Although Dufferin Roblin's Progressive Conservative (PC) Party won the general election,[1] Roberts defeated his Tory opponent Stan Bisson by 1565 votes to 1395.
[3] Roberts resigned from the legislature to contest the 1962 federal election[1] in the riding of Provencher; he was defeated by Progressive Conservative Warner Jorgenson by about a thousand votes.
There were some within the Canada West Foundation who believed that Roberts himself was partly sympathetic to separatism; he never became affiliated with the movement, but was forced to step down as CWF President in December 1980 after some controversial statements on the subject.
Roberts disagreed with the selection of John Turner as party leader, but he nevertheless ran for the federal Liberals in the Quebec riding of Lachine in 1984, losing to Progressive Conservative Bob Layton.
Roberts believed that a new party might be necessary to oppose Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in western Canada.
In 1987, he became involved with Francis Winspear, Preston Manning and Ted Byfield in plans to create what would later become the Reform Party of Canada.
At the convention, Manning's supporters among the convention-goers voted to close the registration process one day ahead of schedule, perhaps fearing Roberts was planning to bus in several "instant delegates".
[citation needed] Roberts subsequently sought the Reform Party's nomination in the British Columbia riding of Saanich—Gulf Islands for the 1988 federal election, but was defeated.