Conservative wipe-out in Canada

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 5 July 2024

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In Canada's 1993 election, the governing Progressive Conservative Party was routed, ending up with just two seats.

In the 1980s, the party won the largest majority in Canadian history. But by 1993, it was in crisis and the new Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, called an election. But she didn’t bank on the emergence of a new populist party called Reform, which stormed Canada’s traditionally two-party system claiming 52 seats. The Progressive Conservatives never recovered.

Ben Henderson speaks to the former Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, and Preston Manning, founder and former leader of Reform.

(Photo: Preston Manning. Credit: Peter Power/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before you listen to this BBC podcast I'd like to quickly tell you about some others.
0:05.0	My name's Andy Martin and I'm the editor of a team of podcast producers at the BBC in Northern Ireland.
0:11.0	It's a job I really love because we get to tell the stories that really matter
0:15.1	to people here, but which also resonate and apply to listeners around the world.
0:19.6	And because the team is such a diverse range of skills and strengths. We have trained journalists, people who love digging through archives, we've got drama and even comedy experts. We really can do those stories justice.
0:31.3	So if you like this podcast, head to BBC Sounds where you'll
0:34.6	find plenty more fascinating stories from all around the UK.
0:40.9	Hello and welcome to the Witness History Podcast from the BBC World Service with me
0:48.7	Ben Henderson. Today I'm taking you back to 1993 when a remarkable election destroyed the established
0:57.8	order of Canadian politics. The Canadians have done what the British people wouldn't do and got rid of their Conservative
1:05.3	woman Prime Minister.
1:07.4	Last night she not only led the Tories to one of the worst defeats ever suffered by a ruling
1:12.0	party in a Western democracy, she even lost her own seat.
1:16.0	Canadian democracy has spoken loudly and clearly today, and I accept the judgment of the Canadian people with disappointment but without
1:25.3	reservation. That's Kim Campbell. Going into the election she was Canada's
1:31.2	Prime Minister the country's first female leader.
1:34.6	In a way you have to feel sorry for Kim Campbell.
1:37.2	It's like the Titanic was already headed for the iceberg and the previous captain said,
1:44.3	why don't you take the wheel?
1:46.3	Just a few moments before hitting the bird.
1:50.8	And that is Preston Manning. In the election he led a new party called
1:56.4	Reform which contributed to the government's downfall. The governing
	...

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