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
Liberal beliefs on various issues. On terms of property, Liberals believe that the redistribution of wealth would cause for a more just society. They also believe that the government has the responsibility to take from some and give to others. They are more open and accepting of societal change, such as same-sex marriage. Unlike Conservatives, Liberals believe the primary cause of crime is poverty. Poorest neighborhoods have the highest crime rate because the people are hopeless and have no opportunities. The Second Amendment gives the right to bear arms. Liberals have a narrow interpretation. They believe Americans have too many guns, cause violence, and have access to guns too easily. on terms of Abortion, Liberals believe abortion is a
The Liberals main party platform has many benefits but it also has many disadvantages. The Liberals have proposed to raise taxes for the Canadian upper class. But lower the taxes of the Canadian middle class. I predict that the majority of the Liberal party’s supporters consist of middle class and working class citizens, as it most benefits them. Although lowering the taxes of the middle class and working class was an amazing idea to gain more supporters, raising taxes of the upper class was not such a good idea. The Liberal party is losing votes (and possibly the support, financial and otherwise) of the upper class. If the liberals were to lower the taxes of the middle and working class but keep the upper class taxes the same, I feel that the liberals would gain a significant amount of supporters.
The Liberal Party's membership of Canada is committed to the fundamentals that have developed and sustained the Liberal Party from any other political party; individual freedom, responsibility and human dignity in the framework of a just society; political freedom in the framework of meaningful participation by all interested persons, and the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms provides the framework for both a democratic society and for the interaction of members within the party. It is also devoted to equal opportunity for every person, to the enhancement of our unique and diverse cultural community, to the recognition that English and French are the official languages of Canada, and to the preservation of the Canadian identity
When it comes to the Liberals and Progressive-Conservatives having nearly identical policies by the mid-1980s I cannot help but wonder whether the Liberals enacted these policies based on their own changing ideology or whether it was to try undercut the Progressive-Conservatives' growing popularity. Regardless, it seems apparent that by the early-1980s that the Liberal's government-driven, top-down, style Canadian
The issue of electoral reform has become more important than ever in Canada in recent years as the general public has come to realize that our current first-past-the-post, winner-take-all system, formally known as single-member plurality (SMP) has produced majority governments of questionable legitimacy. Of the major democracies in the world, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom are the only countries that still have SMP systems in place. Interestingly enough, there has been enormous political tension and division in the last few years in these countries, culminating with the election results in Canada and the USA this year that polarized both countries. In the last year we have seen
In recent elections, the separatist parties in Quebec have seen crushing defeats, raising questions about their relevance in modern day Canada. Support for Quebec separatism has diminished in the past several decades, with the rise of the NDP in the 2011 federal election and the more recent provincial Liberal victory in April of 2014. In the 2011 federal election, specifically, the Bloc Quebecois was reduced to only four seats in the House of Commons, while the NDP took the majority of Quebec’s seats. The provincial Parti Quebecois (PQ) has also been faltering, losing more often than not to the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ). Indeed, over the past decade, the PLQ has only lost one election, and has held majorities in many. The most recent election put them back into power after a short PQ minority government that began in 2012. These recent elections may point to a future in which the separatist movement in Quebec may be silenced. Since the late 1950s, the question of Quebec separatism has existed, with levels of support varying throughout the following decades, leading up the referendums of 1980 and 1995. The defeats suffered by the separatist parties in recent elections demonstrate that the separatist movement may be close to being over in Quebec.
The first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system used in Canada poses several constraints on political parties, benefitting some and hindering others. Under the FPTP system a winning candidate simply requires one more vote than the next candidate to win the seat, thus emphasizing the importance of regionally concentrated constituent bases (Dickerson & Flanagan, 2009). This structural constraint is inherent to the FPTP electoral system and benefits the Conservative party, who have several regions of concentrated support across Canada. Alberta
Fred Cutler and Matthew Mendelsohn’s article “Unnatural Loyalists or Naive Collaborationists? The governments and Citizens of Canadian Federalism”, delved into a compelling analysis of Canadian citizens and federalism. In a country of much diversity, as discussed in lecture, it is difficult for citizens to hold the ‘right’ government accountable because of the blame shifting each level of government does. To give an illustration, this article briefly touches upon the propaganda the provincial and federal government use to shift blame on one another for policies such as healthcare and education. However Cutler and Mendelsohn go one step further and analyze if Canadian citizens are able to judge policies without allowing their provincial status
After 11 consecutive years of being in power, the Conservative Party led by Mr. steven harper which believed in individual responsibility economically have been defeated during the election. They were defeated by the Liberal Party led by Mr.Justin Trudeau The Liberal Party believe the government has responsibility for helping families, individuals, and communities who have economic difficulties. They also believe in creating social programs that support the communities such as the welfare system. It is a system that gives money to people
How can the Canadian government be dominated by one ruler when it has democratic elections with many competing parties? Mellon believes that Canadian elections have low voter turnouts and even lower public interest. Canadian elections are essentially sporadic. Finally, Mellon also believes that prime ministers “…are supported by a growing circle of advisors, pollsters, and spin doctors that help protect their position,” (Hugh 175). The main focus of Mellon’s argument is this idea of a prime-ministerial government.
As Canadians and individuals from around the globe progress toward the future, today’s world is plagued with a reoccurring theme of income disparity. Now more than ever, social welfare has become a vital asset in combating the thresholds placed on Canadians nationwide. Historically, such a theme has been prominent and each time the onus has been placed on the government to combat such situations through social welfare. With each individual holding a different idea of the ideology they find befitting, the chosen method can severely impact the trajectory in which these policies are implemented. With today’s society has continuously being dominated by corporatism and greed, a movement toward equality is critical in allowing Canada to grow and prosper collectivity. Based on current Canadian conditions and analysis of both
There is a fundamental problem with the democratic process in Canada. This problem is rooted within our electoral system. However, there is a promising solution to this issue. Canada should adopt the mixed-member proportional representation electoral system (MMP) at the federal level if we wish to see the progression of modern democracy. The failure to do so will result in a stagnant political system that is caught in the past and unable to rise to the contemporary challenges that representative democracies face. If Canada chooses to embrace the MMP electoral system it will reap the benefits of greater proportionality, prevent the centralization of power that is occurring in Parliament and among political parties through an increased
Voters are not the only people who benefit from the practice of party discipline. The practice is also fundamentally important for the stability of the Canadian government. Being a pluralist country means there are groups (political parties) of differing ideologies that represent
Canada has been an independent nation for over 150 years, so it makes sense that there has been numerous changes in the government, since the government has to reflect its society, and as time changes so does its government. However, some ideologies do not believe it should change in order to keep up with its time. Oxford Dictionary states that the definition of an ideology is “A system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.” There are various forms of political ideologies; conservatism and liberalism are being brought up for discussion about what makes conservatives and liberals so different in Canada. Throughout the years, the Canadian government has rotated between liberalism and conservatism, these ideologies share some similarities; however, it can be argued that the significant differences are their political, social, and economic views.
FPP is a simple system that for the average citizen is easy to understand and it provides electorates with fast results. However, simplicity and fast results are being enjoyed at the expense of democracy. The system’s ability to generate phony majority governments represents a major blow to Canadian democracy. In Canada’s case, it is the lack of proportionality that allows this to happen . Canada’s current voting system “has been producing majority governments with less than 50% of the popular vote” since the 1940’s. . Only in the Canadian voting system “parties can turn minority of votes into majority of seats.” When parties rule against the will of the majority of the population, democratic values are clearly undermined; therefore, Canada must