POLITICAL SPECTRUM

1
POLITICAL SPECTRUM
LEFT WING ? RIGHT WING Canadas four
OFFICIAL political parties on the following
spectrum are as follows NDP Bloc
Quebecois Liberal Conservative
Left Centre Right
Liberalism Conservatism Socialism
Democracy Authoritarianism Communism
Totalitarianism
2
POLITICAL SPECTRUM POLITICAL SPECTRUM POLITICAL SPECTRUM
LEFT RIGHT  
Universal social programs Self-reliance  
Rehabilitation of criminals Capital punishment  
Government intervention in the economy Free-enterprise economy  
Maximizing civil and moral liberty Retaining conservative moral codes  
The superiority of reason and science The importance of tradition  
Republicanism Monarchy  
Internationalism Nationalism  
Pacifism Defence spending  
High taxation Low taxation  
Freedom of choice in abortion Restricted access to abortion  
3
POLITICAL SPECTRUM POLITICAL SPECTRUM POLITICAL SPECTRUM
LEFT CENTRE RIGHT
We should change social conditions as quickly as possible because inequality and injustice cannot be tolerated. Change of social conditions should take place, but at a cautious pace. The present system should be maintained. Change only when absolutely necessary and do it slowly and carefully, not suddenly.
Society is not bound by tradition because tradition promotes inequality between rich and poor. Tradition is important, but change must be accepted if it is the will of the majority. Traditions must be respected. They provide society with stability and security.
Government should take care of needy persons directly. It has a moral obligation. There are many different approaches to caring for the needy. It can be done by the state or by privately run charities. Government should not interfere in the lives of individuals (government provides a helping hand, not a handout). Private charity and self-reliance are better.
Everyone should have equality of condition. Everyone should have equality of opportunity and condition. Everyone should have equality of opportunity.
The rights of individuals are important, but less important than the right of the state to promote equality. Law and order is important, but the rights of individuals come first. Law and order has the highest priority, but rights of individuals are important too.
Key industries, banks, transportation facilities and natural resources should be owned by the government. Some form of government management of the economy is necessary. It wont look after itself. Business and industry should be kept in the hands of private individuals. Only privately run businesses can respond to peoples economic needs efficiently.
4
POLITICAL SPECTRUM POLITICAL SPECTRUM POLITICAL SPECTRUM
New Democratic Party Liberal Party Conservative Party
Increased harmony between federal and provincial governments. A strong federal government which can overrule provincial interests and hold the country together. Greater provincial control of their own interests through federal-provincial agreements.
Less foreign ownership, more government ownership of companies. Key industries, banks, transportation facilities and natural resources should be in the hands of the government. Canadian control of Canadian resources, broadcast and financial interests. Government ownership of some key businesses, such as Air Canada or Petro-Canada. Less government ownership and more private ownership of businesses. Less government regulation of the economyfor example, foreign ownership of Canadian business should be permitted as long as it is in our interest.
High taxes for rich persons and companies, low taxes for poorer persons. The rich have a moral obligation to look after the poor. Higher taxes for rich persons and business than for less well-off ones. Lower taxes for higher-income persons, as too-high taxes reduce the desire to work hard. Hard work benefits the whole economy.
Favours tax reform to force large corporations to pay a greater share of taxes to help pay for social programs (e.g. welfare and Medicare). Reduce unemployment through government-run programs (provide government tax money to create new or help existing businesses). Reduce unemployment by lowering taxes for businesses (trickle-down economics theory help private industry first, and the benefits will trickle down to the people). Reduce spending on some social programs (in favour of self-reliance).
5
ORIGIN OF TERMS, LEFT-WING AND RIGHT-WING The
terms date back to pre-revolutionary France. In
1789, the French National Assembly was created as
a parliamentary body to move control of issues,
such as taxation, from the king to the citizenry.
Up until this time, the whole population of
France was divided into three estates the First
Estate, made up of the clergy of the church
(those who prayed) the Second Estate, made up
of the nobility or aristocracy (those who
fought) and the Third Estate, made up of
everyone else, who worked (those who laboured).
It had been a very long time since all three
estates had met in the Estates General, largely
because King Louis XIV had taken all power to
himself in the previous century. However,
because of numerous wars in Europe and other
problems, such as drought, France was nearing
bankruptcy and it was necessary to call a meeting
of the Estates General. Each estate had an equal
number of votes, even though a large majority of
people belonged to the Third Estate. In
practice, the First Estate and the Second Estate
always voted together, so the Third Estate never
got what it wanted. The Third Estate pushed to
get all three estates to meet as one body so that
they would have a lot more say, but this was
turned down.
6

• The Third Estate decided to have a meeting by
  itself, although some members of the clergy and
  nobility had joined them in sympathy. The Third
  Estate had just renamed itself the National
  Assembly. When they tried to enter the Estates
  General, they found themselves locked out, so
  they moved indoors to a nearby tennis court.
  Later on, inside the chamber where the National
  Assembly met, some members of the National
  Assembly sat on the left side of the chamber
  while other members sat on the right.

7

• It was mostly the members of the Third Estate,
  which consisted of radical revolutionaries, who
  sat on the left side of the chamber, while the
  members of the First and Second Estates, who were
  conservative nobles and clergy, sat mostly on the
  right. Thus, the left wing of the room was more
  liberal, and the right wing was more
  conservative. Perhaps because the words "right"
  and "left" are two very short ways of summing up
  fundamental political disagreements, the terms
  have been used in this sense for more than 200
  years.

8

• LEFT, RIGHT, CENTRE, AND POLITICAL PARTIES TODAY
• Since the time of the French Revolution
  political parties have been divided into left,
  right, and centre. Left-wing parties usually
  support the less fortunate in society. They wish
  to bring about rapid change in society.
  Right-wing parties, however, wish to preserve the
  established ways in society and tend to support
  the better-off people in society and business.
  The parties of the Centre often borrow ideas from
  both right-wing and left-wing parties. In Canada
  the parties can be divided into left, right, and
  centre.

9

• There is a common saying that when three
  people get together to talk politics, they will
  come up with four different opinions. While this
  is an exaggeration, it does point out one of the
  problems of a democracy. If there are so many
  different opinions among Canadians, how can any
  common action be taken? Imagine for a moment the
  situation in the House of Commons if each member
  insisted on having things his or her own way.
  There would be few, if any, bills passed.
  Debates in the House would be endless. We would
  not have effective government in Canada.

10

• Under these conditions, you can see why
  political opinions and ideas must be organized
  under broad categories. This is the role of
  political parties. Each political party has a
  political philosophy, or point of view. These
  political philosophies can be placed on what is
  called the political spectrum, ranging from the
  left wing to the right wing. Within this common
  set of beliefs or philosophy, there is still room
  for shades of opinion. Because of political
  parties, large groups of people can organize and
  gain control of the government. In this way,
  they will be able to make laws. Naturally, these
  should satisfy the majority of people in the
  country.