They also advocate self reliance, individual responsibility, personal freedom and liberty and therefore do not necessarily support social conservatism.
[4] For the first 50 years of Canada's existence as a country, the Conservative Party (also known as the "Tories") subscribed to policies that required the government to play an active role in the economy.
However, in the 1930s, R. B. Bennett as prime minister adopted laissez-faire policies during the Great Depression, differing himself from his previous Red Tory predecessors.
The Harris Tories were widely viewed as radical by Canadian standards in their economic policies and style of governance.
In order to balance the budget, Harper implemented various public spending cuts during his third term in office (2011–2015); one notable change was the increase in eligibility for Old Age Security from 65 years of age to 67, though this planned change did not go into effect as it was subsequently reversed by the succeeding Liberal government of Justin Trudeau in 2015.