Manning, Preston

Manning, Preston,

1942–, Canadian political leader. Although he is the son of Ernest C. Manning, a leader of the Social CreditSocial Credit,
economic plan in Canada, based on the theories of Clifford Hugh Douglas. The central idea is that the problems fundamental to economic depression are those of unequal distribution owing to lack of purchasing power.
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 party who was premier of Alberta for 25 years, Preston Manning headed a management consulting firm for many years before he entered Canadian national politics. In 1987 he was one of the founders of the Reform party, a largely western, conservative, and strongly federalist party that arose in part in opposition to Prime Minister Brian MulroneyMulroney, Brian
(Martin Brian Mulroney) , 1939–, Canadian prime minister (1984–93). Raised in Quebec in a working class family, Mulroney was a successful bilingual lawyer who became active in provincial politics in the 1970s.
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's attempt to negotiate a special status for Quebec within Canada. Elected to Parliament in 1993, he became opposition leader after the 1997 balloting, when the Reform party won 60 seats. After the party reconstituted itself as the Canadian AllianceCanadian Alliance,
former Canadian political party that had its origins in the Reform party of Canada, which was founded in 1987 in Winnipeg, Man., as a W Canada–based conservative alternative to the Progressive Conservative party.
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 in 2000, he was defeated for leadership of the party by Stockwell DayDay, Stockwell,
1950–, Canadian political leader, b. Barrie, Ontario. He grew up in Montreal, attended (1970–71) the Univ. of Victoria, and held such jobs as auctioneer, deckhand, lumberjack, contractor, Christian educator, and evangelical lay pastor before entering
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; he retired from politics in 2002. Manning wrote The New Canada (1992).