Canadian Alliance was a right-wing political party in Canada. The party was officially called the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance. It supported smaller government, balanced budgets, tax reform, and increased consultation with the public through referendums (direct votes by the people) on important issues.
The Canadian Alliance grew out of efforts to unite conservatives in Canadian politics. In the 1997 federal election, the Reform Party, a conservative party based in Alberta, became the official opposition in the Canadian House of Commons. However, the party did not win a single seat outside western Canada. Many Reform members believed that the failure of the party to gain nationwide support was the result of the conservative vote being split between the Reform and the Progressive Conservative parties. They argued that what was needed to defeat the ruling Liberal Party was a new party that united members of the nation’s two conservative parties.
The Canadian Alliance was founded in January 2000. In March, members of the Reform Party voted to join the new Alliance. The new party then became the official opposition. The Alliance remained the official opposition following a national election held in November. In 2003, Alliance members voted to merge with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the Conservative Party of Canada.
See also Day, Stockwell; Harper, Stephen Joseph.
