Progressive Conservative leadership convention, 1976
Encyclopedia
The 1976 leadership election of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
was held in Ottawa
on February 22, 1976, to elect a leader to replace Robert Stanfield
, who had resigned after losing the 1968
, 1972
, and 1974 elections
. It unexpectedly elected a 36-year-old, little-known PC Member of Parliament
from Alberta
as the party's new leader. Joe Clark
won on the fourth ballot of the convention.
The convention's delegates were elected by the party's riding
associations, along with the party's youth, campus and women's associations. There were also numerous ex officio delegates, including PC Members of Parliament, defeated candidates from the previous election, members of provincial legislatures, members of the party's national executive and the executives of provincial parties affiliated to the federal party. Delegates cast secret ballots, so their votes were not "tied" to any candidate. After each ballot, the candidate winning the fewest votes was removed from the ballot for the next round. Several candidates withdrew voluntarily when it became clear that they would not be able to win.
The front-runner going into the convention was Claude Wagner
a former Liberal Party of Quebec Minister of Justice in the government of the Province of Quebec
. Wagner's support came from party members who believed that having a Québec francophone leader would enable the party to expand its support in Québec, where the party was usually soundly defeated by the Liberal Party of Canada
in elections. Wagner's "law and order" image as Québec justice minister appealed to many on the party's right wing.
Brian Mulroney
, a lawyer from Québec who had grown up in a bilingual family, was also seen as a candidate who could appeal to Québec. Mulroney had never run for public office before, however, and alienated many party members with his slick appearance and his very expensive campaign. He was largely unable to build on the base of support that he brought to the convention. After placing second on the first ballot, Mulroney fell behind Clark on the second ballot as Red Tory delegates began to coalesce behind Clark. After delegates began to desert Mulroney on the third ballot, he was forced out of the race. Mulroney later defeated Clark for the leadership at the 1983 leadership convention.
Clark placed a surprisingly strong third on the first ballot. As other Red Tory candidates withdrew, Red Tories rallied behind Clark, pushing him into first place only on the fourth ballot of the convention.
Jack Horner, a Member of Parliament from the Province of Alberta
and a cattle rancher, was considered to be a maverick and attracted votes from right-wing westerners. Horner placed fourth in the first ballot, but as right-wing delegates flocked to Wagner, Horner was unable to increase his vote significantly, and dropped out after the second ballot. After losing the leadership, he joined the Liberal Party and immediately became a minister in the Trudeau government despite his hard-line right-wing views and his harsh criticism of the Liberal government. He was defeated in the 1979 election
, and was later appointed to the board of directors of the Canadian National Railway
when Trudeau was returned to power in 1980.
Paul Hellyer
was a popular, long-term Liberal cabinet minister from Toronto
who had been defeated by Pierre Trudeau
at the 1968 Liberal leadership convention. After leaving the Liberal Party, Hellyer had attempted to establish a new party under his own leadership, the Action Canada movement. This was unsuccessful, and Hellyer joined the PC Party. Hellyer seriously damaged his bid for the PC leadership during his convention speech, when he criticized centrist Red Tories in the party for not being conservative enough. This alienated many party members who saw the irony in a former Liberal cabinet minister lecturing party members about being conservative. After placing respectably in fifth in the first ballot, close to half of his delegates left his camp to support other candidates on the second ballot, and Hellyer withdrew from the race.
Flora MacDonald, a popular PC Member of Parliament from Kingston, Ontario
, was the first woman to make a serious run for the PC leadership. (Mary Walker-Sawka
had won two votes at the 1967 leadership convention.) MacDonald encouraged women of all political stripes across Canada to support her campaign by contributing one dollar. She was believed to be the front-runner amongst the Red Tory candidates going into the convention. Based on the public statements of support that she had received from delegates, many believed that she had a realistic chance of becoming leader. After the delegates cast their secret ballots, however, the result was very different. After the first ballots were counted, however, she had won far fewer votes than had been promised to her by delegates, and Clark became the favourite amongst Red Tories. The phenomenon of delegates promising their votes to one candidate and then voting for another has become known in Canadian politics
as the "Flora Syndrome". She continued to be a respected Member of Parliament and served as a minister in the Clark and Mulroney governments.
