Political Parties And Ideologies In Canada

Political parties are central to democratic politics, but where does the power lie within them, and how is it exercised? The Political Party in Canada explores the inner workings of these complex organizations through an examination of the composition and roles of key party actors, as well as the interactions between them. The authors reveal the activities and power-sharing relationships that characterize Canadian parties. It focuses not only on which groups are included in decision-making but on what authority rests with each level of the parties’ respective structures. This comprehensive examination provides important insights into a fundamental institution that makes modern democracy possible.

On May 2, 2011, as Canadians watched the federal election results roll in and Stephen Harper's Conservatives achieve a majority, it appeared that we were witnessing a major shift in the political landscape. In reality, Canadian politics had been changing for quite some time. This volume provides the first account of the political upheavals of the past two decades and speculates on the future of the country's national party system. By documenting how parties and voters responded to new challenges between 1993 and 2011, this book sheds light on one of the most tumultuous periods in Canadian political history.

"Of Passionate Intensity looks at the problems faced by liberal democracies worldwide from the unique perspective of Canadian history and politics. In this timely book, Trevor Harrison examines the historical, social, and ideological forces that give rise to changing political formations, particularly populist parties and movements." "The federal election of 25 October 1993 was a watershed in Canadian political history. While the Liberal party regained power, the real election story was the near eclipse of two of Canada's traditional parties, the NDP and the Progressive Conservatives, and the rise to prominence of two neophyte parties, the Bloc Quebecois and the Reform party. Founded in 1987, the Reform party has achieved extraordinary popularity. What factors explain Reform's success? Who supports the party? And what is likely to be its long-term political future? Harrison provides an empirical and theoretically informed response to these questions and others." "Drawing from Canadian history, economic developments, and political and cultural contexts, Harrison incorporates a broad range of sources. He uses a historical-sociological methodology, employing surveys, interviews, newspaper accounts, and primary documents. On a theoretical level, the text uses the 'case' of the Reform party as a means of addressing the questions Why do populist parties arise? and What factors influence their ideological orientation? Of Passionate Intensity concludes with a discussion of the nature of populist politics and the promise of popular democracy in the future."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Essay from the year 2007 in the subject Politics - Region: USA, grade: 1,7, Free University of Berlin, language: English, abstract: Canada and the United States of America have equally developed a form of structural federalism, both use a single-member plurality election system and have similar social and economic class structures. In contrast to the two-party tradition of the US in a presidential system, Canada has developed a multiparty parliamentary system in which the legislative parties are cohesive and disciplined due to the historical influence of British Westminster System. In general party identification has been defined as “an attachment to a party that helps the citizen locate him/herself and others on the political landscape.” The aim of this paper is to explore the possibility of shifts in ideological party identification with respect to the significantly different party systems in Canada and the United States, with special focus on the time span between 1984 and 2000. The central question discussed in this paper is whether or not there has been a significant change in partisan ideology in Canada compared to the United States between 1984 and 2000, and whether Canadian Partisans are more volatile compared to their southern counterparts in terms of ideological party identification.

Aimed at upper-level undergraduate and graduate classes at the university level, this collection of 33 essays provides a broad range of perspectives on Canada's diverse and dynamic political climate. It is a classic political studies reader that combines the strengths of tradition and innovation; papers by distinguished political experts are combined with the perspectives of modern scholars to create a thoroughly updated text.