Conservative Party politics in Canada have been generally more tranquil than Republican Party politics in the U.S. Though Conservatives have remained out of office since late 2015, the party won the popular vote in successive elections at the national level. Center-right parties, from Quebec’s Coalition Avenir Québec to Alberta’s United Conservative Party, presently govern eight of ten provincial governments across the country.
Yet the Canadian Right is experiencing a growing restlessness. Ongoing pandemic restrictions have led to a surge in online activism and the emergence of a harder-edged libertarianism. These nascent developments have found expression in the so-called Freedom Convoy, the thousands of transport-truck drivers and accompanying supporters currently parking themselves in Ottawa to protest vaccine mandates and other public-health rules. The high-profile protests, which began in late January, represent an end to the relative tranquility of Canadian Conservative politics.
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