Ernest Preston Manning (born June 10, 1942) is a retired Canadian politician. He was the founder and the only leader of the
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada () was a right-wing populism, right-wing populist and conservative List of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada that existed from 1987 to 2000. Reform was founded as a Western Canada- ...
, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the
Canadian Alliance in 2000 which in turn merged with the
Progressive Conservative Party to form today's
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC; , ), sometimes referred to as the Tories, is a Government of Canada, federal List of political parties in Canada, political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main Right-wing ...
in 2003. Manning represented the federal constituency of
Calgary Southwest in the
Canadian House of Commons from 1993 until his retirement in 2002. He served as
leader of the Official Opposition from 1997 to 2000.
Manning is the son of former
Social Credit
Social credit is a distributive philosophy of political economy developed in the 1920s and 1930s by C. H. Douglas. Douglas attributed economic downturns to discrepancies between the cost of goods and the compensation of the workers who made t ...
Premier of Alberta Ernest Manning. Earning a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in economics in 1964, Manning rose to prominence in 1987, when he and an alliance of associates created the Reform Party, an
anti-establishment
An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958 by the British magazine ''New Statesman'' ...
right-wing populist party that won its first seat in
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
and had a
regionalist,
Western Canadian base. Shortly after that, the party rapidly gained momentum in the
1993 Canadian federal election
The 1993 Canadian federal election was held on October 25, 1993, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons of the 35th Canadian Parliament, 35th Parliament of Canada. Considered to be a major political realignment, it ...
, where it won 52 seats. In the
1997 federal election, support increased as the party's number of seats rose to 60 and became the
Official Opposition
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...
, although Manning struggled to win ridings in
Central and
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...
in order to become
prime minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. In 2000, the Reform Party was succeeded by the
Canadian Alliance. Manning lost
the leadership election to
Stockwell Day but continued to serve in the federal parliament until his retirement in January 2002.
Manning remains active in Conservative Party politics and campaigns. Manning is also seen as the founder of the
green conservative movement in Canada. Upon his retirement, he has founded the Manning Foundation for Democratic Education and the
Manning Centre for Building Democracy, not-for-profit organizations dedicated to strengthening Canadian democracy in accordance with conservative principles.
Early life and career
Manning was born in
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
, Alberta. He is the son of Muriel Aileen (née Preston) and
Ernest Manning,
Social Credit Party Premier of Alberta between 1943 and 1968 and a Canadian Senator from 1970 to 1983. Preston's grandparents were English immigrants.
Manning grew up in the Garneau district of
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
, but moved at age twelve with his parents to the family dairy farm east of Edmonton from which he attended a rural school – Horse Hill High School. He enrolled in the honours physics program at the
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...
in 1960, but switched after three years to economics and graduated in 1964 with a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in economics. He sought election to the Canadian House of Commons in the
1965 federal election as a candidate of the federal
Social Credit Party in
Edmonton East, but was defeated.
When the Prairies began to prosper because of its status as an international wheat basket and the discovery of oil, the Social Credit Party changed course from its 1930s share-the-wealth roots to embrace
rugged individualism and
free enterprise.
Upon graduation from university in 1966, Manning briefly worked as a salaried researcher for the National Public Affairs Research Foundation—a small, independent think tank led by David R. Wilson, who had been formerly with the Social Credit as executive director. ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' described the focus of the Foundation as fighting "creeping socialism" in Canada. This research enabled Manning to work on quasi political projects of interest to himself and his father.
One such project included the preparation of a proposal for re-aligning Alberta provincial politics through a proposed merger of the governing Social Credit Party with the up-and-coming Progressive Conservative Party led by
Peter Lougheed. The proposal was ultimately rejected by the leadership of both parties but the statement of conservative principles it contained resurfaced time and time again in Manning's subsequent political ventures – in the statement of principles contained in a book researched by him for Ernest Manning entitled in ''Political Realignment: A Challenge for Thoughtful Canadians'' and in the statements of principles of the Reform Party of Canada, the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, and the Conservative Party of Canada.
