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The ABC campaign originated in the [[2008 Canadian federal election]] by the provincial branch of the Conservative party encouraging voters in the province to support any party other than the federal [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative Party]]. The campaign was established by [[Newfoundland and Labrador]] premier [[Danny Williams (politician)|Danny Williams]] and was targeted particularly within that province in response to what Williams called a broken promise by Conservative [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime minister]] [[Stephen Harper]] regarding [[equalization payments]] to the province. The campaign was a total success as all federal conservative party candidates lost their seats in the province. Williams remained the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador until his retirement from politics in 2010.
The project was officially overseen by an organization known simply as "ABC Campaign", which was affiliated with the provincial [[Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador|Progressive Conservative Party]] of which Williams is leader, and which was registered with [[Elections Canada]] as a "third party" for the purposes of election expenditures.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=pol&document=40ge&dir=thi/tie&lang=e&textonly=false |title=Registered Third Parties – 40th General Election |accessdate=September 17, 2008 |publisher=[[Elections Canada]] |date=September 16, 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916210640/http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=pol&document=40ge&dir=thi%2Ftie&lang=e&textonly=false |archivedate=September 16, 2008 |
===Background===
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{{blockquote|A Conservative government would also support changes to the equalization program to ensure provinces and territories have the opportunity to develop economies and sustain important core social services. We will remove non-renewable natural resource revenue from the equalization formula to encourage the development of economic growth in the [[non-renewable resource]] sectors across Canada. The Conservative government will ensure that no province is adversely affected from changes to the equalization formula.|[[Stephen Harper]], letter to Danny Williams, January 4, 2006<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/exec/01harper.pdf | title = Letter to Danny Williams | accessdate =September 16, 2008 | author = Stephen Harper | date = January 4, 2006 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080920162218/http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2006/exec/01harper.pdf| archivedate= September 20, 2008
}}
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<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070327/NLA_ads_070327|title=Williams, Harper trade fire over attack ads|date=May 28, 2007|publisher=[[CTV News]]}}</ref> Nonetheless in the [[2007 Newfoundland and Labrador general election|provincial election]] held that year, Williams led the Conservatives to a resounding victory, capturing 44 of 48 seats in the legislature at the expense of the Liberals and NDP.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nlvotes2007/story/2007/10/09/nlv-liberals-elxn.html "Heartbreak for Liberals as Grit vote collapses"]. [[CBC News]], October 9, 2007.</ref>
The "ABC" slogan became commonly used throughout the country during the campaign. A number of unaffiliated groups opposing the Conservatives' policies, including an environmental group calling itself "Project ABC",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anythingbutconservative.com |title=Play Online Casino – anything but conservative :-) |publisher=Anythingbutconservative.com
At the start of the 2008 election, a campaign website was launched, while members of the provincial PC caucus campaigned on behalf of federal [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] and [[New Democratic Party of Canada|NDP]] candidates.<ref name="bedfellows">{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/09/16/abc-bedfellows.html|title=Strange bedfellows: Williams's ABC campaign heads to trenches|work=[[CBC News]]|date=September 16, 2008|accessdate=September 16, 2008| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080923183343/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/09/16/abc-bedfellows.html| archivedate= September 23, 2008
[[Image:Anything But Conservative Toronto.jpg|thumb|A billboard advertising the ABC campaign on the [[Gardiner Expressway]] in [[Toronto]]]]On a campaign visit to the province, Harper responded that "no one can tell a Newfoundlander and Labradorian how to vote," and that the voters' choice should be "about your own best interests."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/story/2008/09/13/harper-williams.html|title=Harper takes swing at N.L. premier's 'ABC' campaign|publisher=CBC|date=September 13, 2008|accessdate=September 16, 2008| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080916144919/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/story/2008/09/13/harper-williams.html| archivedate= September 16, 2008
Leo Power, a veteran of federal politics and the Conservative Party of Canada's campaign co-chair for Newfoundland and Labrador, said raising money and recruiting volunteers has proved difficult, and blames Williams's ABC campaign, saying it has cut deep into the federal election machine that was struggling to compete. Power has also said his party's best hope of winning a seat in the province was in the riding of [[Avalon (electoral district)|Avalon]] with incumbent candidate [[Fabian Manning]].<ref name="cbc Tory org Blames ABC">{{cite news |title=Tory organizer blames ABC campaign for party's woes |url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/10/02/power-abc.html |last = [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=October 3, 2008 |accessdate=October 3, 2008 | work=CBC News}}</ref>
While there was "anyone but Harper" activity stemming from a variety of sources across the country,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anyonebutharper.ca/|title=Anyone but Harper.ca, the homepage for the movement}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20081006/081006_amac_blog/20081006/?hub=CP24Home|title=Oct. 6 - Anyone But Harper|work=[[CP24]]|last=Amber|first=MacArthur|date=September 8, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/FederalElection/article/496756|title=Newfoundland premier says: 'Anyone but Harper'|publisher=[[Toronto Star]]|date=September 10, 2008|first=Tonda |last=Maccharles}}</ref> the ABC campaign's national presence was limited to media interviews and a billboard on the [[Gardiner Expressway]] in [[Toronto]]; Williams did not travel across Canada as he had previously suggested.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/10/08/williams-goose-egg.html?ref=rss|title='Goose egg' not essential for ABC success: Williams|work=[[CBC News]]|date=October 8, 2008|accessdate=October 15, 2008}}</ref> The Newfoundland and Labrador portion of the campaign was successful; of the province's seven seats in the House of Commons, the Liberals won six while the NDP won one, with the Conservatives being shut out.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/10/14/nfld-tory-collapse.html|title=Goose egg: Conservative vote collapses in N.L.|work=[[CBC News]]|date=October 14, 2008|accessdate=October 15, 2008}}</ref> Nationally, the campaign had little noticeable effect; the federal Conservatives were elected to a second consecutive minority government, with more seats than in the previous parliament, including gains in Ontario (whose politicians had been most critical of the Atlantic Accord). However, the shut out of Conservative MPs in Newfoundland and Labrador likely contributed to the lack of a majority government for the conservatives.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/story/2008/10/14/elxn-main.html|title=Conservatives re-elected to minority government, CBC projects|work=[[CBC News]]|date=October 14, 2008|accessdate=October 15, 2008| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20081016110227/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/story/2008/10/14/elxn-main.html| archivedate= October 16, 2008
===Legacy===
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