Political Parties Intro Political parties were not created

Political Parties

Intro Political parties were not created by law, they were created by us, the people n They are voluntary associations of people who hold broadly similar opinions on public questions n

How do we determine who is the leading government? The party that wins the largest number of seats in a general election ordinarily forms the government. n Its leader is asked by the Governor General to become Prime Minister n The second largest party becomes the Official Opposition and its leader becomes known as the Leader of the Opposition n

Functions of parties Offer choice to the people ü To give citizens a way to work together and to take control of government and public policy ü To allow voters to identify candidates who have a particular set of principles ü To organize and give stability to the political process ü To recruit people to stand as candidates in elections ü

Who should we look at? Conservative Party of Canada n Liberal Party of Canada n New Democratic Party (NDP) n Bloc Quebecois n Green Party of Canada n Marijuana Party n Neo-Rhino Party n

Conservative Party of Canada Leader: Stephen Harper n www. conservative. ca n The present Conservative Party is the result of a merger between the far-right Canadian Alliance party and the right-of-centre Progressive Conservatives in 2003 n

Founding principles of the CP n n n n A balance between fiscal accountability, progressive social policy and individual rights and responsibilities; Build a national coalition of people who share these beliefs and who reflect the regional, cultural and socio-economic diversity of Canada; Develop this coalition, embracing our differences and respecting our traditions, yet honoring a concept of Canada as the greater sum of strong parts; The Conservative Party will operate in a manner accountable and responsive to its members; A belief in the equality of all Canadians; A belief in the freedom of the individual, including freedom of speech, worship and assembly; A belief in our constitutional monarchy, the institutions of Parliament and the democratic process;

On health care and military n Health Care Ø Ø Ø Believes everybody should have access to healthcare whether they can pay or not. Work with the provinces to develop a Health Care Guarantee to make sure patients can get the medical help they need in a shorter amount of waiting time Military Ø Ø Has increased military spending since 2005. Proposes to raise military spending by 18. 2 Billion in budget 2008. Will raise number of active troops. Will increase the role of Parliament in defense policies.

Liberal Party of Canada n n n Leader: Michael Ignatief www. liberal. ca Also known unofficially as the “Grits”, the Liberal party is the oldest continuously running federal party. The party was born out of a union between two groups: the “Clear Grits” in Upper Canada, who saw the current government as too conservative, and the “Parti Rouge” in Lower Canada, who pushed for universal suffrage and abolition of the seigneurial system.

History n Canada's oldest continuously running federal political party is the Liberal Party of Canada. Founded July 1, 1867, the Liberal Party has often been the party to lead Canada. This centre-left party has its headquarters in Ottawa Ontario, and is currently the Official Opposition in the Canadian Parliament

On health care and military n Health Care Ø Believes in preservation of universal health care Ø Believes in strengthening the system financially and lowering wait times. Ø Military Ø Wants to get out of agreements with the United States regarding the ballistic missile defense system. Ø $13 billion in new money for defense.

New Democratic Party (NDP) n n n Leader: Jack Layton www. ndp. ca The NDP was born out of a union between Canada’s first socialist party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), a body representing multiple labour unions. This merge occurred in 1961 and saw the election of the party’s first leader, Tommy Douglas, formerly the head of the CCF.

Although the party was a consistent fixture in the House, it did not achieve significant clout until Ed Broadbent led them to a major victory and personal party best in 1988. n After a period of declining support in the ‘ 90 s, Jack Layton, the party’s current leader, has been able to restore the NDP’s significance in the 21 st century. n

On health care and military n Health Care Ø Ø Ø Proposes increase in medical training spaces, aimed at increasing overall numbers of doctors and nurses and cutting wait times for patients Ensure the public availability of healthcare and slow the growth of privatization Military Ø Ø Ready to commit Canadian troops overseas only under the auspice of international peace and security organizations Supports the priorities of peacekeeping, peacemaking, humanitarian and environmental operations