In 1967, Manning married Sandra (
née
The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...
Beavis). Together they have five children.
Preston Manning has described himself as "a great fan and imperfect follower of Jesus of Nazareth" and has studied and lectured extensively on managing the interface between faith and politics.
Manning and a colleague, Dr. Erick Schmidt, a PhD sociologist and Executive Secretary to the Alberta cabinet in the 1960s, became interested in the
General Systems Theory
Systems theory is the transdisciplinary study of systems, i.e. cohesive groups of interrelated, interdependent components that can be natural or artificial. Every system has causal boundaries, is influenced by its context, defined by its struc ...
of biologist
Ludwig von Bertalanffy
Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy (19 September 1901 – 12 June 1972) was an Austrian biologist known as one of the founders of general systems theory (GST). This is an interdisciplinary practice that describes systems with interacting components, app ...
and its possible application to governmental and business organizations. Together, Manning and Schmidt authored a ''White Paper on Human Resources Development'' for the Alberta government applying systems concepts to the reorganization of Alberta's social services. It was presented to the Alberta legislature in 1968 and later formed the basis of Alberta's Human Resources Development Authority and related programs under Premier
Harry Strom, Ernest Manning's successor. Manning also contributed to the development of a "socio-economic development model" for
TRW Systems of
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach (Spanish for ) is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent Beach Cities, beach c ...
, as the firm was endeavouring to shift its focus from the systems management of military projects to the management of "civil systems".
Over the next twenty years Manning continued to work as a management consultant using his firms – M and M Systems Research Ltd. and Manning Consultants Ltd. – to pursue projects of political relevance. These included the development of strategies to prevent investor owned utilities from being nationalized by their provincial governments, developing a model of federal provincial negotiations which enabled his firm to predict the outcomes of federal provincial conferences, and assisting energy companies to increase their hiring of Indigenous workers and purchases from Indigenous-owned and operated companies. In an effort to stimulate economic growth in the depressed region of north central Alberta, Manning served for almost twenty years as the President and CEO of a duel objective – social and economic – enterprise named Slave Lake Developments Ltd (later renamed Spruceland Properties Ltd). When the company was finally sold in 2016 it distributed over $55 million in dividends to some 300 local shareholders – illustrating Manning's belief that economic development could be more effectively stimulated in a depressed region by "a better distribution of the Tools of Wealth Creation" than by income redistribution schemes.
Rise of the Reform Party (1987–1993)
In the mid-1980s, Manning and his associates were becoming increasingly aware of a growing political discontent in Western Canada and growing disillusionment with the traditional federal political parties. Interest in western separatism was growing as well. On October 16, 1986, Manning convened a small meeting in Calgary of 5 people – himself, Dr. David Elton (a pollster and President of the
Canada West Foundation), James Gray (a prominent Progressive Conservative and Calgary business man), and two oil sector lawyers, Bob Muir and Doug Hilland – to discuss the West's political options.
The group could not agree on a specific course of action but decided there would be merit in holding a conference in the spring of 1987 to develop a Western Political Agenda and to sponsor a debate on various means of advancing it.
A conference organizing and promotional group was assembled which now included several prominent but disillusioned Liberals,
Stan Roberts a former Liberal MLA from Manitoba and Francis Winspear, a prominent Edmonton businessman who offered to help finance the conference.
Ted Byfield
Edward Bartlett Byfield (10 July 1928 – 23 December 2021) was a Canadian conservatism in Canada, conservative teacher, journalist, historian, and publisher. He co-founded ''Saint John's Cathedral Boys' School'' and ''Saint John's School of Al ...
, the publisher and editor of ''
The Western Report,'' also became heavily involved in shaping the Western Agenda and in promoting what was now named The Western Assembly on Canada's Economic & Political Future.
