1. What were the reasons for encouraging western Canadian settlement in the National Policy?
According to Brooks, one reason was to open up a market for the products of central Canadian industry and the other was to protect this territory from American encroachment.
2. What were the major differences between the Liberals and the Conservatives in the pre-1920 era?
Liberals identified more with free trade and provincial rights. They were more sensitive to the interests of French Canadians and to the plight of farmers. They were hostile to banking and commercial interests, and were critical of the Roman Catholic Church. Conservatives were seen as the party of the British connection, and of privilege. They were supporters of banking and manufacturing concerns and of economic protectionism and centralized federalism.
3. What are political parties? List some examples outlined by Brooks.
Brooks says that parties area “organizations that offer slates of candidates to votes at election time,” while Forsey adds that these organizations typically “hold broadly similar opinions on public questions.” The main political parties in Canada are the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, Bloc Québecois, and Green Party, while Brooks also mentions smaller, more topical parties like the Marijuana Party and Libertarian Parties, which do not hold seats in Parliament.
4. What is a brokerage party system?
This refers to the federal Liberal and Conservative Parties’ practice of acting as brokers of ideas, middlemen who select from all the ideas pressing for recognition as public policy those they think can be shaped to have wide appeal. Each party attempts to cobble together a winning coalition of voters at election time.
5. What did Andre Siegfried mean by his assertion that the preoccupation with questions of “material interest” and “public works” has tended to “lower the general level of political life” in Canada?
Siegfried made a number of judgements upon observing Canada’s political participation. His suggestion that material interest and public works served to diminish political life in the country are indeed arguable. One must remain skeptical of generalizations about a case with minimal study.
6. What is the difference between minor and fringe parties? Provide examples.
Minor parties have not formed a federal government (only the Liberal and Conservative parties have done this), but have received significant support from Canadian voters, often regionally or within a province. Examples include the Bloc Québecois and the Green Party. Fringe parties typically receive less than 1% of the vote, the equivalent of only a few thousand votes nationally, and are not represented in Parliament. Examples include the Communist, Libertarian, and Rhinoceros parties.
7. What were the potential reasons for the emergence of several “minor parties” in Canada following Meech Lake?
There are several reasons for the emergence of “minor” parties post the Meech Lake Accord. These include the failure of the Accord itself, the process behind the negotiations concerning the Accord, a distrust in the West of the notion of distinct society for Quebec, the lack of attention to Aboriginal and women’s issues, and the vacuum created because of a largely unpopular coalition under Mulroney.
8. What is meant by the term “two and one-half” party system?
The “two and one-half” party system refers to the consistent electoral results prior to 1993 in which the Liberals and Conservatives finished either first or second, while the NDP consistently finished third, with about 15 to 20 per cent of the popular vote and occasionally holding the balance of power.
9. What is a realignment election and what are some examples of when this has happened in Canada?
Brooks defines this as an election or series of elections when results create “durable change” in parties’ support bases. He notes that an early example of a realignment election occurred in 1896 with Wilfrid Laurier and the Liberals; following the hanging of Louis Riel, there was a significant shift in Francophone support toward the Liberals. This lasted, largely, until the rise of the Bloc Québecois in 1993. Realignments also occurred with the collapse of the BQ and Liberals in Québec, alongside the rise of the NDP in 2011, followed by the collapse of the NDP in Québec in the subsequent 2015 election.
10. What two elements for a durable party realignment were revealed in the 1993 federal election?
One was the low esteem in which political parties and politicians were and are held. Thus, citizen attachment to parties is very weak which, in turn, opened the door to new parties. Secondly, the popular consensus on the role of government and on a range of public policies has become frayed. Citizens are looking for new policy ideas; hence, they are open to what the non-traditional parties have to offer.
11. What two factors are said to explain the unexpected results of the 2011 election?
Leadership—Canadians were drawn to NDP leader Jack Layton—and a general sense in Quebec that it was time for another party. The goal of independence—and the way that the BQ framed the issue—lost its appeal and salience for Quebecers.
