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Liberal Party Ideology

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During the 2015 Canadian federal election campaign, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party took policy positions that were furthest to the political left compared to the other two main parties, the Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party (NDP). In an effort to appeal to traditional liberal supporters as well as voters who traditionally identify with the NDP, the Liberal Party adopted a reform liberal economic agenda and social democratic policies. Conversely, Thomas Mulcair, the leader of the NDP, embraced a campaign platform to the right of the Liberals. In particular, the NDP’s agenda blended neo-liberal economic policies with moderate conservative social policies. Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party adopted policies that were similar to the ideologies of the New Right, which embodies neo-liberal economic policies and conservative social policies. This essay will argue that the ideological similarities between the Conservatives and the NDP changed the political landscape in the recent election as voters were left with only two distinct political ideologies to choose from instead of the traditional three. In supporting this position, this essay will first examine the economic ideologies of these three …show more content…

In this case, this was evident in their position on admitting a larger number of refugees over a shorter timeline. While the Conservatives and the NDP also wanted Canada to play a humanitarian role on the world stage, they have a smaller view of this role than the Liberals. By positioning themselves close to the Conservatives on this issue, the NDP caused progressive electors who wanted Canada to play a larger humanitarian role on the world stage to vote for the Liberals. Voters seeking to admit a large number of Syrian refugees had only one choice, while those seeking to admit a smaller number had two

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