In May 1987, the Western Assembly was held in Vancouver. It adopted a short Western Political Agenda which included such proposals as balancing the federal budget, electing the Canadian Senate, entrenching economic rights, more vigorously pursuing free trade, and allowing more free votes in the House of Commons. The Assembly was also presented with three major options for advancing the Agenda – working through an existing federal party, forming a new western based interest or pressure group, or forming a new western based, federal political party – following in the footsteps of previous western based federal parties, the Progressive Party of Canada, the
Cooperative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; , FCC) was a federal democratic socialistThe following sources describe the CCF as a democratic socialist political party:
*
*
*
*
*
* and social-democraticThese sources describe the CCF as ...
(CCF) and the federal Social Credit party. Manning presented the case for the new party, the attendees voted 77 percent in favour of that option, and a resolution was passed to hold the Founding Convention for the new party in Winnipeg in the fall.
The proposed Founding Assembly was subsequently held in Winnipeg on October 30 to November 1, 1987. It resolved unanimously to create a new federal party based in the west, adopted a draft constitution and a platform embodying the Western Agenda, and chose to name itself, at Manning's suggestion, the Reform Party of Canada. One highlight of the Assembly was an address by
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...
on the application of a "regional fairness criterion" to national decision making. Knowing that any new party would need a Policy Chief, Manning had approached Harper, then a graduate student in economics at the
University of Calgary
{{Infobox university
, name = University of Calgary
, image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
, former ...
, and invited him to make a major presentation at the Winnipeg Assembly. Harper became the Reform Party's Policy Chief and would later become Prime Minister of Canada. The Founding Assembly concluded with the election of
Diane Ablonczy, a Calgary lawyer, as Chair of the new party's governing Council and Manning as Leader – after the only other candidate, Stan Roberts, dropped out of the leadership contest citing voting irregularities.
In the
1988 Canadian federal election
The 1988 Canadian federal election was held on November 21, 1988, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 34th Canadian Parliament, 34th Parliament of Canada following the dissolution of the House on October 1. It was an electio ...
, both Harper and Manning were Reform Party candidates – Manning running in the federal riding of
Yellowhead against former Prime Minister
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph Clark (born June 5, 1939) is a Canadian businessman, writer, and retired politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980. He also served as Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada), leader of the ...
. In total, Reform ran 72 candidates, all of whom were defeated, although 15, including Manning and Harper, finished in second place. In 1989, however, Reform scored its first electoral victory when a
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections.
A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
was held on March 13 in the federal riding of
Beaver River and the Reform candidate,
Deborah Grey was elected. Stephen Harper joined Ms. Grey in Ottawa as her Policy Advisor and Executive Assistant, while Manning continued to travel the country building the party.
These building efforts were relatively successful in
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, and more-so in the West, but Manning's efforts to plant the party in
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
and points east were especially hampered by his inability to speak French and to present Reform as more than a regional party.
Between the 1988 and 1993 federal elections, two significant events helped to boost public awareness of Manning, the Reform Party, and the party's organizational capabilities. The first was a province wide election in Alberta to choose a candidate to be recommended to the Governor General by the federal government for appointment to the
Canadian Senate. Reform put forward
Stan Waters, a prominent Calgary businessman, war hero, and former Lieutenant-General and Commander of the
Canadian Armed Forces
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...
. He and Manning campaigned vigorously across the province and on
election day, October 16, 1989, Waters received slightly more than 620,000 votes (41.7 percent of the total) – the largest electoral mandate ever received by a single candidate for a Canadian parliamentary office. On June 11, 1990, Waters was reluctantly recommended for appointment to the Senate by then Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993.
Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studi ...
where he (Waters) continued to campaign vigorously for Reform's "
Triple-E Senate" – Elected, Equal, and Effective.
1993 federal election
In June 1993, Prime Minister Mulroney resigned, to be replaced by
Kim Campbell, who then called a
federal election for October 25, 1993. Manning and Reform campaigned on the theme of "The West Wants In". and the Reform agenda adopted at previous party conventions. When the results were in, Reform had received 2,559,245 votes and elected 52 members to the House of Commons – with Manning winning in
Calgary Southwest, Stephen Harper winning in
Calgary West
Calgary West was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1953, and from 1979 to 2015. It was in the western part of the City of Calgary. The electoral district was or ...
