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Political Parties 9 Political Parties Key Terms Bloc Quebecois (p. 365) A left-leaning protest party that promotes Quebec nationalism. Blue Tory (p.351) Supports a form of “old right” conservatism that promotes economic nationalism and smaller government. Brokerage party (p. 344) The Canadian term for a catch-all party that brokers competing regional demands. Business Liberal (p. 350) Seeks to achieve equality of opportunity in economic terms. Catch-all Party (p. 343) A competitive political party that prioritizes the design of effective public policy and election strategies. Confederal Parties (p. 356) Federal and provincial parties that operate autonomously from each other, even though they may have similar names. Conservative party (p. 359) A centre-right major party that has periodically formed the government of Canada. Crossing the Floor (p. 379) A situation in which a member of the legislature leaves one political party to join another. Electoral District Association (p. 369) The local organization of a political party operating within the boundaries of an election riding. Elite party (p. 341) A small political party run by people with ascribed social status. Green party (p. 362) A left-wing protest party that promotes environmentalism. Inside Canadian Politics © Oxford University Press Canada, 2016 Ideology (p. 349) A set of ideas that form a belief system underpinning a particular political or economic theory. Independent (p. 367) A candidate or parliamentarian who is not officially affiliated with a political party. Integrated parties (p. 356) Federal and provincial political parties whose behaviours and organization are interconnected. Leadership contest (p. 374) An election within a political party to select a leader. Leadership Review (p. 372) A vote held at a party convention on whether a leadership contest should be held. Left-wing (p. 350) Characterized by a political tendency that promotes higher taxes and a bigger role for government while promoting proactive measures to secure social equality. Liberal party (p. 357) A brokerage party that has governed Canada at the federal level longer than any other major party. Mass party (p. 343) A grassroots political party characterized by its efforts to sign up members. Major Party (p. 346) A political party that has many supporters and a large organizational infrastructure. Minor Party (p. 347) A small political party with much less support of infrastructure than a major party. Natural Governing Party (p. 358) A single party whose long-term dominance has become institutionalized. Neo-Conservative (p. 351) A form of “new right” conservatism that promotes the protection of traditional values, as well as community safety and national security. Neo-liberal (p. 351) Advocates a form of “new right” conservatism that favours less government intervention in the economy. New Democratic Party (p. 361) A left-wing major party that has historically been more successful at the provincial level of government than at the federal level. Official Party Status (p. 377) The minimum number of elected members a party needs to question the government in the legislature and qualify for other resources and privileges. Partisan (p. 377) Someone who identifies with, and is a staunch supporter of, a political party. Party Caucus (p. 376) All members of a political party who hold a seat in the legislature. Inside Canadian Politics © Oxford University Press Canada, 2016 Party Convention (p. 369) An official gathering of party delegates to decide on matters of policy and/or leadership. Party Leader (p. 371) The head of a political party’s legislative wing. Party Member (p. 369) A person who formally belongs to a political party, having joined by purchasing a membership. Party System (p. 351) A particular constellation of political parties guided by a unique framework of behaviour. Political party (p. 340) A political entity that runs candidates in elections in an attempt to shape government policy and laws. Protest party (p. 362) A party that galvanizes elector frustrations with the major political parties. Red tory (p. 351) Supports a form of “old right” conservatism that promotes the preservation of the social fabric and government institutions. Right-wing (p. 350) Characterized by a political tendency that promotes lower taxes and a smaller role for government, while supporting traditional social hierarchies and those resulting from competition. Third-Way Social Democrat (p. 350) Advocates a branch of socialism that accepts capitalism and aims to harness it to achieve equality of result. Traditional Social Democrat (p. 350) Advocates a branch of socialism that remains committed to replacing capitalism with a more co-operative economic system. Truncated Party (p. 357) A federal or provincial political party that does not have a similarly named party at the other level of government. Welfare Liberal (p. 350) Seeks to achieve equality of opportunity in social terms. Review Questions Multiple Choice Questions 1. Which of the following are functions of political parties in Canada? a) Selecting a leader b) Choosing candidates c) Coordinating a legislative agenda d) All