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What are the Main Political Parties in Canada?
Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum
Canada is a country with a number of important political parties that help to shape the process of governmental function and public policy within the country. While some experts tend to recognize only three or four of the parties as being major, there are in fact currently five political parties that appear to stand out from the wider number of political organizations within the country.
By far, the currently most favored and influential political party in Canada is the Liberal Party. Founded in 1867, this party has often over the years held a majority in the Canadian House of Commons, and at other times still remained a substantial amount of seats. Considered to embody a centrist policy that is slightly to the left, the Liberal Party often receives a great deal of press coverage and will most likely continue to be one of the major parties in the country for many years to come.
The Conservative Party of Canada was created through a merger in 2003 between the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. This merger was preceded by the consolidation of the Alliance with the Reform Party in 2000. The Reform Party had been the chief political party to oppose the Liberal party for a number of years. As part of the merger plan, the newly formed Conservative political party retained the designation of Tories from the Progressive Conservative party, and has captured a great deal of attention from Canadians in all provinces. In 2006, the party achieved a major victory with the election of its candidate for prime minister, Stephen Harper.
As a separatist political party, the Bloc Quebecois is the national expression of the Quebec based Parti Quebecois. Founded in 1991, this political party is considered to be a sovereignist party, with a strong social democratic lean. The Bloc Quebecois continues to control a small but significant number of seats in the House of Commons, in spite of the mergers that consolidated several of the other parties around the country.
The New Democratic Party is another political party in Canada that is understood to function on a platform that is informed by social democratic principles. Created in 1961, the party is considered to be decidedly leftist in its approach, and retains a small number of seats in the House of Commons.
Malcolm Tatum
After many years in the teleconferencing industry, Michael decided to embrace his passion for trivia, research, and writing by becoming a full-time freelance writer. Since then, he has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including WiseGEEK, and his work has also appeared in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and several newspapers. Malcolm’s other interests include collecting vinyl records, minor league baseball, and cycling.
Learn more...
Malcolm Tatum
After many years in the teleconferencing industry, Michael decided to embrace his passion for trivia, research, and writing by becoming a full-time freelance writer. Since then, he has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including WiseGEEK, and his work has also appeared in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and several newspapers. Malcolm’s other interests include collecting vinyl records, minor league baseball, and cycling.
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Discussion Comments
Sunny27-The functions of the political parties are to select candidates and raise money for the candidates representing the party.
The parties are responsible for fundraising and have many functions and parties to get large donors.
There is also a leader of the party and at the moment, Obama is in charge of the Democrat Party because traditionally the sitting president is in charge of his party and the other person is in charge of the Republican Party which is Michael Steele.
He also gives money to candidates to get them elected into office in order to further the Republican cause. The head of the party also campaigns for candidates all over the country. This is the main political party definition.
Crispety-Functions of political parties are to advance an agenda or set of ideas based on the party’s ideology.
For example, if you are a part of the American political party and chose to identify with the Republican Party then you are for tax cuts and smaller government.
Political party issues in the United States vary in both parties. The argument is the same. Each side has a more temperate and a more extreme wing and both are fighting to be in control of the party.
We have to remember President Ronald Reagan’s famous words that said, “You can accomplish great things if you don’t mind who gets the credit.”
Subway11- They are also for tax cuts in order to stimulate the economy. They believe that cutting taxes for businesses is the only way to get businesses expanding and get people back to work.
The president’s political party is facing large losses because people are rejecting his policies and overall ideology.
The fact that the American people felt that Obama was not listening to them gave rise to movements like the Tea Party Political Party.
This expression of democracy is a very healthy aspect of our country and a right guaranteed by our constitution.
The list of political parties in the United States is endless, but the major political parties are the Democrats and the Republicans.
The Democrats support government expansion in order to produce entitlement programs. They fund these programs by raising taxes across the board.
The Republicans by contrast really believe in a smaller central government and actually prefer to offer more power to the individual states rather than the federal government.
They also believe in lower taxes and a strong military defense.
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