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What is a Political Party?

This section provides an introduction into the nature and role of a political party in Canada.

Definition of a Political Party

Generally speaking, a political party is an organization that contests elections to influence government policy. A political party may be centred on an ideology (i.e. liberalism, conservatism, socialism), a specific region of the country (i.e. the Bloc Quebecois in Quebec), an ethnic or religious background, or a combination of several of these qualities. Furthermore, a political party may practice brokerage style politics in which it will adapt its policies to public attitudes to secure the best chance for election.

Political Party Organization

In Canada, well-developed political parties tend to have several organizational features, including:

• A constitution that sets out the party's general principles as well as rules that govern its activities and membership.
• A leader that influences particular party policy and strategy.
• A party caucus, made up of all the party's elected representatives in Parliament, which influences the policies and strategies of the party.
• Party members or party activists that participate in party policy and elections of leaders.

Canada Elections Act and Political Parties

The Canada Elections Act is the federal legislation that regulates many of the activities surrounding federal elections, including political parties. The Act does not attempt to define or describe a political party. There is no federal legislation regulating the formation of a political party. However, the Act does regulate how political parties may act during an election. For example, only registered political parties may place the party's name next to its candidates on an election ballot.

Elections Canada Website

Full Text of Canada Elections Act

Role of a Political Party

Political scientists often differ on the precise of role of political parties in Canadian society. One approach is to see political parties as having a passive role in relation to citizens. Political parties aggregate the interests of party members and voters and project those interests onto government by contesting for elections. Another approach is to see political parties as having an active role in relation to citizens. Broad social forces such as capitalism, patriarchy or elitism determine the strategies and policies of political parties. Political parties then influence which political issues are important as well Canadians' attitudes towards those issues.

Model 1: Passive Political Party

Model 2: Active Political Party