Political Parties

Political Parties

  • Definition: Political entities that run candidates in elections to ultimately shape government policy and laws.

  • Dominance: Arguably the most dominant political actors in the Canadian political system.

  • Importance in Democracy:

    • Recruit candidates.

    • Fundraise.

    • Interest aggregation.

    • Policy development.

    • Run election campaigns.

    • Coordinate legislative agendas.

    • Facilitate accountability.

Types of Parties

1. Elite Parties

  • Characteristics: Small parties run by elites.

  • Historical Examples: Liberal and Conservative parties circa 1867.

2. Mass Parties

  • Characteristics: Reform-oriented and more grassroots-oriented.

  • Key Features: Delegates party conventions.

  • Emergence: Emerged after World War II.

  • Examples: Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in the 1930s.

3. Catch-All Parties

  • Characteristics: Win elections by bridging ideological gaps.

  • Strategy: Prioritize appealing to the broad base.

  • Operational Focus: Place more weight on leadership and raising money outside membership (e.g., businesses, unions).

4. Brokerage Parties

  • Characteristics: Win elections by bridging geographical regions.

  • Political Context: Less likely to be involved in provincial politics.

5. Other Types of Parties

  • Brokerage Parties: Big tent, pragmatic in approach.

  • Ideological Parties: Examples include Marxist and Christian Heritage; historical ties to NDP and CCF.

  • Single Issue Parties: Example: Marijuana Party.

  • Protest Parties: Reform and Bloc Québécois (BQ) in 1993; People’s Party of Canada (PPC).

  • Types of Objectives:

    • Policy Seeking: Maximize impact.

    • Office Seeking: Maximize access to executive positions, even at the expense of policy objectives.

    • Vote Seeking: Maximize electoral support.

Party Ideology

  • Definition: A set of ideas and beliefs that form a cohesive system within political parties.

Political Ideologies

1. Left-Wing

  • Focus: Emphasizes a bigger role of government and proactive measures to achieve social and economic equality.

2. Right-Wing

  • Focus: Emphasizes a smaller role for government, with greater emphasis on individual responsibility and market-based competition.

3. Democratic Socialism

  • Description: Left-wing, collectivist ideology promoting government intervention for the needy.

  • Key Policies: Supports more state control over the economy, social justice, and strong social programs.

  • Variants: Traditional (far left) vs. Third-way (center-left).

4. Liberalism

  • Description: Generally a left-wing or center-left ideology.

  • Principle: Sees social inequality as a remediable injustice.

  • Focus: Emphasizes equal opportunities rather than equal results.

  • Types:

    • Business Liberalism: Focuses on the economy.

    • Welfare Liberalism: Focuses on social policy.

5. Conservatism

  • Description: Right-wing ideology but with elements of collectivism.

  • Subcategories:

    • Economic Conservatism: Advocates for markets and smaller government.

    • Social Conservatism: Emphasizes traditional values and often has religious underpinnings.

    • Toryism: A form of conservatism that believes in the social fabric of society.

6. Libertarians

  • Description: Right-wing, individualist ideology.

  • Focus: Advocates for individual responsibility, smaller government, lower taxes, and laissez-faire economics.

  • Contrast: Tend to take different social positions than social conservatives.

Party Systems

  • Definition: A constellation of political parties guided by a unique framework of party behavior.

Historical Evolution

1. First Party System (1867-1917)

  • Nature: Stable party system.

2. Second Party System (1921-1957)

  • Characteristics: Emergence of mass parties, main parties transitioned to a brokerage model.

3. Third Party System (1962-1993)

  • Features: Brokerage model aided by media developments.

  • Media Influence: Elites owned newspapers; main sources of information were one Liberal and one Conservative newspaper.

  • Media Expansion: Coincided with the rise of radio and penny press (affordable newspapers).

  • Broadcast Media: Shifted competition focus towards image via television.

4. Modern Party System (1993 Onwards)

  • Description: A stable party system or long transition marked by flux and instability.

  • Characteristics: Five competitive parties, notable mergers, defections, and regional tensions leading to more minority governments.

Provincial Party Systems

  1. One Party Dominant System: Example - Alberta (UCP historically).

  2. Two Party Brokerages: Example - Atlantic Canada (Liberal vs. PC).

  3. Polarized Two Party Systems: Example - British Columbia (NDP vs. Conservative).

  4. Two and a Half Party Systems: Example - Manitoba (three parties, two main parties in government).

  5. Three Party Systems: Example - Ontario (three major parties, all holding government).

Federal and Provincial Links

  • Integrated Parties: Federal and provincial political parties whose behaviors are interconnected.

  • Confederal Parties: Federal and provincial parties that operate independently from one another, even with similar names.

  • Truncated Parties: Federal or provincial parties that do not have similarly named parties at any other level of government.

Partisan Affiliation

  • Parliamentary Wing: Represents the party in the legislature.

  • Extra-Parliamentary Wing: Consists of members and those involved in the party machinery.

  • Partisans: Individuals with a psychological attachment to the party, regardless of formal role.

The Party in Parliament

  • Party Caucus: All members of a political party holding seats in the legislature.

  • Support Structure: Backed by a range of political staff.

  • Crossing the Floor: Occurs when a member of one party caucus changes to another party.

Extra-Parliamentary Wing

  • Primary Function: Weighs in on policy and prepares for election campaigns.

  • Party Members: Individuals who formally belong to a political party, typically by purchasing a membership.

  • Electoral District Associations: Local organizations of a political party operating within specific electoral boundaries.

The Party Machine

  • Definition: Comprised of professional paid employees of political parties outside the parliamentary wing.

  • Reporting Structure: Reports to a party president and national executive.

  • Main Concerns: Election readiness, membership, fundraising, vetting of candidates, and coordination of conventions.

Party Leaders

  • Role: The chief public official, primary spokesperson, and ultimate decision-maker of the party.

  • Selection: Chosen through leadership contests.

  • Leadership Reviews: Can trigger contests if the leader receives less than two-thirds support.