The Conservative Party of Canada is a conservative political party in Canada, founded in 1867. Better known as the Tories, the Conservative Party was the dominant right-wing political party in Canada, and it was opposed to the progressive Liberal Party of Canada and the socialist New Democratic Party. The party was first led by John A. Macdonald, and it had a strong hold on Canadian politics for decades, despite early corruption scandals. The party supported protectionism, Toryism, and strong relations with the United Kingdom, and it existed until 1942, when it merged into the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. During the early 20th century, the party's support was drawn primarily from the business and commercial elite, particularly in Ontario and Quebec. The party was supported by the Anglican and Catholic churches, and it found strong backing among the rural, agricultural population, especially in Western Canada. The party championed protectionist economic policies and the maintenance of the British imperial connection.
The Conservative Party had many incarnations from 1867, with the Progressive Conservative Party introducing free markets and economic liberalization from 1984 to 1993 under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. On 7 December 2003, the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance merged to form a new Conservative Party, which favored lower taxes, small government, tougher "law and order" policies, and decentralization. The revived vied for power against the Liberal Party for decades, and it was in government from 2006 to 2015. The new party had a variety of views, supporting fiscal conservatism, economic liberalism, social conservatism, right-wing libertarianism, and federalism.