David Orchard is a Canadian political figure and a member of the former Progressive Conservative Party.

Orchard was born on June 28, 1950, in Borden, Saskatchewan . He is a 4th-generation organic grain farmer, also a the author of the book The Fight for Canada: Four Centuries of Resistance to American Expansionism and co-founder of CCAFT (Citizens Concerned About Free Trade ), an anti-free trade group, in 1985. Orchard is an opponent of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas and the World Trade Organization.

He was educated in Borden and then went on to study arts and science then law at the University of Saskatchewan in nearby Saskatoon. He later studied French at Quebec City's Laval University.

Orchard is seen by some as a "Red" or moderate Tory and claims to be ideologically inspired by his political idols former prime ministers John Diefenbaker, Robert Borden and John A. Macdonald. He is quite passionately opposed to Canadian economic integration with the United States, including free trade, which he says impedes Canada's economic and cultural sovereignty. He is also a devoted monarchist. He also supported the crusade against the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords calling them "The mortal weakening of the central government". He also advocates that 3 to 5 per cent of the GDP go to military spending. He is opposed to gun control.

Orchard has many critics, both within the Conservative party and elsewhere. He was accused of being an opportunist socialist who tried to hijack the weak Progressive Conservative Party and steer it in a more radical direction. Orchard describes his own views as being in the "historical mainstream" and "centrist" of the Tory party and claims they would appeal to moderate Canadians. Despite holding many leftist economic views, Orchard holds many socially-conservative positions.

He has never been elected to the Canadian House of Commons or to any public office. He sought election in the federal riding of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in the 2000 federal election, placing a distant third.

Orchard ran twice in PC leadership elections, in 1998 and in 2003. In 1998 he did poorly, but attracted a very different group of supporters to the Tory party. In 2003 he came in third behind Calgary Lawyer Jim Prentice and MP Peter MacKay. Orchard helped Peter MacKay win the leadership with a deal. The deal promised a review of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, no joint candidates with the Canadian Alliance and to rebuild the Progressive Conservative Party. The agreement also mentioned the PC's promise to put resources into rail based transportation , and to protect the environment. This agreement prompted much outrage and controversy. It was soon abandoned, and in the fall of 2003 Peter MacKay agreed to merge the PC with the Alliance party.

Orchard tried unsuccessfully to kill the merger with the Canadian Alliance and prevent Canada's founding party from being merged. Some other notable Tories such as former prime minister and former PC leader Joe Clark sided with Orchard on the merger issue.

In a last-ditch attempt to stop the merger, Orchard went to court, seeking an injunction against the merger vote. The case was thrown out of court on the grounds that it did not violate the Progressive Conservative Party constitution. The merger was ratified successfully by both the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. The two parties merged as the Conservative Party of Canada. Orchard refused to join or work with the new party. He was asked to take over the leadership of the Canadian Action Party after the resignation of its leader, Paul Hellyer, but Orchard did not reply to the invitation. He was also rumoured to be in discussion with the New Democratic Party of Jack Layton.

External links

• David Orchard Campaign for Canada http://www.davidorchard.com/