2002 Presenter Full Presenter List

Preston Manning

Fraser Institute

After Preston Manning’s farewell address to Parliament last Janurary, his political colleagues praised him as a visionary, who, according to The Canadian Press, “…challenged the status quo, fought for democratic reform and set off a right-wing revolution in Canadian politics.”

Manning co-founded Reform, a western-Canadian based protest party, in 1987. In just ten years, under Manning’s leadership, the Reform Party became the Official Opposition in Parliament in the 1990’s. In May 1998, Manning proposed that Reform Party members participate in two national conferences with others like-minded to create a United Alternative to the federal Liberal Party. These conferences resulted in the creation of the Canadian Alliance.

Manning was first elected to the House of Commons in 1993. He served as Leader of the Official Opposition from 1997 to 2000, and as Official Opposition Critic for Science and Technology from 2000 to 2001.

Since his retirement from federal politics, Manning has joined the Fraser Institute and the Canada West Foundation as a Senior Fellow. He is also a Distinguished Visitor at the University of Calgary and at the University of Toronto.