Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia
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Active provincial party | |
Leader | Jamie Baillie |
President | Tara Miller |
Founded | 1867 |
Headquarters | 1660 Hollis Street Suite 1003 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 1V7 |
Ideology | Conservatism |
Colours | Blue |
Seats in House of Assembly |
10 / 51
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Website | |
pcparty.ns.ca | |
The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, commonly called the PC Party of Nova Scotia, is a moderate, right-of-centre political party in Nova Scotia, Canada.
The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, registered under the Nova Scotia Elections Act as the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, originated from the Confederation Party of Charles Tupper. Tupper united members of the pre-Confederation Conservative Party (who were predominantly United Empire Loyalists and members of the business elite) and supporters of Sir John A. Macdonald's national Conservative coalition. The party supported Macdonald's protectionist National Policy, nation-building, and the unification of British North America.
Canadian Confederation was initially unpopular in Nova Scotia, and the party was out of government for most of the late 19th century. It formed government for only a few of the years between 1867 and 1956.
The modern party was built by Robert Stanfield after World War II. Stanfield, the scion of a wealthy textile family, considered himself a socialist at university and, while he later moderated his views, he always remained a progressive. Under his leadership, what was by then the "Progressive Conservative Party" became a moderate Red Tory organization. When Stanfield assumed leadership of the party in 1948, it had no seats in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. By 1956, he had built it into an organization that was able to sweep to power, winning re-election four times.
As premier, he led reforms in human rights, education, municipal government and health care and also created Industrial Estates Limited, a crown corporation that successfully attracted investment from world companies such as Michelin Tire. He worked to modernized the road system, brought in the first form of Medicare, established the first economic development agency, invested heavily in education at all levels and established the predecessor to the Nova Scotia Community College.