, and Deborah Grey being re-elected in Beaver River. The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was reduced to two seats, the greatest electoral defeat ever suffered by a major federal political party in Canada. 51 of Reform's seats were in the west and Manning emerged as the principal political voice of the West and fiscal conservatism in the House of Commons.
Despite finishing second in the popular vote, Reform came up three seats short of becoming the
Official Opposition
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...
, largely because the concentration of support for the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois in Quebec was slightly stronger than the concentration of support for Reform in the West. However, the Liberal government under Jean Chrétien characterized Manning and Reform as their main opponent on non-Quebec matters. In 1995 when Bloc leader Lucien Bouchard's position as Opposition Leader granted him a meeting with visiting US President Bill Clinton, Manning was also given a meeting with Clinton to diffuse Bouchard's separatist leverage.
Early parliamentary years (1993–1997)
The 1993 Liberal Red Book containing its election platform scarcely mentioned deficit and debt reduction, but Reform had gained over 2.5 million votes campaigning heavily on the need to balance the federal budget. Much of Manning's and Reform's energy in the 35th Parliament was therefore focused on pressuring the Chrétien government on this issue and in 1998 the federal budget was at last balanced for the first time in years.
Manning and Reform also continued to pressure the government on the issue of Senate reform, but the Liberals argued that this could only be accomplished by a constitutional amendment and that the country was weary of constitutional matters. On April 20, 1998, Manning gave the longest and most comprehensive speech on Senate reform given in the House of Commons in the 20th century. In it he described in graphic detail the major defects of the Senate and the inappropriate, patronage infected behaviour of many of its members. He then reviewed all the previous major attempt at Senate reform and the reasons for their failure, concluding with the case for Reform's Triple E Senate. The government was unmoved, and Senate reform was not pursued in earnest again until the Harper government introduced Senate reform legislation embodying two-thirds of the Triple E Senate concept in 2007. When referred to the Supreme Court, however, the court ruled that the federal government could not unilaterally make the changes contained in the bill and once again Senate reform was stalled indefinitely.
During Reform's first term, several of its members and spokespersons made offensive and politically incorrect remarks which enabled its opponents to label it as extreme and undisciplined. On some occasions Manning was obliged to apologize on behalf of the party; on other occasions he dismissed criticisms by saying "A bright light sometimes attracts a few bugs." Manning allowed his members considerable liberty in voting in the House of Commons, especially on matters not central to the Reform platform. While "freer voting for members of parliament" was a plank in the Reform platform, its exercise in practice frequently led to headlines such as "Reform Divided" and damaged rather than enhanced Manning's efforts to push democratic reforms.
1997 federal election
On June 2, 1997, the next
federal general election was held. Support for the
Bloc
Bloc may refer to:
Government and politics
* Political bloc, a coalition of political parties
* Trade bloc, a type of intergovernmental agreement
* Voting bloc, a group of voters voting together
* Black bloc, a tactic used by protesters who wear ...
declined in Quebec, the party winning 44 seats, down 10 from the previous election. This time Reform won 19.1 percent of the popular vote (2,513,070 votes) and 60 seats, including one in Ontario, compared with 18.8 percent of the popular vote for the Progressive Conservatives (2,446,705 votes) and 20 seats. The gains by Reform in seats were sufficient to make Reform the
Official Opposition
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...
and hense Manning
Leader of the Official Opposition in the
36th Parliament. But vote splitting between Reform and the Progressive Conservative Party continued to hand scores of federal seats, especially in Ontario, to the federal Liberals, who again formed a majority government, a very slim one this time.
