Preston Manning

About the Preston Manning

Ernest Preston Manning is a retired Canadian politician. He was the founder and the only leader of the Reform Party of 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 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 Premier of Alberta Ernest Manning. Earning a Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1964, Manning rose to prominence in 1987, when he and an alliance of associates created the Reform Party, an anti-establishment right-wing populist party that won its first seat in 1989 and had a regionalist, Western Canadian base. Shortly after that, the party rapidly gained momentum in the 1993 Canadian federal election, 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, although Manning struggled to win ridings in Central and Atlantic Canada in order to become prime minister. 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 has been deemed the “father of modern-day Canadian Conservatism”, and 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.