Robert N. Thompson and Political Realignment

By Geoffrey Olson

Robert Thompson grew up around Innisfail, Alberta and was elected Social Credit Member of Parliament for Red Deer in 1962. In 1968, Thompson’s candidacy for the Progressive Conservative nomination in Red Deer was part of Ernest Manning’s attempt to create a united conservative political party in Canada. In this article, Geoffrey Olson describes the local drama of this and provides valuable historical context for the attempts to ‘Unite the Right’ to the present.