Opposition leader (1997–2000)
The 1997 federal election convinced Manning and others that the continued vote splitting between Reform and the Progressive Conservatives needed to be addressed if Canada was to ever get a conservative oriented federal government. At the May 1998 Reform Convention in London, Ontario, Manning therefore proposed an effort to create a
United Alternative to the Liberals and a process for exploring the possibility of bringing Reform and the Progressive Conservatives together. A resolution endorsing the United Alternative proposal was then debated and passed by a vote of 91 percent in favour.
The subsequent United Alternative initiative was aided by the departure of
Jean Charest from the leadership of the federal Progressive Conservatives to pursue provincial politics in Quebec and by the support of provincial Progressive Conservative premiers, in particular,
Mike Harris
Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. Taking the PC ...
of Ontario,
Gary Filmon of Manitoba, and
Ralph Klein
Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 2 ...
in Alberta. The process for achieving it, under Manning's leadership, was incremental, beginning with the creation of a United Alternative Steering Committee involving representatives of both parties and the convening of an initial United Alternative Conference. The Conference was held in February 1999, and attended by 1,500 delegates including both Reform and PC representatives.
On the urging of Manning and others, the Conference endorsed an action plan to create a new federal political party, its constitution, principles, and platform to be determined at a second United Alternative convention prior to June 30, 2000. In keeping with its grass roots consultative tradition, the executive of the Reform Party then scheduled a referendum among party members on the question, "Should the Reform Party of Canada continue with the United Alternative process – Yes or No?" Besides carrying on his duties as Official Opposition Leader, Manning then went on an extensive, cross country campaign to convince Reformers to vote Yes. On June 10, 1999, 60.5 percent of the participating Reform members voted Yes, to continuing the UA process – enough support for Manning to continue to press the UA option, but enough internal opposition to indicate that there were still many obstacles to be overcome.
In January 2000, the second United Alternative Conference was held, with Manning keeping a low profile so as not to convey the impression that the exercise was really just a Reform "take over" of the federal Progressive Conservatives. Major speeches in favour of creating the new party were therefore given by
Stockwell Day, Alberta's
Progressive Conservative Finance Minister, and
Tom Long, a well known lieutenant of Ontario's
Progressive Conservative Premier,
Mike Harris
Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. Taking the PC ...
. This convention, after vigorous debate, approved the constitutional framework and platform for a new party, to be named the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance.
Immediately following the second UA Conference, the
Reform Party held a one-day conference of its own. It reviewed the results of the UA conference and was required by its constitution to vote on whether it approved or disapproved of Manning's continued leadership. Reform delegates were asked again if they wished to continue the UA process, and if they did so, to authorize a final referendum among Reform Party members as to whether or not to become part of the
Canadian Alliance. Manning gave yet another major address in support of "political realignment". It was entitled "Think Big" and was nationally televised, aimed as much at the Canadian electorate as at Reformers. The motion to hold a second referendum was subsequently carried. The vote endorsing Manning's continued leadership of the Reform Party also carried by 73 percent in favour. While this support level for Manning's leadership was substantial, it was also evident that he was slowly using up his personal political capital in pushing the realignment agenda.
Believing that the best way to convince Reformers to support the
Canadian Alliance was to demonstrate that the Alliance and its platform were saleable to the Canadian people, Manning launched another 6-week cross country tour aimed at convincing general audiences, not just Reformers, of the merits of the concept. On March 25, 2000, a large crowd of Reformers assembled at the Palliser hotel in Calgary to receive the results of the second party referendum. 91.5 percent of the participating members from across the country voted in the affirmative – the Reform Party of Canada ceased to exist and the
Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance officially came into being. Immediately following the vote, Manning advised the
Speaker of the House of Commons that all Reform members of Parliament should now be recognized as members of the Canadian Alliance and that
Deborah Grey would serve as leader of the official opposition (and interim leader of the Canadian Alliance) until a leader of the Canadian Alliance was chosen.
