Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada, colloquially known as the Tories, is a Canadian political party, formed after the 2003 amalgamation of the national Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and the Canadian Alliance. The party united right-of-center and right-wing Canadians under one common banner and won a minority government in 2006, ending a 13-year reign by the Liberal Party of Canada. The current party leader, and Prime Minister of Canada, is the Right Honourable Stephen Harper. They currently have a majority government with 166 out of 308 seats.
After the 1993 defeat of the Canada's only female Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, the Progressive Conservatives, a center-right party were reduced to just two seats in the House of Commons. Another right-wing party, the Reform Party, gained 52 seats in that election. In 2000, the Reform Party changed its name to the Canadian Alliance. After a decade of split votes between the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance, the parties merged.
The party is generally supportive of privatization, a smaller federal government, larger provincial governments, closer relations with the United States, Senate reform, implementation of a two tier health care system, and a stronger military. The party opposes legalization of cannabis, and held a free-vote on reopening the issue of same-sex marriage (which was ultimately defeated). They have also motioned for fixed election dates, raising both supporters and detractors among all Canadian political parties, removal of the per-vote subsidy, and for government accountability.