Political Parties

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Political Parties
The House of Commons
The Green Party
Elizabeth May
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Key Terms to Know

• Policy A plan of action by a political party or
  government to achieve certain goals
• Platform A formal, written statement outlining
  the policies of a political party
• Political Parties Organized groups of people
  with common values or goals who compete to get
  candidates elected and to form the government.
• Political Spectrum A line showing the range of
  political beliefs from liberalism (left) to
  conservatism (right)
• Interest Groups Organizations of people who
  share social, political and other goals and act
  together to influence governments. They may be
  local, national or international in scope.
• Polls a survey of public opinion, or a place
  where a voter goes to vote on election day
• Referendum A direct yes or no vote of the
  electorate on a specific issue, policy or law.
• Youth Wings Groups within political parties in
  which young members, including those under the
  voting age, can be active in forming policy and
  supporting party candidates.

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The Political Spectrum

• Your views on economic, social, and religious
  issues has a direct impact upon the Political
  Party that you wish to support. For instance,
• Should the government censor the arts?
• Should Marijuana be de-criminalized?
• Should all Canadians receive equal access to
  health care?
• Should taxes be raised to pay for much needed
  social programs?
• Should money be redistributed from the richer
  provinces to the poorer ones?
• Should same sex marriages be recognized?

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The Political Spectrum
Supporter of the Gun Lobby
Anti-Globalization Rally
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The Political Spectrum Right Wing, Left Wing and
Moderates

• When people describe their political views, they
  often refer to themselves as Right wing
  (Conservative), left wing (Liberal), or
  moderate (in the middle).
• How you place yourself on the Political Spectrum
  is based on your responses to Political issues.
• How do you know what you are?

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Liberals

• Liberals tend to hold the following Political
  Views
• Government should be heavily involved in the
  lives of citizens.
• Citizens should have equal opportunities through
  law (e.g. affirmative action programs)
• Strong support of social programs such as
  welfare, medicare and pensions
• Higher taxes to pay for social programs
• A small military

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Conservatives

• Conservatives tend to hold the following views
• There should be minimal government intervention
  in the economy
• Citizens should take greater responsibility for
  themselves
• They believe in traditional values (e.g.
  religious views on social issues)
• Lower taxes to increase global competitiveness
• There should be a strong military

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The Political Spectrum
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Place the Following on the Spectrum Right, Left
or Moderate?
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Political Spectrum to Political Parties

• Where you position yourself on the political
  spectrum has a direct impact on your choice of
  political party.
• In Canada, right wingers tend to vote for the
  Conservative Party, left wingers the NDP and
  moderates the Liberal Party.
• Question Would liberals vote for the Liberal
  Party?

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Political Party Platforms

• Each political party has their own set of
  policies on a number of different issues
• Health Care
• Taxes/Government Spending
• Social Welfare Programs
• Social Issues (e.g.Same Sex Marriage)
• Job Creation/ Trade Initiatives (e.g.
  Globalization, NAFTA)
• The Military (e.g. the War in Afghanistan)

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Political Party Platforms

• When a political party presents their ideas
  before the electorate on a series of issues, they
  are said to be presenting their Political
  Platform.
• How do you win an election?
• By presenting a political platform that
  represents the views of the majority of the
  electorate (Canadians, Ontarians,
  Georgetownians?, etc)

Who would you vote for?
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Political Party Platforms
When you write the Political Platform You want to
make sure that the policies Enclosed reflect the
prevailing interests Of the majority of
Canadians. A strong platform can win an election!
The Conservative Partys Platform
What else do you need for electoral success?
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Who would you vote for? What is Charisma?

• For many, the main ingredient for electoral
  success is charisma the ability to inspire the
  people to join you in a march towards greater
  prosperity.
• Who has Charisma?

Barack Obama
Hilary Clinton
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Charisma
Stephane Dion
How do you define Charisma? Who has it? Who
doesnt? Do you need it to be successful In
Politics?
Pierre Elliot Trudeau
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How do Political Parties decide which policies to
adopt?

• There are many different issues that Political
  Parties need to deal with
• Health Care
• The Environment
• Taxes/Government Spending
• Social Welfare Programs
• Social Issues (e.g.Same Sex Marriage)
• Job Creation/ Trade Initiatives (e.g.
  Globalization)
• The Military (e.g. the War in Afghanistan).
• What should they do?

