Based on THE
STATE (LOIS HARDER)
Trudeau’s COVID election
gambit falls short: In August 2021, Prime minister Trudeau went to Governor
General Simon and asked to remove parliament two years early and asked for a
new election. Simon agreed. Many think this was an irresponsible decision
during the health crisis. Liberal won the election. The conservative party
leader resigned as the leader of their party. NDP won 25 seats. In March 2022,
Liberal and NDP agreed to keep Liberal in power till 2025 and decided on Dental
benefits for low-income people and universal pharma help. Very few Canadians think
they support any political party.
Political Parties in Canada:
Their Role and Types: Discuss the role and types of political parties in Canada:
Parties are not necessary for democracy. The party recruits their leader, runs
an election campaign, influences the government agenda, holds the government
account, and educates Canadians about political issues. Parties are the bridge
between the government and the people. From the Cadre to a market-Oriented Party:
In the first half-century, Canada was led by the Cadre party, an elite
group. No other organization influenced this elite-class party. When the voting
system was introduced, the mass party was created, which needed the low-income
class’s support for their vote. The current Liberal party is being called a
catch-all type party. Some argued that the liberal and progressive parties are
brokerage parties. The green party is based on natural resources. To keep the
climate better. Left-wing parties like the democratic party support social
equity. Though liberals also support that. The conservative party took some
policies that indicate that they support neo-liberal policy. Like less tax on
corporate, less control over the economy, cut funds for the gay parade, etc.
Now a day, Canadian parties are becoming a market-oriented parties. They put in
their agenda what voters demand. Political Marketing, Digital Media, and
Courting the Youth Vote: In 2008, US president Obama used social media
successfully for his political campaign. 2015 Trudeau appeared on social media
and got the younger generation’s vote. Major and Minor Parties: Major
parties fight for office; they know they have major numbers of voters, like the
Liberal and Conservative parties. Minor parties realize they don’t have that
substantial voter numbers, but they can join and create a minor government.
The Canadian Party System: China
is a one-party country, Communist. Canada follows democratic rules, so here we
have different parties. The party system differentiates the system with
the number of parties. Like one party, two parties or many parties. Multy-party
systems are where they have three or more than three parties. Party
Competition from Confederation-1993: From 1921 to 1993, Canada had two and
a half parties, two major parties and some minor parties, who used to form a
coalition with the winning party. Party Competition since 1993: From 1993
to 2000 Liberal party won three times. Campaign 2019: Because of some
issues, like SNL, carbon tax, etc., Liberals are losing their popularity. NDP
is now gaining more popularity. In the 2019 election, the Liberals won no single
seat in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba.
Party Policies and Electoral
Performance: The Conservative Party: This party governed Canada, but they
mostly stayed in the opposition. In the early twentieth century, they
established policies for neo-Liberal government. The Liberal Party: In
Canadian history, most of the time, they were in power. They introduced pension
plans, low-income benefits, social welfare, charter rights and freedom. The
New Democratic Party: encourages the colour people by saying, “Not to give
up on Canada.” The Bloc Quebecois: They aim to achieve independent
Quebec. They pass the bill to stop wearing the religious symbol for public
sector workers.
Party Organizations Leaders,
Candidates, and Members. Worlds Apart: Federal and Provincial Party Politics: When
the election time came, the Canadians started calculating the parties’ pros and
cons. The Liberals and Democrats are the only parties who govern at the Federal
and provincial levels. The Extra-Parliamentary Wing: Party members had
to pay a fee and couldn’t be with another party simultaneously. Fees are low. An
electrical district association is responsible for recruiting party
members and nominating candidates for the seat in the local party area. Party
Convention is responsible for the party policies. Legalizing marijuana
became party policy when its member voted for it. Selecting Party Leaders: Party
members vote for the party leader. In the 1970s and 1980s, women and Indigenous
people started to join and have their voices. Canada Election Act
doesn’t cap campaign costs. However, parties need to give all information, like
how much they spent, where the money came from etc. How Do Parties Replace
Their Leaders: Till the 1960s, members couldn’t remove the party leader.
Then Liberal and Conservative parties introduced this in their party.