Although never elected, Orchard, describing himself as a red Tory whose ideological idols include John Diefenbaker, has been a prominent opponent of free trade since the 1980s. Running twice for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, his second bid in 2003 is remembered for the deal he struck with the winner of that race, Peter MacKay, that included a review of free trade and, perhaps more significantly, "no joint candidates with the Canadian Alliance." By the end of that year, the PCs had merged with the Alliance; Orchard ran unsuccessfully for the Liberals in Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River in the 2008 general election. |