<P> The Conservative Party is the successor to multiple right - wing parties which have existed in Canada for over a century . Until 1942, one of the party's predecessors was known as the Conservative Party of Canada and participated in numerous governments . Before 1942, the predecessors to the Conservatives had multiple names, but by 1942, the main right - wing Canadian force became known as the Progressive Conservatives . In 1957, John Diefenbaker became the first Prime Minister from the Progressive Conservative Party, and remained in office until 1963 . </P> <P> Another Progressive Conservative government was elected after the results of the 1979 federal election, with Joe Clark becoming Prime Minister . Clark served from 1979 to 1980, when he was defeated by the Liberal Party after the 1980 federal election . In 1984, the Progressive Conservatives won with Brian Mulroney becoming Prime Minister . Mulroney was Prime Minister from 1984 to 1993, and his government was marked by free trade agreements and economic liberalization . The party suffered a near complete loss after the 1993 federal election, thanks to a splintering of the right - wing; the Conservatives' other predecessor, the Reform Party, led by Preston Manning placed in third, leaving the Progressive Conservatives in fifth . A similar result occurred in 1997, and in 2000, when the Reform Party became the Canadian Alliance . </P> <P> In 2003, the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives merged, forming the Conservative Party of Canada . The unified Conservative Party generally favours lower taxes, small government, more decentralization of federal government powers to the provinces modeled after the Meech Lake Accord and a tougher stand on "law and order" issues . The party won two minority governments after the 2006 federal election, and a majority government in the 2011 federal election before being defeated in the 2015 federal election by a majority Liberal government . </P> <P> John Lynch - Staunton served as interim leader of the newly created Conservative Party of Canada from 8 December 2003 until 20 March 2004, when the party elected Stephen Harper as its first leader . Andrew Scheer was elected leader on 27 May 2017 . </P>

What does the canadian conservative party stand for