Politics of Canada

Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a Commonwealth Realm (see Monarchy in Canada) with a federal system of parliamentary government, and strong democratic traditions. Many of the country's legislative practices derive from the unwritten practices of and precedents set by the United Kingdom's Westminster parliament; however, Canada has evolved variations. Party discipline in Canada is stronger than in the United Kingdom, and more of the votes are considered confidence votes, which tends to diminish the role of non-cabinet Members of Parliament (MPs), known as backbenchers. Backbenchers can, however, exert their influence by sitting in parliamentary committees, like the Public Accounts Committee or the National Defence Committee.

Political conditions

Paul Martin's Liberal Party won a minority victory in the June 2004 general elections. In December of 2003, Martin had succeeded fellow Liberal Jean Chrétien, who had, in 2000, become the first Prime Minister to lead three consecutive majority governments since 1945. However, in 2004 the Liberals lost seats in Parliament, going from 172 of 301 Parliamentary seats to 135 of 308, and from 40.9% to 36.7% in the popular vote. The Canadian Alliance, which did well in western Canada in the 2000 election, but was unable to make significant inroads in the East, merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the Conservative Party of Canada in late 2003. They proved to be moderately successful in the 2004 campaign, gaining seats from a combined Alliance-PC total of 78 in 2000 to 99 in 2004. However, the new Conservatives lost in popular vote, going from 37.7% in 2000 down to 29.6%. The Conservatives currently form the Official Opposition.

Related Topics:
2004 general elections - 2003 - 1945 - Canadian Alliance - Progressive Conservative Party - Conservative Party of Canada

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This is the first minority government in Canada federally since 1979-1980. That government, led by Joe Clark, lasted only seven months. The situation, however, was different from the current one. The Clark government was elected in part because many voters did not want to support the Liberal party, but they did not expect that the Progressive Conservatives would win enough seats for a minority government. In contrast, polls taken during the 2004 election showed that many Canadians wanted a minority government.

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Minority governments are not always short-lived. While they have not generally lasted four years, there have been minority governments in the time before 1979 that were fairly stable and able to pass legislation. Minority government situations in Canada may become somewhat difficult to manage though, as in the past there were only three parties that had a significant number of seats in parliament (fourth parties were at times represented in small numbers), although the third party has changed over time. This meant an alliance between the governing and third parties would have a solid majority. Since the 1930s, the third party was usually the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation or later the New Democratic Party, which was created when an alliance was formed between labour unions and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. The Social Credit Party of Canada was the third party at times. Before this, there were other parties that had significant influence; such as the Progressive Party in the 1920s.

Related Topics:
Third party - Cooperative Commonwealth Federation - New Democratic Party - Social Credit Party of Canada - Progressive Party

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Canada currently has four parties that have a significant number of seats in parliament, and no two allied parties have a majority. When the throne speech was delivered in October 2004, there were already signs that the minority parties expected more representation. Recently, a request for a committee suggested by the New Democratic Party was passed, which is quite unusual. Also, the Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party insisted on changes to the throne speech, which is not believed to have precedent.

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It is believed that this minority government will last longer than average, partly due to political climate (polls suggest that Canadians would punish a party that causes it quick failure) as well as the fact that rules for funding of the federal parties have changed. Previously, unions and businesses could contribute significant amounts of funding to parties. A change to the funding formula means that the amount and where these groups can now contribute is limited.

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In 2005, Prime Minister Martin promised to hold a general election one month after the results of the Gomery Commission have been made public. This is likely to happen early in 2006.

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