EPISODE · Jul 31, 2009 · 13 MIN
Joe Clark
from The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos Audio Podcast · host George Stroumboulopoulos
In 1976, Joe Clark came out of the blue to win the Progressive Conservative Party leadership. A few years later, Joe Clark - just 39 at the time - became the Prime Minister. He didn't last long in the job though, just seven months later, his government fell on a non-confidence vote on the budget. But Joe didn't disappear, he remained in Parliament as an MP and when Mulroney led the Tories to a majority government in 1984 Clark joined his cabinet. In 1993, Clark called it quits, but five years later, he was back as leader of the dying Progressive Conservatives. He fought against a merger with the more conservative Canadian Alliance, but in the end, Clark couldn't stop it. Clark refused to join the new Conservative party and he spent his final days in Parliament as an independent Progressive Conservative before leaving for good in 2004.
What this episode covers
In 1976, Joe Clark came out of the blue to win the Progressive Conservative Party leadership. A few years later, Joe Clark - just 39 at the time - became the Prime Minister. He didn't last long in the job though, just seven months later, his government fell on a non-confidence vote on the budget. But Joe didn't disappear, he remained in Parliament as an MP and when Mulroney led the Tories to a majority government in 1984 Clark joined his cabinet. In 1993, Clark called it quits, but five years later, he was back as leader of the dying Progressive Conservatives. He fought against a merger with the more conservative Canadian Alliance, but in the end, Clark couldn't stop it. Clark refused to join the new Conservative party and he spent his final days in Parliament as an independent Progressive Conservative before leaving for good in 2004.
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Joe Clark
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