Leadership election
Exhausted by three years of constant campaigning to create the "united alternative", Manning and his supporters now prepared to engage in yet another campaign – for the leadership of the newly created Canadian Alliance. It was to be decided by a vote of the Alliance membership using a preferential ballot and to be completed by July 8, 2000. The slogan adopted by the Manning Team for this campaign was "PM4PM". Manning had resigned his position as Leader of the Opposition to combat the charge that it gave him an unfair advantage over other contestants for the Alliance leadership. Because it was important that the Alliance leadership be contested by prominent Progressive Conservatives, not just by Reformers, Manning welcomed the entry of Stockwell Day, the Alberta cabinet minister, into the contest. Because it was equally important that the leadership contest involve a prominent Progressive Conservative from Ontario, so that the Alliance did not appear to be totally western dominated, both Manning and Day also welcomed Tom Long's entry.
The
Canadian Alliance leadership contest itself lasted 3 months in which the contenders crisscrossed the country numerous times and grew the membership of the Canadian Alliance to over 200,000 members, when the results of the first ballot were announced on June 24, 2000,
Stockwell Day had received 44 percent of the vote (53,249 votes out of 120,557), with Manning receiving 36 percent and Long 18 percent. When the results of the second ballot were counted on July 8, 2000, the vote was 64 percent for Day and 36 percent for Manning. Stockwell Day became the leader of the Canadian Alliance and Leader of the Official Opposition in parliament. Manning's role as a political party and opposition leader was over. As he ruefully remarked, "The operation was a success but the doctor died."
Post–leadership (2000–2002)
In the fall of 2000, the Liberals called an
early election vigorously contested by the Canadian Alliance and its new Leader. But although Day, Manning, and other key Reformers were re-elected the Alliance won only 66 seats. Manning served briefly in the
37th parliament as his party's critic for Science and Technology. But it was felt that his presence as a former leader hampered Day's leadership efforts and he resigned his seat in January 2002.
After considerable internal dissension, Day resigned as Canadian Alliance leader to be replaced by Stephen Harper who had re-entered federal politics after remaining aloof during the party's formation. Negotiations were then undertaken between Harper and
Peter MacKay, who had assumed the leadership of the
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; ) was a Centrism, centre to centre-right List of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003.
From Canadian Confederation in 1867 unti ...
. In the fall of 2003 an agreement in principle was reached to merge the two parties to create
the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). In March 2004, the leadership of the CPC was won by Stephen Harper.
Manning took no formal part in the creation of the CPC, devoting himself to building "the conservative movement" as distinct from its partisan manifestations. Nor did he play a prominent role in the next three federal elections, although he continued to support the CPC in principle and provide advice and support to individual candidates.
The CPC – building on foundations laid by Reform, the Alliance, and the Progressive Conservative Party – continued to make electoral progress. In the
January 2006 federal election it won 124 seats compared to 103 for the Liberals and formed its first minority government with Harper as
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. Seeking a majority, Harper asked the
Governor General to dissolve the House in September 2008. In the subsequent
October election, the CPC won 143 seats – still 12 seats short of a majority. Early in 2011, the Harper government was defeated by a non-confidence vote, thus forcing a general election. This time, in the
May 2011 election, the CPC won 166 seats, sufficient to form a majority government. In that election, the Liberals won the fewest federal seats in their history, and were reduced to third party status, while the
NDP made unprecedented gains to become the Official Opposition.
Legacy and recent activities
Most commentary on Manning and his Reform Party ignores his political thinking and portrays him in terms of traditional western-based political protest movements. Sigurdson (1994) argues that Manning should be regarded instead as a postmodern conservative whose politics are a response to the process of postmodernization that has characterized Canada in recent years.
Manning himself has claimed that the greatest contribution of Reform to national politics was to demonstrate that, despite all the flaws and shortcomings of Canadians democracy, a small group of people with limited resources could still take the tools that democracy gives to all Canadians – freedom of speech, freedom of association, and freedom to persuade electors to vote this way or that – and change, at least to some degree, the composition and direction of the parliament and the policies of the national government.
