2003: Merger Negotiations
Over the summer and autumn of 2003, a series of protracted negotiations took place between PC and CA "emissaries": Bill Davis, Don Mazankowski and Loyola Hearn for the PCs and Gerry St. Germain, Ray Speaker and Scott Reid for the CA. The identies of the emissaries was public knowledge, but the participation of Belinda Stronach (daughter of auto-parts magnate Frank Stronach) as chair and moderator for the discussions was not publicly known until later.
The negotiations were largely motivated by the juggernaut takeover of the Liberal Party by the extremely popular and successful former Liberal finance minister Paul Martin, and the marked reduction in membership and political donations for both parties due to voter frustration with the status quo Liberal hegemony. Polls showed both the beleaguered PC and Alliance parties losing a large number of seats in the next election to a Martin-led Liberal team across Canada if an amenable solution was not found.
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