Liberal-Conservative Party

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The Liberal-Conservative Party was the formal name of the Conservative Party of Canada until 1873, although some Conservative candidates continued to run under the label as late as the 1911 election and others ran as simple Conservatives prior to 1873. In many of Canada's early elections, there were both "Liberal-Conservative" and "Conservative" candidates; however, these were simply different labels used by candidates of the same party, both were part of Sir John A. Macdonald's government and official Conservative and Liberal-Conservative candidates would not, generally, run against each other. It was also not uncommon for a candidate to run on one label in one election and the other in a subsequent election.

The roots of the name are in the Great Coalition of 1864 in which various Tories and Reformers united in pursuit of Canadian Confederation which was accomplished three years later. Thus, some who used the label Liberal-Conservative, were former Liberals (or Reformers) who had joined Macdonald before or shortly after Confederation.

Prominent Liberal-Conservative Members of Parliament and Senators in Canadian history include:

Sir John A. Macdonald
Sir George-Étienne Cartier
Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt
John Carling
Sir John Rose
Thomas D'Arcy McGee
Joseph Howe
Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley
Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott
John Henry Pope
Joseph Aldéric Ouimet (Liberal-Conservative MP 1873-1896, ran as Conservative and defeated in 1908)
Sir John Sparrow David Thompson
Sir Samuel Hughes
Sir Hugh John Macdonald
Archibald Woodbury McLelan (Liberal-Conservative Senator, resigned and elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative after 1881)
Joseph Godéric Blanchet (Liberal-Conservative from 1867-1875, Conservative 1875-1878, Liberal-Conservative 1878-1883)
John Costigan (Liberal-Conservative 1867-1900, crossed the floor to join the Liberals in 1901)

[edit] Liberal Conservative coalition

In the 1957 election, George Rolland, a watchmaker, sought election as a Liberal Conservative Coalition candidate in the Toronto riding of Eglinton. He placed last, winning only 252 votes, or 0.7% of the total. Both the Liberal and Conservative parties nominated candidates in the riding, so Rolland did not have the endorsement of either party.

Source: Parliament of Canada History of the Federal Electoral Ridings since 1867