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Dalton Camp, 1920-2002

© David Newman

One of Canada's greatest political columnists and onetime backroom Tory has died. Dalton Camp, known as a red Tory for his rejection of neo-conservatism and his more "liberal" approach, died Monday at age 81 due to a stoke he suffered in February.

Dalton Camp was born in Woodstock, New Brunswick, on September 11, 1920. His father was a Baptist preacher who brought his son across the United States, from church to church.

After returning to Canada he joined the armed forces in 1942 and stayed for the remainder of the war. In the fifties he worked for a brief stint with the Liberal Party but quickly turned blue and joined the Progressive Conservative Party, eventually becoming PC president in 1964.

For someone who was never elected despite running a few times, he was a very popular and important politician in this country.

As party president he changed tradition by speaking out and leading an affront on then party leader John Diefenbaker that led to his replacement by Camp-backed candidate Robert Standfield. This came after the former prime minister backed an opponant of Camp for presidency of the party. After many booed the prime minister for this move, there was evidence of division of intra-party loyalties. Camp was reelected as party president.

This move is the first time in Canada's history that a party leader was held accountable by the grassroots, bringing democracy one step further according to many. Dalton Camp was criticized by true-blue Tories, partisans of Diefenbaker, who felt he was too liberal, hence his nickname "Red Tory."

After losing in his attempts to be elected to the House of Commons, Camp retired from the party but kept an eye on the situation in Canada by becoming a political commentator on CBC radio's Morningside, and a columnist, twice a week, in the Toronto Star.

Although he was and is seen differently by Tories, who either love him or hate him, in a Trudeau-esque situation, all respect him. Nobody can deny his importance to Canadian politics and conservatism and his determination and will to make Canada a stronger nation.

Progressive Conservative leader and Prime Minister Brian Mulroney brought Dalton Camp back into politics in 1988 as his popularity was diminishing. Camp helped making Free Trade acceptable by Canadians and helped Mulroney win a second majority government. In 1993, after heart problems, he became the oldest Canadian to get a heart transplant, a controversial procedure, bringing up debate about the existence of a two-tier health system in Canada. Camp suffered a stroke in February and was on his way to recovery when he died. His influence on conservatism and on Canadian politics as a whole will remain.

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