 |
19 |
2nd |
467,415 | 48.17% | Opposition |
| 1900 | Charles Tupper | Conservatives, Liberal-Conservatives | 204 | 79 / 213 |
9 |
2nd |
438,330 | 46.1% | Opposition |
| 1904 | Robert Borden | Conservatives, Liberal-Conservatives | 205 | 75 / 214 |
4 |
2nd |
470,430 | 45.94% | Opposition |
| 1908 | Robert Borden | Conservatives, Liberal-Conservatives | 211 | 85 / 221 |
10 |
2nd |
539,374 | 46.21% | Opposition |
| 1911 | Robert Borden | Conservatives, Liberal-Conservatives and Nationalist Conservatives | 212 | 132 / 221 |
48 |
1st |
636,938 | 48.90% | Majority |
| 1917 | Robert Borden | Unionist Party | 211 | 152 / 235 |
20 |
1st |
1,070,694 | 56.93% | Majority |
| 1921 | Arthur Meighen | National Liberal and Conservative Party | 204 | 49 / 235 |
103 |
3rd |
935,651 | 29.95% | Third Party |
| 1925 | Arthur Meighen | Conservatives | 232 | 114 / 245 |
65 |
1st |
1,454,253 | 46.13% | Minority - initially formed Opposition; became government upon invitation of Governor-General following non-confidence vote |
| 1926 | Arthur Meighen | Conservatives | 232 | 91 / 245 |
23 |
2nd |
1,476,834 | 45.34% | Opposition |
| 1930 | R. B. Bennett | Conservatives | 229 | 135 / 245 |
44 |
1st |
1,836,115 | 47.79% | Majority |
| 1935 | R. B. Bennett | Conservatives | 228 | 39 / 245 |
94 |
2nd |
1,290,671 | 29.84% | Opposition |
| 1940 | Robert James Manion | National Government | 207 | 39 / 245 |
|
2nd |
1,402,059 | 30.41% | Opposition |
Close
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1942–2003)
More information Election, Leader ...
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Role | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | John Bracken | 1,448,744 | 27.62% | 64 / 245 |
27 |
2nd |
Opposition | Liberal minority |
| 1949 | George A. Drew | 1,734,261 | 29.62% | 41 / 262 |
23 |
2nd |
Opposition | Liberal majority |
| 1953 | George A. Drew | 1,749,579 | 31.01% | 50 / 265 |
9 |
2nd |
Opposition | Liberal majority |
| 1957 | John Diefenbaker | 2,564,732 | 38.81% | 109 / 265 |
59 |
1st |
Minority | PC minority |
| 1958 | John Diefenbaker | 3,908,633 | 53.56% | 208 / 265 |
99 |
1st |
Majority | PC majority |
| 1962 | John Diefenbaker | 2,865,542 | 37.22% | 114 / 265 |
94 |
1st |
Minority | PC minority |
| 1963 | John Diefenbaker | 2,591,613 | 32.80% | 93 / 265 |
21 |
2nd |
Opposition | Liberal minority |
| 1965 | John Diefenbaker | 2,500,113 | 32.41% | 95 / 265 |
2 |
2nd |
Opposition | Liberal minority |
| 1968 | Robert Stanfield | 2,554,397 | 31.43% | 72 / 264 |
23 |
2nd |
Opposition | Liberal majority |
| 1972 | Robert Stanfield | 3,388,980 | 35.02% | 107 / 264 |
35 |
2nd |
Opposition | Liberal minority |
| 1974 | Robert Stanfield | 3,371,319 | 35.46% | 95 / 264 |
22 |
2nd |
Opposition | Liberal majority |
| 1979 | Joe Clark | 4,111,606 | 35.89% | 136 / 282 |
51 |
1st |
Minority | PC minority |
| 1980 | Joe Clark | 3,552,994 | 32.49% | 103 / 282 |
33 |
2nd |
Opposition | Liberal majority |
| 1984 | Brian Mulroney | 6,278,818 | 50.03% | 211 / 282 |
108 |
1st |
Majority | PC majority |
| 1988 | Brian Mulroney | 5,667,543 | 43.02% | 169 / 295 |
42 |
1st |
Majority | PC majority |
| 1993 | Kim Campbell | 2,178,303 | 16.04% | 2 / 295 |
167 |
5th |
No status | Liberal majority |
| 1997 | Jean Charest | 2,446,705 | 18.84% | 20 / 301 |
18 |
5th |
Fifth party | Liberal majority |
| 2000 | Joe Clark | 1,566,994 | 12.19% | 12 / 301 |
8 |
5th |
Fifth party | Liberal majority |
Close
Conservative Party of Canada (2003–present)
More information Election, Leader ...