Trade issues are a hot topic!
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Political Parties have to Address many issues in
their Party Platforms
The Environment
Health Care
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Political Parties have to Address many issues
Funding for Education
Legal Issues
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Political Parties have to Address many issues
Social Welfare issues
Taxiation Taxes are too high!!!
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Political Parties have to Address many issues

• Military spending is always an important issue.
  For some, spending on infrastructure and
  Healthcare is more important than funding
  Canadas military.
• For others, Canadas lack of sufficient military
  spending has been an international embarrassment.

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Who decides Policy? Political Party Members

• Members of political parties play a key role in
  determining what will be included in their
  partys platform.
• By voting at conventions, they make their voices
  heard. The candidates of the various parties
  understand what is popular on the convention
  floor.

Members of the Conservative party showing their
support for Stephen Harper. How did he win the
nomination to be leader?
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Who decides Policy? Political Party Members
These delegates support Stephane Dion. What
policy Did Dion implement to get their support?
Hint Scarves
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Who decides Policy? International Pressures

• Canadas largest trading partner is the United
  States.
• When you live next door to the worlds most
  powerful nation, you want to make sure that your
  policies do not have an adverse affect on the
  relationship.
• Hot topics include
• Trade (e.g. NAFTA)
• Military Spending
• Border Security (post 9/11)
• Drug Policy (Marijuana Reform, Pharmaceuticals)

Canada/U.S. Relations
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Who decides Policy? International Pressures

• With respect to Foreign Policy, a Canadian
  Federal Party needs to recognize its
  international obligations especially as a member
  of the NATO Alliance.
• Why did Canada get involved in the war in
  Afghanistan?
• A threat towards a NATO nation is a threat
  towards all.
• In other words, were going!

The NATO Alliance
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Canada has extended its mission In Afghanistan
until 2011. Did Stephen Harper have a
choice When his party adopted this policy Option?
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Who decides Policy? The Supreme Court

• When a political party adopts policies, it needs
  to make sure that those policies do not
  contradict the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• It would be very embarrassing for the government
  if one of their policies was struck down by the
  Supreme Court as un-constitutional
• A policy banning same sex marriage could be in
  violation of the Charter of Rights

The Supreme Court of Canada
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Who decides Policy? Interest Groups

• Interest groups try to influence policy makers to
  adopt laws in accordance with their views.
• Ducks Unlimited tries to influence environmental
  policies.
• The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) tries to
  influence trade policies (e.g. Nafta).
• Some interest groups are more effective than
  others. Why would this be the case?

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Who decides Policy? Interest Groups

• Some Interest Groups like the CFIB are very
  influencial with parties like the Conservative
  Party while groups like the CLC are popular with
  the NDP.
• However, some groups are so radical
  (contraversial) that main stream parties are
  afraid to take up their cause (e.g. GreenPeace).
• Can the tactics of Greenpeace still be effective?
  Is the support of the mainstream parties
  necessary?

The CFIB
Greenpeace making their point!
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Who decides Policy? You?

• Admittedly, it is difficult to affect government
  policies by yourself.
• However, you can make your voice heard in opinion
  polls (politicians care about these!)
• You can protest in the streets. If there is
  enough of you, they will care about that too!

Opinion Polls
Can you do in on your own?
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Interest Groups Lobbyists

• Lobbyists are paid by corporations to influence
  public policy.
• For instance, if you are a company that wants low
  corporate taxes, you lobby the government for
  lower taxiation.
• If you want to secure a large government
  contract, you hire a lobbyist to bend the ear
  of the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet.
• Some Lobbyists are highly influencial especially
  former prime ministers!

Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney (left) Acted
as a Lobbyist for Airbus Corporation Represented
by Karl-Heinz Schrieber (right)
Should Lobbying be legal?
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Canadas Political Parties

• Based on their Party Platforms, who would you
  vote for?

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Remember They want your Vote!

• Although you need to be 18 to vote in Canadian
  Federal elections, the main political parties
  care about your opinions.
• Why is this so? Why are the young liberals so
  important to the Liberal Party of Canada?
• What role do you want to play in politics? Do
  you want to join a political party? Explain your
  answer!

The Liberal Youth Wing
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What have we learned?

• Key Terms
• The Political Spectrum
• Mainstream Political Issues
• Political Parties in Canada
• Electoral Success
• How to influence the Creation of Policies
• How to become involved in politics.
• Future Directions