of the above Inside Canadian Politics © Oxford University Press Canada, 2016 2. Which of the following best characterizes the Bloc Quebecois? a) Mass party that leans to the left b) Right wing catch-all party c) Right-wing mass party d) Left-wing catch-all party 3. Which of the following political parties can be characterized as an electoral-professional party that practices brokerage politics? a) Liberal Party of Canada b) Conservative Party of Canada c) New Democratic Party d) Green Party 4. Which of the following minor political parties embraces libertarianism as its main political ideology? a) Rhinoceros Party b) Marxist-Leninist Party c) Christian Heritage Party d) Marijuana Party 5. The former Reform Party of Canada was a left-wing party. True or False? a) True b) False 6. Which of the following types of conservatism promotes economic nationalism and smaller government? a) Red tory b) Blue tory c) Neoconservatism d) Neoliberalism 7. What type of party system best describes Ontario’s political scene? a) Two-and-a-half party system b) Three-party system c) Polarized two-party system d) Two-party brokerage system Inside Canadian Politics © Oxford University Press Canada, 2016 8. What is the minimum number of seats a party needs in order to obtain official party status in parliament? a) 10 b) 11 c) 12 d) No limit 9. Stephen Harper was originally a member of parliament representing the Reform party. True or false? a) True b) False 10. Which of the following is part of a typical structure of a federal political party? a) Party leader b) Provincial executives c) National Convention d) All of the above Discussion Questions 1. How have Canadian political parties evolved over the years? 2. What are some of the main similarities and differences between federal and provincial political parties? Further Resources Websites Elections Canada http://www.elections.ca/home.aspx An excellent website that is both useful and informative, especially during elections. This website provides pertinent information on ridings, political parties, candidates, and many other related factors. Registered Political parties http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=pol&dir=par&document=index&lang=e A thorough list of all registered and deregistered federal political parties in Canada. Inside Canadian Politics © Oxford University Press Canada, 2016 Party Financing http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=fin&&document=index&lang=e Part of Elections Canada, this website details all rules and regulations regarding party financing and campaign funding. Party Leaders and Standings http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/ParlInfo/compilations/ProvinceTerritory/PartyStandingsAndLe aders.aspx This websites contains a list of all political parties, their leaders, and current standings. Political Parties in Canada http://www.nelson.com/common/polisci/parties.html This website provides a complete list of all former and current political parties in Canada. It also provides details and additional links to their individual websites. Elections Ontario –Registered Political parties in Ontario http://www.elections.on.ca/en/political-entities-in-ontario/political-parties/registered- political-parties-in-ontario.html This website offers a complete list of registered political parties in Ontario with specific information and additional links to their individual websites. Vote compass - http://votecompass.com/ If you have always wondered what your own political orientation is, this website provides an excellent source of information on the various political ideologies that are dominant in Canada. Using surveys during elections, you are able to determine your own political orientation based on a series of questions relating to campaign platform issues. Resource Center – Elections - http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&document=index&lang=e Another informative website through Elections Canada that provides additional resources on legislation, research, policies and reports. Articles/Books W.P Cross, Political Parties (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2005). This book is a very informative text on the history and structure of federal political parties in Canada. Aside from discussing its origins and history, this book also debriefs the readers on electoral financing, reforming options, campaigns and candidacies. Inside Canadian Politics © Oxford University Press Canada, 2016 A. Wherry, “The Power of Local,” Maclean's, 128, no. 39 (2015): p. 34 This is a brief article on the power of a local candidate (Jo-Anne Gicnac), on her non- partisan attempts at campaigning. N. Bolleyer, “The Influence of Political Parties on Policy Coordination,” Governance, 24 (2011): pp. 469–494. This article evaluates how political parties affect policy making and policy coordination from the government’s point of view. This is a comparative work that focusses mainly on party linkages. RSS Feeds Government of Canada Web feeds http://news.gc.ca/web/distributions-en.do Answers to Review Questions Multiple Choice Questions 1. c (p. 341) 2. a (p. 346) 3. a (p. 346) 4. d (p. 348) 5.
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