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Stephen Harper | 4,019,498 | 29.63% | 99 / 308 |
21 |
2nd |
Opposition |
| 2006 | 5,374,071 | 36.37% | 124 / 308 |
25 |
1st |
Minority | |
| 2008 | 5,209,069 | 37.65% | 143 / 308 |
19 |
1st |
Minority | |
| 2011 | 5,832,401 | 39.62% | 166 / 308 |
23 |
1st |
Majority | |
| 2015 | 5,613,633 | 31.91% | 99 / 338 |
67 |
2nd |
Opposition | |
| 2019 | Andrew Scheer | 6,239,227 | 34.34% | 121 / 338 |
22 |
2nd |
Opposition |
| 2021 | Erin O'Toole | 5,747,410 | 33.74% | 119 / 338 |
2 |
2nd |
Opposition |
Close
Parties that have had representation in the House of Commons
"Reform-Alliance"
Leaders of the Reform Party of Canada
- Preston Manning (October 31, 1987 – March 25, 2000)
Leaders of the Canadian Alliance
- Deborah Grey (March 27, 2000 – July 8, 2000) (interim)
- Stockwell Day (July 8, 2000 – December 12, 2001)
- John Reynolds (December 12, 2001 – March 20, 2002) (interim)
- Stephen Harper (March 20, 2002 – December 7, 2003)
Leaders of the Reconstruction Party of Canada
- Henry Herbert Stevens (1935–1938)
Leaders of the Social Credit Party of Canada
- John Horne Blackmore (1935–1944) (parliamentary leader)
- Solon Earl Low (1944–1961)
- Robert Thompson (1961–1967)
- Alexander Bell Patterson (1967–1968) (interim)
- Réal Caouette (1971–1976)
- André-Gilles Fortin (1976–1977)
- Gilles Caouette (1977–1978) (interim)
- Charles-Arthur Gauthier (1978) (interim)
- Lorne Reznowski (1978–1979)
- Charles-Arthur Gauthier (1979) (interim)
- Fabien Roy (1979–1980)
- Martin Hattersley (1981–1983)
- Ken Sweigard (1983–1986) (interim)
- Harvey Lainson (1986–1990)
- Ken Campbell (1990–1993)
Parties that have had no representation in the House of Commons
Leaders of the Christian Heritage Party of Canada
- Ed Vanwoudenberg (1987–1991)
- Charles Cavilla (1991–1993)
- Heather Stilwell (1993–1994) (interim)
- Jean Blaquière (1994–1995)
- Ron Gray (1995–2008)
- Jim Hnatiuk (2008–2014)
- David J. Reimer (2014) (interim)
- Rod Taylor (2014 – present)
Leaders of the Libertarian Party of Canada
- Sieg Pedde (1973–1974)
- Charles 'Chuck' Lyall (1974–1976)
- Ron Bailey (1976–1978)
- Alex Eaglesham (1978–1979)
- Linda Cain (1980–1982)
- Neil Reynolds (May 1982 – 1983)
- Victor Levis (1983–1987)
- Dennis Corrigan (1987–1990)
- Stanislaw Tyminski (1990–1991)
- George Dance (1991–1993)
- Hilliard Cox (May 1993 – 1995)
- George Dance (1995–1996)
- Vincent Pouliot (May 12, 1996 – April 5, 1997)
- Robert Morse (1997)
- Jean-Serge Brisson (1997 - May 18, 2008)[f][2]
- Dennis Young (May 18, 2008 - May 2011)
- Katrina Chowne (May 2011 – May 2014)
- Tim Moen (May 2014 – 2021)
- Jacques Boudreau (2021 – present)
Leaders of the Progressive Canadian Party
- Ernie Schreiber (2004–2005) (interim)
- Tracy Parsons (2005–2007)
- Sinclair Stevens (2007–2016)
- Joe Hueglin (2016–2019)
Leaders of the Western Block Party
- Doug Christie (November 30, 2005 – March 11, 2013)
- Paul St. Laurent (March 11, 2013 – January 31, 2014)
Leader of the Alliance of the North
- François Bélanger (September 11, 2013 — present)
Leader of the People's Party of Canada
- Maxime Bernier (September 14, 2018 – present)
- Tunney, Catharine; Harris, Kathleen (12 Dec 2019). "Conservative caucus backs Scheer as interim leader amid private school backlash". CBC News. Retrieved 1 Feb 2019.
- Agenda Archived 2011-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^[a] Created Viscount Bennett following his retirement from office.
- ^[b] On this occasion, Meighen failed in his attempts to win re-election to the House of Commons, so Hanson remained Leader of the Opposition throughout Meighen's term
- ^[c] Bracken did not win election to the House of Commons until 1945, so Hanson remained Leader of the Opposition until January 1943, when he was replaced by Gordon Graydon
- ^[d] On two occasions when Drew was too ill to perform his duties, William Earl Rowe served as Leader of the Opposition
- ^[e] Michael Starr served as Leader of the Opposition until November 5, 1967, when Stanfield, who had previously been premier of Nova Scotia, won election to Parliament
- ^[f] Brisson led the party on an interim basis prior to being elected at a delegated convention in 2000.