12. What are the three models identified by Brooks for selection of party leaders in Canada?
The current system is known as the single-member constituency system, or the single-member plurality system, or the first-past-the-post system. The criticisms are that a party’s percentage of the popular vote is rarely consistent with its percentage of seats in Parliament or the legislature. As a result, it has exacerbated regional and ethno-linguistic divisions in Canada because a party’s share of the vote in a province is often not reflected in the percentage of seats it gets. It is also argued that it contributes to low voter turnout because of the “wasted vote” phenomenon leading voters to engage in strategic voting. Brooks disputes the validity of these latter two criticisms.
13. What at the three main critiques of the proportional representation electoral system outlined by Brooks?
Firstly, the PR system tends to splinter the party system and gives voices to smaller, topical parties. Secondly, it produces an unstable government, as there is often no majority and can be difficult to gain support on initiatives. Lastly, it encourages ideological polarity and enables extremist parties to achieve representation in the legislature.
14. What did Cairns say about Canada’s electoral system in the 1960s? Is this still true?
Cairns said that the overall impact of Canada’s ‘first-past-the-post’ system is negative, as it exacerbates regional and ethnolinguistic tensions, while under-representing Conservative voters in Québec. Brooks says that this is largely still true, but that Cairns ideas could be extended to include other under-represented groups, like the Liberals in the West and Conservatives and NDP in Atlantic Canada.
15. What do each of the main political parties believe about electoral reform?
In 2015, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau campaigned on the promise that the 2015 election would be the last decided using the first-past-the-post electoral system. However, after Trudeau was elected PM, he admitted that electoral reform would not be feasible and electoral reform did not occur. However, the Liberals tend to favour the system of preferential voting, while Trudeau expressed concern that electoral reform to a system of proportional representation may open the door to extremist parties to achieve seats in the legislature that were previously more difficult to achieve. The Conservatives prefer the first-past-the-post system, for reasons that Brooks says varies within the party, but which may include the party’s ‘fortunes.’ The NDP favours a mixed-member proportional (MMP) system, in which voters cast a ballot for both their local riding and their preferred party.
1. How has the party realignment that resulted from the 2011 federal election shifted in the past two federal elections?
In your answer, you can speculate on what happened to the Liberal Party in Quebec and on why the NDP was so successful in that province. You can discuss the two parties’ views on the place of Quebec in Canada. Has the rise and fall of the Liberals and NDP in Quebec been simply a question of leadership? You can also discuss the difficulties that face a centre party, like the Liberal Party, when its left-wing and right-wing rivals start moving toward the centre. You may also choose to discuss the concepts of ‘Orange Crush’ and ‘Orange Crash,’ the impact of the death of Layton, and the recent campaigning promises and tactics of Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh, both across Canada and within Quebec.
2. What are the four “families” of electoral systems? Which provinces have looked at the possibility of changing their electoral system? What system appeals to you and why? Which do you find least appealing?
To answer this question, you can research electoral systems, outline the essentials of each and give examples of countries that use each. You can research which provinces studied alternatives to the existing electoral system. You can then identify the criteria that would make for a good electoral system and discuss how your preferred system meets those criteria.
3. What is the implication of being integrated or not integrated between provincial and federal parties across Canada?
One would start by examining each of the federal political parties and analyze whether they are integrated with their provincial counterparts. Next an analysis should occur as to whether integration or the lack thereof was a key factor in the electoral success of the parties.
4. Describe the two fundamental claims about parties outlined in brokerage theory. Do you agree with these claims? In your response, use examples either supporting or opposing.
The two fundamental claims about parties that are outlined in brokerage theory are that 1) parties lack cohesive and distinct ideological visions, and 2) they are flexible and opportunistic because this helps win elections. Your answer will vary based on whether you agree or disagree with these claims; your answer should be supported with evidence of these claims (or lack thereof) from the textbook, or you may choose to conduct research into historical and current political affairs that may also offer support.
5. Craft your own political party and platform addressing some of the topics outlined in the chapter (i.e. the economy, the environment, etc.) Does your party closely align with another existing political party in Canada?
Your answer will vary based on the objects that you prioritize on your party’s platform, and whether these ideas align with an existing political party in Canada. Your ideas may align with a single party, or multiple parties; explain how your ideas relate to Canada’s political parties using evidence from the textbook or from your own knowledge or research into the parties’ platforms.
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