Upon his retirement from parliament, Manning and his associates established two, not-for-profit, organizations – the Manning Foundation for Democratic Education and the Manning Centre for Building Democracy – with Manning serving as the President and CEO of both. The purpose of both organizations is to strengthen democracy in Canada, in accordance with conservative values and principles.
Manning is a founding supporter and promoter of the annual Canadian Science Policy Conference)
Fair Deal panel
On November 9, 2019,
Premier Jason Kenney announced that Manning would lead an Alberta panel focused on getting a "fair deal" in Confederation, along with expanding the autonomy of the Alberta government.
The panel considered measures such as withdrawing Alberta workers from the
Canada Pension Plan
The Canada Pension Plan (CPP; ) is a contributory, earnings-related social insurance program. It is one of the two major components of Canada's public retirement income system, the other being Old Age Security (OAS). Other parts of Canada's retir ...
, the establishment of a provincial tax collection agency, ending the use of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
and creating an independent police force, and establishing a formal Alberta constitution. This announcement was made during a speech by Premier Kenney at the Manning Centre in
Red Deer
The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or Hart (deer), hart, and a female is called a doe or hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Ir ...
. The panel submitted its final report in May 2020.
Manning Centre
In 2005, Manning left the House of Commons and founded the
Manning Centre for Building Democracy, a not-for-profit "political think tank and advocacy group"
that promoted conservative principles.
The Manning Centre had provided a networking opportunity for "conservatives from different provincial parties", and their "federal counterparts" and a space to "exchange ideas and propose policy initiatives", according to
Chuck Strahl, who had served as a Reform MP and Conservative cabinet minister.
Prior to the creation of the Manning Centre, there "wasn't a networking opportunity for what Preston always called the 'conservative movement,' as opposed to political parties."
Preston believed that "the conservative movement benefit
dfrom getting together, in all of its facets, and without having the party hierarchy managing it or overlooking it. This was the best way to get the best conservative ideas."
For twelve years, the Manning Centre organized the annual Manning Networking Conference.
In July 2016, Manning resigned from his executive functions with the Foundation and Centre, although he continues to support and pursue its objectives in his role as Founder. Management of the Centre and Foundation is currently the responsibility of their Boards of Directors as they conduct the search for Manning's successor.
In the run up to the
2019 Canadian federal election
The 2019 Canadian federal election was held on October 21, 2019. Members of the House of Commons were elected to the 43rd Canadian Parliament. In keeping with the maximum four-year term under a 2007 amendment to the ''Canada Elections Act'', ...
, the Manning Centre provided a "total of $312,450 to a network of related third-party advertising groups" operating on
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
and
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
.
This included $240,000 to Canada Strong and Proud for a "series of anti-Trudeau and anti-Liberal campaign ads."
The centre also "gave $4,500 to Newfoundland and Labrador Strong and another $11,200 to Nova Scotia Strong.
On January 16, 2020 Manning announced that he was retiring from the Centre, to spend more time with his family.
Troy Lanigan, the president of the Manning Centre, said that the Centre and the "high-profile conferences it organizes", were in the process of being renamed and "rebranded".
The newly branded entity will continue to break "down silos and getting conservatives to work together and work strategically to create opportunities for success", as Manning had done.
Honours and awards
Manning has served as a Fellow of the
Canada West Foundation, the
Fraser Institute
The Fraser Institute is a Canadian Conservatism in Canada, conservative public policy think tank registered as a Charitable organization, charity. It is headquartered in Vancouver, with additional offices in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. It has ...
, the Marketplace Institute of
Regent College
Regent College is an interdenominational evangelical Christian College of Christian studies, and an affiliated college of the University of British Columbia, located next to the university's campus in the University Endowment Lands west of Va ...
and as a Distinguished Visitor at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
and the
University of Calgary
{{Infobox university
, name = University of Calgary
, image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
, former ...
. He is the recipient of honorary degrees from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
,
York University
York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...
