Canada’s Political parties

1. Canada’sPolitical parties

2. Canada’s Major federal political parties Liberal Green NDP Bloc Quebecois Progressive Conservatives Conservatives Reform Alliance RIGHT CENTRE LEFT

3. QUICK FACTS • Canadian politics is generally divided between right and left, in the Anglo-American tradition. • Canada's government has historically operated under a two-party system, in which the centre-right Conservative Party alternates with the centre-left Liberal Party. • Since the 1990s, the Canadian party system has shown signs of instability, with new parties arising and winning seats in Parliament. • Canada's provinces generally have the same political parties as the federal government.

4. Notable NDP-ers • Founded during the Great Depression as the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF); became the NDP in 1961 • Originally a socialist party that was seen as “fringe” or “radical” • Increased seats in Parliament from 37 to 102 in the 2011 federal election • Today, the NDP is not socialist, but is the most left-wing of Canada’s parties, both economically and socially Tommy Douglas • Father of socialized medicine Jack Layton • Credited with the increased support for the NDP in the 2011 election Current leader Jagmeet Singh

5. Notable blocs • Founded in 1990 • Main issue is separatism • Because they only have candidates in Quebec, they can never lead the government • Left-wing (similar to NDP) on most issues • Went from 49 to 4 seats after 2011 federal election Lucien Bouchard • Party founder Gilles Duceppe • Party leader from 1997-2011 Current leader Mario Beaulieu

6. Notable Greens • Founded in 1983; first MP elected in 2011 • Originally focused solely on environmental awareness • Today has a broader focus and markets itself as a “non-ideological” solution for frustrated voters Trevor Hancock • First leader of the Green Party Jim Harris • Party leader from 2003-2006 • During his time as leader, the Greens increased their support from Canadian voters Current leader Elizabeth May

7. Notable liberals • Longest-running political party in Canada • Late 19th and early 20th century values included free markets, personal responsibility, tolerant relations between French and English Canadians • After World War II, became more left-wing, advocating more active government, multiculturalism, bilingualism, internationalism, social equality • Maintained a steady hold on the prime minister’s office for most of the 1990s, but declined rapidly in popularity starting in the early 2000s • Conservative with money, progressive with social issues William Lyon Mackenzie King • Longest-serving Prime Minister in Canadian history (22 years) Lester B. Pearson • Won the Nobel Peace Prize • Universal health care, student loans, Canada Pension Plan Pierre Trudeau • Prevented Quebec sovereignty • Charter of Rights and Freedoms • Multiculturalism and social progressivism Current leader Justin Trudeau

8. Notable conservatives • Founded in 2003, when Progressive Conservative and Reform Alliance parties merged • Historically associated with loyalty to English culture, imperialism, traditionalism • During the 1980s, Progressive Conservative Party called for lower taxes, deregulation (less government control of business), and privatization of government services • Reform Alliance felt Progressive Conservatives were “not Conservative enough”—were more right-wing • Parties merged to avoid vote-splitting • The current Conservative Party favours low taxes, less active government, law-and-order, and a strong military—is officially neutral on social issues John A. MacDonald • First Prime Minister of Canada John Diefenbaker • Civil Rights advocate • Gained support from Western provinces for the party Brian Mulroney • Established a free trade agreement with the US • Introduced GST Current leader Andrew Sheer

9. ALBERTA’s political parties • Provincial parties align with the federal parties on most issues. • Big issues in the most recent provincial election were the economy and transit. Jason Kenney Rachel Notley David Khan CheryleChagnon-Greyeyes Greg Clark

10. How much do you know about political parties’ views? • Let us place them on the spectrum. What types of programs would they support

11. What is a political ideology? • A political ideology is a set of shared ideas or beliefsabout how politics and government should function. • Common ideologies include liberalism, conservatism, and socialism. Others include communism and fascism.

12. What is a political party? • A political partyis a group of like-minded individuals with a sharedvision and common political ideology. • Anyone above the required age can be a member of a political party — for most parties, that age is 14. • Party members work together to achieve power through an election, form government and create meaningful political change. • Each party also selects a leader, usually through a leadership contest or vote.

13. Federal Political Parties • There are 20 registered political partiesin Canada. • Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada • Bloc Québécois • Canadian Action Party • Christian Heritage Party of Canada • Communist Party of Canada • Conservative Party of Canada • Democratic Advancement Party of Canada • Forces et Démocratie • Green Party of Canada • Liberal Party of Canada • Libertarian Party of Canada • Marijuana Party • Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada • New Democratic Party • Party for Accountability, Competency and Transparency • Pirate Party of Canada • Progressive Canadian Party • Rhinoceros Party • The Bridge Party of Canada • United Party of Canada

14. What is the political spectrum? • The political spectrum characterizes beliefs, values and priorities, and provides a framework in which to view and evaluate political partiesand policies. • A linear spectrum is represented as a horizontal line, with parties on the leftembracing social equality, bigger government and more services, and parties on the right favouring tradition, smaller government and lower taxes.

15. Political Spectrum Questions • Should the minimum wage be increased or decreased? • Should the government spend more or less on our armed forces? • Should wealthier people pay more or less in taxes?

16. What is a party platform? • A series of declared principles and policieson jurisdictional issues concerning government and the public. • While all the political parties may agree that education is a priority, they may have different ideas about how to improve the system or which aspects to focus on. • Political parties announce their platform through announcements, advertising and events, and share their ideas to attract support from voters.

17. How does a party form government? • The party that elects the most number of representatives or wins the most seats usually forms government. • At the federal level, the leader of the party that forms government becomes the prime minister. • After the 2011 federal election, the Conservative Party formed government with 166 out of 308 legislative seats.

18. DEMOCRATIC PARTY One of the strongest beliefs of the Democratic Party is that of equality on all fronts. Democrats believe in equal opportunity despite race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. They also believe in equal educational opportunity for all.

19. REBUBLICAN PARTY In general, Republicans tend to take a more conservative stand on issues. They believe that the federal government should not play a big role in people's lives. MostRepublicans favor lower taxes and less government spending on social programs. They believe in less government intervention in business and the economy.