Controversy
The PCYF was a leader in sentiment to merge the PC Party of Canada with the Reform Party of Canada and its successor, the Canadian Alliance. At the Winnipeg convention in 1996, PCYF President Tasha Kheiriddin circulated the 'Tory Top Ten', a list of policies which included a 10% personal income tax cut. The PCYF were successful in having this measure adopted by the party, thus making it the first federal political party to call for income tax cuts.
In the 1998 PCYF elections, future MP Patrick Brown, who then was then only 19 years old, was elected PCYF president in a hotly contested race. Brown won the presidential election based on heavy support from Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. Also elected were Adam Daifallah and Jasmine Igneski. Both Daifallah and Igneski made a well-publicized defection to the Canadian Alliance during the 1999 PC Party National Meeting in Toronto. Daifallah would later become a well-known author and Jasmine Igneski a member of Prime Minister Harper's office.
Patrick Brown caused considerable controversy as PCYF president in 1999 when he pushed for the merger of the right wing movement despite the objection of Tory leader Joe Clark. This move eventually led to PCYF aggressively pushing a united right during the tenure of Brown's presidency. Brown faced considerable opposition from some members of the senior party who were hostile to a united right. Brown campaigned on TV along with Adam Daifallah for the united right. These activities were consistent with a long history of PCYF activism that made lasting contributions to Canada's political democracy, including the removal of John Diefenbaker by Dalton Camp, the adoption of Leadership review as a process to enshrine accountability, the leadership selection of Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell.
Read more about this topic: Progressive Conservative Youth Federation
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