, McMaster Divinity School,
Tyndale University, the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, the
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is a Institute of technology, polytechnic institute in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. SAIT offers more than 110 career programs in technology, trades and business. Established in 1916, it is Calgar ...
, the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...
,
Trinity Western University
Trinity Western University (TWU) is a Private university, private Christian liberal arts university with campuses in both Langley, British Columbia (district municipality), Langley and Richmond, British Columbia, Richmond, British Columbia. The ...
, and
Crandall University.
In 2007, Manning was appointed a Companion of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...
. In that year, he was also appointed to the
Council of Canadian Academies.
In 2007, Manning hosted a Canadian adaptation of the radio series ''
This I Believe'' on
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent o ...
.
When Manning was Leader of the Opposition, he was featured in a skit on the Canadian TV show,
Royal Canadian Air Farce on December 31, 1997. This skit was one of three contenders for the Viewer's Choice "Flashback" for the episode airing on December 5, 2008.
In 2012, Manning was appointed to the
Alberta Order of Excellence.
In 2013, Manning was appointed to the
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The King's Privy Council for Canada (), sometimes called His Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal advisors to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs. Practically, ...
.
Order of Canada Citation
Manning was appointed a Companion of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...
in 2007 for devoting "his life to public service."
He was honoured as the founding father of the Reform Party and as leader of the Official Opposition.
He was acknowledged for his steadfastness in giving "voice to the concerns of many Canadians" and for "tirelessly
hampioningthe cause of democratic and political reform."
Following his retirement from politics, He founded Manning Centre for Building Democracy in 2005. He also "continued his contribution to public policy dialogue through his involvement with numerous research and consulting organizations", such as the
Fraser Institute
The Fraser Institute is a Canadian Conservatism in Canada, conservative public policy think tank registered as a Charitable organization, charity. It is headquartered in Vancouver, with additional offices in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. It has ...
, and the
Canada West Foundation.
Writings
Together with former Ontario Premier
Mike Harris
Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. Taking the PC ...
, Manning co-authored a six-volume study and publication for the
Fraser Institute
The Fraser Institute is a Canadian Conservatism in Canada, conservative public policy think tank registered as a Charitable organization, charity. It is headquartered in Vancouver, with additional offices in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. It has ...
and
Montreal Economic Institute
The Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) is a non-profit research organization (or think tank) based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It aims at promoting economic liberalism through economic education of the general public and what it regards as effici ...
entitled ''VISION for a Canada Strong and Free'' (2007).
He is also the author of several books:
*
*
*
*
References
Recollections, commentary and analysis
*
*
*
* Dobbin, Murray. ''Preston Manning and the Reform Party'' (1991)
* Flanagan, Tom. ''Waiting for the Wave: The Reform Party and Preston Manning.'' Toronto: Stoddart, 1995.
* Manning, Preston. ''The New Canada'' (1992)
* Manning, Preston. ''Think Big: Adventures in Life and Democracy'', (2003)
* Sharpe, Sydney and Don Braid. '' Storming Babylon: Preston Manning and the Rise of the Reform Party'' (1992)
*
* Bergman, Andrew J. "My Teenage Crush on Preston Manning" (2012) ''Ballast Magazine''
* ''Think Big: Adventures in Life and Democracy'' by Preston Manning
* ''Like Father, Like Son'' by Lloyd MacKey
2006 ''Maclean's'' interview with Manning
1997 Macleans's interview with Manning
External links
Manning Centre
*
Preston Manning's papers in the University of Calgary Archives*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manning, Preston
1942 births
Canadian Alliance MPs
Canadian evangelicals
Canadian political party founders
Candidates in the 1965 Canadian federal election
Companions of the Order of Canada
Leaders of the opposition (Canada)
Living people
Members of the Alberta Order of Excellence
Members of the Christian and Missionary Alliance
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Alberta
Politicians from Calgary
Politicians from Edmonton
Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada candidates in the 1988 Canadian federal election
Reform Party of Canada MPs
Social Credit Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons
University of Alberta alumni
20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada
21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada