Camp was born in Woodstock, New Brunswick. His father was a Baptist preacher who brought his family throughout the United States, working in a variety of churches in a variety of places.
After time spent in the Canadian armed forces, Camp worked briefly for the Liberal Party of Canada before joining the Progressive Conservative Party. Camp became Party president in 1964.
Camp led a grassroots upsurgence within the party against Prime Minister John Diefenbaker which led to Camp-backed Robert Stanfield becoming party leader in the late 1960s. The movement was criticized by traditional conservatives who felt Camp's views were too liberal, which also earned him the nickname "Red Tory".
After failing to be elected, Camp retired as a politician and pursued interests in political commentary. He was a regular political commentatory on CBC's Morningside and bi-weekly political writer for the Toronto Star newspaper.
Camp was brought back into the political fold in 1988, when he helped campaign for Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's Free Trade agreements.
Camp underwent a heart transplant in 1993 and a stroke in February 2002, which led to his passing a month later.
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