Well wherever he stood Im sure that he was more of a progressive conservative than that bigot George Drew who followed him. But whats also weird is that the Tories kept the word Progressive onto their name after they dumped Bracken as leader, even though he only led them in one election, 1945. Wonder why that was, after Borden retired they dropped the Unionist label and after Meighen's first leadership they were quick to drop the National Liberal and Conservative party name.

   

[QUOTE BY= mac/dief] Heres a question I have for any Canadian history buffs, where was Bracken in the party? He was the Progressive premier of Manitoba for any of those who have never heard his name who was invited by the Tories in 1942 to replace Arthur Meighen after his failed second leadership. He agreed to lead the Conservatives so long as they added the word Progressive onto their name, which is what they did becoming the Progressive Conservative party, however the western-based neo-liberal Progressive Party due to obvious ideological differences refused to dissolve or join the Tories after their name change.[/QUOTE] <br /> <br />I don't know if he was a Red Tory or a Blue Tory, but I definately know that the Progressive Party was not a neoliberal party. Firstly, neoliberalism was not a mainstream political affiliation until the 1970s, and secondly because the Progressive Party was a populist agrarian party, if they could even be called that. The Progressives were more of a collection of loosely affiliated politicians who represented farmers and their issues - after John Bracken sold them out, most of them went on to found either the CCF or the Social Credit Party, hardly seeing eye-to-eye on most issues. So to classify them as anything but scattered across the political spectrum could be challenged.

   

technically they were not "neo-liberal", but economically they were definately classical liberals as they favoured the removal of tarrifs and trade boundaries, meaning government restrictions on trade! They were a free trade party from what I heard, though what's interesting is that many you're right did go onto the CCF, a bassically economic nationalist party. Though others went onto Social Credit a rightwing, economic liberal party, so I don't know. <br /> <br />From what I know I think John Bracken when he was premier of Manitoba simply slowly took their movement over, as he did with the Manitoba Liberals during his coalition, he started off as leader of the Manitoba United Farmer's right??? <br /> <br />

   

Though again what's also interesting is that even though the "Progressives" were economic liberals and grew out of the United Farmer's movement, the United Farmer's government here in Ontario of Ernest Drury of 1919-1922 was far from being economically liberal and actually had a fairly socialist agenda!