The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada. The PC Party has historically embraced Red Toryism and centrism, ideologies that were prominent during their uninterrupted governance from 1943 to 1985; government intervention in the economy was significant and spending on health care and education dramatically increased. In the 1990s, the party underwent a shift to Blue Toryism after the election of Mike Harris as leader, who was premier from 1995 to 2002 and favoured a "Common Sense Revolution" platform of cutting taxes and government spending while balancing the budget through small government. The PCs lost power in 2003 though came back into power with a majority government in 2018 under Doug Ford. Ideology and principles Ideology The Ontario PC Party is a centre-right conservative political party. In recent years, the PC Party has repeatedly campaigned on the following policies: Economic regulation Allowing private retailers to sell alcohol and cannabis Streamlining regulations Opposing calls to ban licensed firearm ownership Education Adding financial literacy to the curriculum Supporting sex-education, but allowing parents to opt-out of it Reducing the power of teachers' unions Hiring teachers based on merit and qualifications, rather than seniority Abolishing the Ontario College of Trades Healthcare Supporting Ontario's universal publically funded healthcare system Hiring more healthcare workers Allowing privately run healthcare clinics to provide publically funded healthcare procedures Government spending Pursuing balanced budgets during times of economic growth Opposing the implementation of a universal basic income and "no strings attached" welfare payments Reducing corporate welfare Infrastructure Funding the construction of more highways and roads Funding the construction of public transit De-politicizing the approval proccess for housing construction Support the use of hydro electricity and nuclear electricity Law-enforcement Opposing legalization of recreational drugs Hiring more police officers and opposing the police abolition movement Pursuing longer prison sentences during prosecutions Taxation Reducing of income taxes Reducing of business taxes Reducing gasoline taxes and opposing a carbon tax Other issues Reducing the number of politicians in municipal governments History Origins The first Conservative Party in Upper Canada was made up of United Empire Loyalists and supporters of the wealthy Family Compact that ruled the colony. Once responsible government was granted in response to the 1837 Rebellions, the Tories emerged as moderate reformers who opposed the radical policies of the