Quiz #2 notes

Study Guide: Political Parties and Elections in Canada

Political Parties

Key Questions

• Why are political parties important in Canadian politics?

• How are political ideologies reflected in Canadian political parties?

• What are the major political parties in Canada and how do they differ?

Definition

Political Party: Publicly organized groups of people, motivated by shared sets of political ideas whose goal is to gain influence and power by contesting elections.

Functions of Political Parties

• Interest Articulation and Aggregation: Parties act as coalitions of different societal interests.

• Recruitment: Bringing people into politics and leadership roles.

• Fundraising and Campaigning: Mobilizing resources and voter support.

• Structure Political Reality: Helping voters make sense of the political world.

Parties and Ideologies

Ideology: A set of interrelated beliefs about how society is organized and how it ought to function.

Ideologies provide principles and ideas for:

• The purpose and organization of government

• Responses to social problems

• Views on social identity and division

Examples of Ideologies: Conservatism, liberalism, communism, fascism, democratic socialism.

Major Political Parties in Canada

Conservative Party of Canada

• Origins: Original governing party under John A. Macdonald. Pro-British. Formed by old conservatives (Tories) in Ontario and "bleus" in Quebec.

• Development:

  • Progressive Conservative (PC) from 1942-2003

  • Reform Party emerged advocating for Western interests

  • Merged with Reform/Canadian Alliance in 2003

• Ideology: Centre-right socially and economically

  • Smaller government, lower taxes

  • Traditionalist on morality, culture, and law and order

Liberal Party of Canada

• Origins: Original opposition party formed by Reformers in Ontario and "rouges" in Quebec. Pro-American and pro-republic.

• Development:

  • Led by Laurier, emphasized French Canadian representation

  • Held government for most of the 20th century

• Ideology: Centre to centre-left socially and economically

  • Favors government intervention

  • Centralizing on federalism

  • Progressive on morality and law and order

New Democratic Party (NDP)

• Origins: Formed from the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in 1932, representing social democracy and the working class.

• Development:

  • Joined with Canadian Labour Congress in 1961 to form NDP

  • Successful third party since the 1960s, official opposition in 2011

• Ideology: Left-wing socially and economically, but has shifted toward the centre

  • Supports government intervention (e.g., medicare)

  • Progressive on morality and law and order

Party Systems in Canada

Party System: The structure and characteristics of electoral competition among political parties.

Key elements:

• Number and Types of Parties

• Nature of Party Support

• Dominant Issues

Historical Party Systems

1. First Party System (1867-1921)

2. Second Party System (1921-1957)

3. Third Party System (1963-1993)

4. Fourth Party System (1993-2006)

5. Fifth Party System (2006-present)

Elections

Key Questions

• What is the role of elections in the Canadian political system?

• What are the differences between Single Member Plurality and Proportional Representation systems? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?

Elections and Democracy

• Representative Democracy: Elections are central to democratic governance.

• Right to Vote: Fundamental democratic right, entrenched in Section 3 of the Charter.

• Expansion of Voting Rights:

  • Women: 1918

  • First Nations: 1960

• Elections as Democratic Linchpin: Ensuring responsible government.

Electoral Systems

Electoral System: The method through which individual votes are translated into a collective outcome.

Process: Votes → Electoral System → Legislature → Executive (Government)

Key Components:

• Districts: Number and allocation

• Representatives: Number per district and overall total

• Ballot Procedure: One choice or ranked choices?

• Criteria for Winning: Plurality (most votes) or majority (>50%)?

Single Member Plurality (SMP)

• System Used in Canada: Geographically based.

• Districts: 338, allocated by province according to population.

• Representatives: One per district (single-member districts).

• Ballot: Voters select one candidate.

• Winning Criterion: Plurality — the candidate with the most votes in a district wins.

Proportional Representation (PR)

• Definition: A family of systems where a party's seat share closely matches its vote share.

• Variation: PR systems have different rules on vote-to-seat translation.

Effects of Electoral Systems

The Legislature: House of Commons (And Senate)

Key Questions

• What are the main functions of the House of Commons?

• To what extent is the House of Commons representative of Canadian society?

• What is the role of party discipline in the House of Commons?

• Does the House of Commons perform its functions effectively? Is reform needed?

Functions of the House of Commons

• Legislation: Debates and passes bills, creating law.

• Representation: Articulates local and other interests, brings citizens into government.

• Scrutiny and Accountability: Holds the government accountable for its actions to the public.

• Legitimation: Provides the “stamp” of democratic authority to government action and the broader political system, showing commitment to rule of law.

Composition of the House of Commons

• Representation by Population: Number of representatives generally reflects population size, but some distortions exist (e.g., PEI has 4 seats despite a population warranting only 1).

Arrangements of the House

• Functions as an Adversarial System — division into government and opposition, with the Official Opposition playing a key role.

Theories of Legislative Representation

• Delegate: Acts as the voice of constituents.

• Trustee: Uses personal judgment.

• Party Member: Follows party direction.

Party Discipline

• Strict Party Discipline: MPs adhere to party leadership.

• Reasons:

  • Ideological alignment

  • Team mentality and leadership deference

  • Career considerations

Democratic Deficit: Creates two classes of MPs:

• Those with power (PM, Cabinet, party leaders)

• Those without power (backbenchers)

Reform Options:

• House committees

• Private members’ bills

• Loosening party discipline

• Reform Act (2014): Strengthened caucus control over party leaders.

The Senate

• Bicameralism: The Senate is the “upper house.”

• Roles:

  • “Sober Second Thought” — elite check on democracy.

  • Regional representation.

• Membership:

  • Appointed by PM, serve until age 75.

• Powers: Can amend or block bills (except money bills and constitutional amendments).

• Reform: Independent Senators Group, Trudeau’s reforms.