Green Party n n n Leader: Elizabeth May www. greenparty. ca The federal Green Party was founded in Ottawa in 1983 by a group of several ecologically minded people who felt that environmental issues were not being addressed by any of the big federal parties. The party was later registered in 1984 and began by running 60 candidates in that year’s election, earning 0. 2% of the vote

Beliefs n “Green Party solutions are rational because the Green Party, unlike other parties, understands the scientifically verified limits to growth set by the carrying capacity of our planet. We must work within these limits. Otherwise, we will exhaust resources, degrade our environment and put our economy, health and children’s future at risk. ”

On health care and military n Health Care: Ø Ø Strong emphasis on prevention and health promotion in addition to standard healthcare. Expand healthcare coverage to include qualified complementary/alternative health professionals such as naturopaths, chiropractors, and dietitians. Set up a commission to study the feasibility of a national Pharma. Care program to ensure prescription drugs are available to all Canadians Military Ø Ø Begin withdrawing Canadian NATO Forces from Afghanistan as soon as reasonably possible (no later than February 2009). Declare Canada a nuclear free zone and press NATO allies to get out of the nuclear weapons business.

Bloc Quebecois n n Leader: Gilles Duceppe www. blocquebecois. org Compared to some of the other major parties, the Bloc Quebecois is a significantly younger party. It was formed in 1990 and officially created on June 15, 1991 by a group of Conservative and Liberal MPs from Québec that were unhappy with the federal government’s treatment of the province and the failure to meet the needs of Quebec

n n The Bloc was formed to influence the federal government in looking after Quebec interests and to promote the idea of Quebec sovereignty. Although the party has historical ties to the Parti Quebecois, a provincial secessionist party, it is important to note that they are in fact two different entities. However, they happen to share similar goals and beliefs, leading to cooperation more often than not. For instance, many members of one party are often members of the other, and both parties back each other frequently.

On health care and military n Health Care Ø Ø Intends to create an independent healthcare system run by Quebec that will maintain universal healthcare Opposes any federal intrusion into healthcare, and believes the federal government should increase money transferred to Quebec, and that the fiscal imbalance is the reason for under funding. Will decrease hospital wait times by increasing the number of physicians and nurses. Military Ø Ø Takes credit for keeping Canada out of the Iraq war in 2003. Helps Canadian veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Marijuana Party Leader: Blair T. Longley n www. marijuanaparty. com n They hold no official position on anything but the legalizing marijuana. n

n Former Grim. Skunk punk rocker Marc-Boris St-Maurice’s political career was jumpstarted by a simple arrest for marijuana possession in 1991. Fuelled by his outrage at the prohibition on marijuana, he went on to form the Quebec provincial party the Bloc-Pot in 1998. Upon realizing that cannabis prohibition was the jurisdiction of the federal government, St. Maurice formed the federal Marijuana Party to advocate for the full legalization of the cultivation, possession and use of marijuana. Since suffering from declining support over the course of three elections, the party has lost many members to the larger parties and has reoriented itself as a lobbying organization, though it is still registered and recognized by Elections Canada.

Neo-Rhino Party Leader: Francois Yo Gourd n www. neorhino. ca n n Although Neorhino. ca was only created in May of 2006, its roots can be traced back to 1963 when physician Jacques Ferron created the original “Rhinoceros Party”. Neorhino. ca kept the tradition of its predecessor by representing an alternative for people who can’t identify with Canada’s other parties, capitalist society or political process.

On health care and arts/culture n Health Care Ø Ø Ø The Party recommends a preventative approach to healthcare where laughter is the best medicine. They support using eastern and indigenous treatments over super hospitals and emphasize the use of natural and intuitive healthcare rather than swallowing hundreds of pills prescribed by pharmaceutical companies. Arts/Culture Ø Ø The party suggests appointing Rick Mercer as Minister of Culture. The elimination of ads on TV. To invest $5 million to create an army of clowns to save the world. A country with so rich with culture, it will drive our economy.