Sinclair Stevens
, an Ontario
businessperson and PC MP, placed sixth on the first ballot, and began the stampede toward the Clark camp by withdrawing and encouraging his delegates to support Clark on the second ballot. This helped solidify Clark's position as the Red Tory candidate of choice.
Four other PC Members of Parliament sought the leadership, but attracted few votes:
WAGNER, Claude
531 (22.5%)
MULRONEY, Martin Brian
357 (15.13%)
CLARK, Charles Joseph (Joe)
277 (11.74%)
HORNER, John (Jack) Henry 235 (9.96%)
HELLYER, Paul Theodore
231 (9.79%)
MACDONALD, Flora Isabel 214 (9.07%)
STEVENS, Sinclair McKnight
182 (7.71%)
FRASER, John
127 (5.38%)
GILLIES, James McPhail 87 (3.69%)
NOWLAN, John Patrick (Pat) 86 (3.64%)
GRAFFTEY, William Heward
33 (1.4%)
Total ballots cast 2,360
Grafftey is eliminated and Gillies withdraws; both support Clark. Sinclair Stevens withdraws and endorses Joe Clark.
Second Ballot
WAGNER, Claude
667 (28.54%)
CLARK, Charles Joseph (Joe)
532 (22.76%)
MULRONEY, Martin Brian
419 (17.93%)
HORNER, John (Jack) Henry 286 (12.24%)
MACDONALD, Flora Isabel 239 (10.23%)
HELLYER, Paul Theodore
118 (5.05%)
NOWLAN, John Patrick (Pat) 42 (1.8%)
FRASER, John
34 (1.46%)
Total ballots cast 2,337
MacDonald withdraws after this ballot and endorses Clark. Fraser is dropped off and also supports Clark. Horner, Hellyer and Nowlan all withdraw and endorse Claude Wagner.
Third Ballot
WAGNER, Claude
1,003 (42.84%)
CLARK, Charles Joseph (Joe)
969 (41.39%)
MULRONEY, Martin Brian
369 (15.76%)
Total ballots cast 2,341
Mulroney drops off and releases his delegates without endorsing anyone.
Fourth Ballot
CLARK, Charles Joseph (Joe)
1,187 (51.41%)
WAGNER, Claude
1,122 (48.59%)
Total ballots cast 2,309
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
was held in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
on February 22, 1976, to elect a leader to replace Robert Stanfield
Robert Stanfield
Robert Lorne Stanfield, PC, QC was the 17th Premier of Nova Scotia and leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He is sometimes referred to as "the greatest prime minister Canada never had", and earned the nickname "Honest Bob"...
, who had resigned after losing the 1968
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...
, 1972
Canadian federal election, 1972
The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 29th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in a slim victory for the governing Liberal Party, which won 109 seats, compared to 107 seats for the opposition Progressive...
, and 1974 elections
Canadian federal election, 1974
The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 30th Parliament of Canada. The governing Liberal Party won its first majority government since 1968, and gave Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau his third term...
. It unexpectedly elected a 36-year-old, little-known PC Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
from Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
as the party's new leader. Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
won on the fourth ballot of the convention.
The convention's delegates were elected by the party's riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
associations, along with the party's youth, campus and women's associations. There were also numerous ex officio delegates, including PC Members of Parliament, defeated candidates from the previous election, members of provincial legislatures, members of the party's national executive and the executives of provincial parties affiliated to the federal party. Delegates cast secret ballots, so their votes were not "tied" to any candidate. After each ballot, the candidate winning the fewest votes was removed from the ballot for the next round. Several candidates withdrew voluntarily when it became clear that they would not be able to win.
The front-runner going into the convention was Claude Wagner
Claude Wagner
Claude Wagner, PC, QC was a judge and politician in the Province of Quebec, Canada. In his career, Wagner was a Crown prosecutor, professor of criminal law and judge...
a former Liberal Party of Quebec Minister of Justice in the government of the Province of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Wagner's support came from party members who believed that having a Québec francophone leader would enable the party to expand its support in Québec, where the party was usually soundly defeated by the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in elections. Wagner's "law and order" image as Québec justice minister appealed to many on the party's right wing.
Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
, a lawyer from Québec who had grown up in a bilingual family, was also seen as a candidate who could appeal to Québec. Mulroney had never run for public office before, however, and alienated many party members with his slick appearance and his very expensive campaign. He was largely unable to build on the base of support that he brought to the convention. After placing second on the first ballot, Mulroney fell behind Clark on the second ballot as Red Tory delegates began to coalesce behind Clark. After delegates began to desert Mulroney on the third ballot, he was forced out of the race. Mulroney later defeated Clark for the leadership at the 1983 leadership convention.
Clark placed a surprisingly strong third on the first ballot. As other Red Tory candidates withdrew, Red Tories rallied behind Clark, pushing him into first place only on the fourth ballot of the convention.
Jack Horner, a Member of Parliament from the Province of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and a cattle rancher, was considered to be a maverick and attracted votes from right-wing westerners. Horner placed fourth in the first ballot, but as right-wing delegates flocked to Wagner, Horner was unable to increase his vote significantly, and dropped out after the second ballot. After losing the leadership, he joined the Liberal Party and immediately became a minister in the Trudeau government despite his hard-line right-wing views and his harsh criticism of the Liberal government. He was defeated in the 1979 election
Canadian federal election, 1979
The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 31st Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of Liberal Party of Canada after 11 years in power under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Joe Clark led the Progressive...
, and was later appointed to the board of directors of the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
when Trudeau was returned to power in 1980.
Paul Hellyer
Paul Hellyer
Paul Theodore Hellyer, PC is a Canadian engineer, politician, writer and commentator who has had a long and varied career. He is the longest serving current member of the Privy Council, just ahead of Prince Philip.-Early life:...
was a popular, long-term Liberal cabinet minister from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
who had been defeated by Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
at the 1968 Liberal leadership convention. After leaving the Liberal Party, Hellyer had attempted to establish a new party under his own leadership, the Action Canada movement. This was unsuccessful, and Hellyer joined the PC Party. Hellyer seriously damaged his bid for the PC leadership during his convention speech, when he criticized centrist Red Tories in the party for not being conservative enough. This alienated many party members who saw the irony in a former Liberal cabinet minister lecturing party members about being conservative. After placing respectably in fifth in the first ballot, close to half of his delegates left his camp to support other candidates on the second ballot, and Hellyer withdrew from the race.
Flora MacDonald, a popular PC Member of Parliament from Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, was the first woman to make a serious run for the PC leadership. (Mary Walker-Sawka
Mary Walker-Sawka
Mary Walker-Sawka was the first woman ever to seek the leadership of a major political party in Canada. She was a surprise last-minute candidate at the 1967 leadership convention of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, a centre-right party that formed the official opposition in the...
had won two votes at the 1967 leadership convention.) MacDonald encouraged women of all political stripes across Canada to support her campaign by contributing one dollar. She was believed to be the front-runner amongst the Red Tory candidates going into the convention. Based on the public statements of support that she had received from delegates, many believed that she had a realistic chance of becoming leader. After the delegates cast their secret ballots, however, the result was very different. After the first ballots were counted, however, she had won far fewer votes than had been promised to her by delegates, and Clark became the favourite amongst Red Tories. The phenomenon of delegates promising their votes to one candidate and then voting for another has become known in Canadian politics
Politics of Canada
The politics of Canada function within a framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is head of state...
as the "Flora Syndrome". She continued to be a respected Member of Parliament and served as a minister in the Clark and Mulroney governments.
Sinclair Stevens
Sinclair Stevens
Sinclair McKnight Stevens, PC is a Canadian lawyer, businessman and former parliamentarian.-Early life:He was born in Esquesing Township , the third child of Northern Irish immigrants Robert Murray Stevens and Anna Bailey McKnight...
, an Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
businessperson and PC MP, placed sixth on the first ballot, and began the stampede toward the Clark camp by withdrawing and encouraging his delegates to support Clark on the second ballot. This helped solidify Clark's position as the Red Tory candidate of choice.
Four other PC Members of Parliament sought the leadership, but attracted few votes:
- Pat Nowlan (Nova ScotiaNova ScotiaNova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
), - Heward GraffteyHeward GraffteyWilliam Heward Grafftey, PC, QC was a Canadian politician and businessman.-Early life:Born in Montreal, Quebec, to a prosperous family, he was a cousin of artist Prudence Heward, and wrote "Chapter Four: Prudence Heward" in the 1996 book Portraits of a Life..His father, Major Arthur Grafftey, was...
(QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
), - James McPhail Gillies (TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
), and - John FraserJohn Allen FraserJohn Allen Fraser, PC, OC, OBC, CD, QC is a retired Canadian parliamentarian and former Speaker of the House of Commons....
(British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
).
Results
First BallotWAGNER, Claude
Claude Wagner
Claude Wagner, PC, QC was a judge and politician in the Province of Quebec, Canada. In his career, Wagner was a Crown prosecutor, professor of criminal law and judge...
531 (22.5%)
MULRONEY, Martin Brian
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
357 (15.13%)
CLARK, Charles Joseph (Joe)
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
277 (11.74%)
HORNER, John (Jack) Henry 235 (9.96%)
HELLYER, Paul Theodore
Paul Hellyer
Paul Theodore Hellyer, PC is a Canadian engineer, politician, writer and commentator who has had a long and varied career. He is the longest serving current member of the Privy Council, just ahead of Prince Philip.-Early life:...
231 (9.79%)
MACDONALD, Flora Isabel 214 (9.07%)
STEVENS, Sinclair McKnight
Sinclair Stevens
Sinclair McKnight Stevens, PC is a Canadian lawyer, businessman and former parliamentarian.-Early life:He was born in Esquesing Township , the third child of Northern Irish immigrants Robert Murray Stevens and Anna Bailey McKnight...
182 (7.71%)
FRASER, John
John Allen Fraser
John Allen Fraser, PC, OC, OBC, CD, QC is a retired Canadian parliamentarian and former Speaker of the House of Commons....
127 (5.38%)
GILLIES, James McPhail 87 (3.69%)
NOWLAN, John Patrick (Pat) 86 (3.64%)
GRAFFTEY, William Heward
Heward Grafftey
William Heward Grafftey, PC, QC was a Canadian politician and businessman.-Early life:Born in Montreal, Quebec, to a prosperous family, he was a cousin of artist Prudence Heward, and wrote "Chapter Four: Prudence Heward" in the 1996 book Portraits of a Life..His father, Major Arthur Grafftey, was...
33 (1.4%)
Total ballots cast 2,360
Grafftey is eliminated and Gillies withdraws; both support Clark. Sinclair Stevens withdraws and endorses Joe Clark.
Second Ballot
WAGNER, Claude
Claude Wagner
Claude Wagner, PC, QC was a judge and politician in the Province of Quebec, Canada. In his career, Wagner was a Crown prosecutor, professor of criminal law and judge...
667 (28.54%)
CLARK, Charles Joseph (Joe)
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
532 (22.76%)
MULRONEY, Martin Brian
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
419 (17.93%)
HORNER, John (Jack) Henry 286 (12.24%)
MACDONALD, Flora Isabel 239 (10.23%)
HELLYER, Paul Theodore
Paul Hellyer
Paul Theodore Hellyer, PC is a Canadian engineer, politician, writer and commentator who has had a long and varied career. He is the longest serving current member of the Privy Council, just ahead of Prince Philip.-Early life:...
118 (5.05%)
NOWLAN, John Patrick (Pat) 42 (1.8%)
FRASER, John
John Allen Fraser
John Allen Fraser, PC, OC, OBC, CD, QC is a retired Canadian parliamentarian and former Speaker of the House of Commons....
34 (1.46%)
Total ballots cast 2,337
MacDonald withdraws after this ballot and endorses Clark. Fraser is dropped off and also supports Clark. Horner, Hellyer and Nowlan all withdraw and endorse Claude Wagner.
Third Ballot
WAGNER, Claude
Claude Wagner
Claude Wagner, PC, QC was a judge and politician in the Province of Quebec, Canada. In his career, Wagner was a Crown prosecutor, professor of criminal law and judge...
1,003 (42.84%)
CLARK, Charles Joseph (Joe)
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
969 (41.39%)
MULRONEY, Martin Brian
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
369 (15.76%)
Total ballots cast 2,341
Mulroney drops off and releases his delegates without endorsing anyone.
Fourth Ballot
CLARK, Charles Joseph (Joe)
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
1,187 (51.41%)
WAGNER, Claude
Claude Wagner
Claude Wagner, PC, QC was a judge and politician in the Province of Quebec, Canada. In his career, Wagner was a Crown prosecutor, professor of criminal law and judge...
1,122 (48.59%)
Total ballots cast 2,309
See also
- Progressive Conservative leadership elections