Federal Politics

Parliamentary Press Gallery in Canada

Jay Makarenko — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0600

The Parliamentary Press Gallery serves as an important link between Canadians and the world of federal politics. In this role, however, the Press Gallery enjoys a complicated, and at times conflicted, relationship with the politicians and political parties they investigate and cover. This article provides an introduction to the Press Gallery: it discusses the nature of legislative press galleries, changes in press gallery reporting, press gallery membership, and well as the relationship between press gallery members and the politicians they cover.

What is the Parliamentary Press Gallery?

Legislatures, Press Galleries & Media Coverage of Politics in Canada

Changes in Parliamentary Press Gallery Reporting

From Exclusive & Partisan to Open & Impartial

Parliamentary Press Gallery Membership

Benefits & Oversight of Press Gallery Membership

Politicians & the Press Gallery: Interdependence & Conflict

The Complicated Relationship between Canadian Politicians & Press Gallery

Sources & Links to Further Information

List of Article Sources & Links on the Press Gallery, Media & Politics

What is the Parliamentary Press Gallery?

Legislatures, Press Galleries & Media Coverage of Politics

Press Galleries & Canada’s Legislatures

Every day television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the internet provide Canadians with updates and analyses of the personalities, events, and issues relating to politics and governance in Canada. In covering Canadian politics, the media pay particular attention to the federal Parliament and its provincial and territorial counterparts.

The term “Press Gallery” is used to refer to the group of journalists assigned by media organizations to cover the personalities and events of these federal, provincial and territorial legislatures. These journalists will observe legislative debates and votes, interview political actors, and attend press conferences and media scrums, in addition to undertaking their own independent investigations and research.

Each legislature in Canada has its own Press Gallery. There is, for example, the Ontario Legislative Assembly Press Gallery at Queen's Park in Toronto, home of the Ontario provincial legislature, the New Brunswick legislative Press Gallery in Fredericton, and the Alberta Legislative Press Gallery in Edmonton, to name a few. These are separate groups of journalists assigned to cover the personalities and events at their respective legislatures.

Parliamentary Press Gallery & the Federal Parliament

The Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery includes journalists and media organizations that cover the federal Parliament and government. These journalists investigate and report on matters including the policies and priorities of the federal government, legislative debates and votes in the House of Commons, decisions by the Supreme Court of Canada, visits by foreign dignitaries, and the activities of important federal political personalities, including the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Opposition Parties, and the Governor General of Canada. The Parliamentary Press Gallery serves as a cornerstone of the national political media, and is an important link between Canadians and federal politics.

Parliamentary Press Gallery as an Association

That said, the Parliamentary Press Gallery is not simply a group a journalists; it is also a formal association with established rules and responsibilities. As an association, the Press Gallery is tasked with the job of overseeing and assisting journalists in their work on Parliament Hill. This includes providing accreditation to journalists and granting them access to the Parliamentary precinct, administering Parliamentary Press Gallery services and facilities, and acting as a representative unit for journalists in their dealings with politicians, political parties, and the officials that oversee the operation of Parliament.

Changes in Parliamentary Press Gallery Reporting

From Exclusive & Partisan to Open & Impartial

Early Parliamentary Press Gallery Reporting

Press coverage of Canadian legislatures began in Canada’s colonial period, with newspaper journalists reporting on the activities of the various colonial legislatures in British North America. When the Canadian Parliament was first formed in 1867 at the time of Confederation, Parliamentary administrators provided space and services for journalists. These first Parliamentary reporters played an important role in Canada’s early years. As official verbatim accounts of Parliamentary proceedings were not introduced until 1878, press reports at the time were considered the best unofficial records of debate and discussion in the new Canadian Parliament.

The Press Gallery of the early Parliaments, however, was a very exclusive club. Press Gallery journalists were usually newspaper reporters (due to the fact that newsprint was the common form of mass communication at the time), and only the wealthiest, or most politically interested, newspapers assigned representatives to cover the federal Parliament. As a result, the Press Gallery usually consisted of a close-knit group of select newspaper publishers, editors, and their favourite reporters, all who enjoyed close ties with one another, both professionally and socially.

In addition to being an exclusive club, the Press Gallery was highly partisan and divided along party lines. Most newspapers of the day were either owned or directed by political parties or politicians, or controlled by publishers or editors with strong biases in favour of a particular political party. Moreover, Press Gallery journalists often had close personal and professional relationships with many of the leaders and politicians in Parliament; in some cases, these relationships were so close that journalists found themselves being appointed to senior government positions.

This exclusiveness and partisanship in the early Press Gallery greatly influenced the reporting behaviours of journalists. Those with close ties to the governing political party of the day were highly restricted in what they could say about the government, and were often relegated to the role of government ‘boosters’ instead of ‘watchdogs.’ In contrast, journalists with ties to opposition politicians or parties were free to criticize and attack government leaders and policies (although, much less so in regard to the opposition party with which they were affiliated).

Modern Changes to the Parliamentary Press Gallery

The exclusiveness and partisanship of the early Press Gallery began to break down in the 1900s as changes in its membership and reporting techniques were introduced. One of the most important changes came in 1917 when the Canadian Press News Service joined the Press Gallery. The Canadian Press differed from traditional media organizations in that it is was a strictly news gathering service; it would collect news and information not for publishing in its own newspaper, but to sell to multiple newspapers that could not gather it themselves. As such, the Canadian Press did not affiliate itself with a particular political leader or party, and its reporters were expected to produce unbiased reports on parliamentary events.

Membership in the Press Gallery was further expanded in the mid-1900s to include magazine publishers, television and radio broadcasters, and freelance journalists. Today, the Parliamentary Press Gallery is no longer a close-knit group of newspaper publishers, editors, and reporters. It is a much more open and loose association, consisting of a wide variety of journalists and media organizations. This, in turn, has brought greater political neutrality and diversity to the news and information content that Canadians receive about the federal Parliament.

For a full list of Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery Members:

Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery Website: Members List

While overt partisanship is, for the most part, a thing of the past, one should not assume that the modern Press Gallery is a completely neutral provider of political news and information. Press Gallery journalists are not immune to their own political views when interpreting and/or analyzing federal political actors and events. Press Gallery journalists, and their media organizations, also make important decisions about which stories to publish or broadcast, and how to frame those stories. These choices can have important impacts on how the public perceives a given issue or political news item.

Moreover, it is important to remember that Press Gallery journalists work in close quarters with one another. As such, there is the possibility of “pack journalism” or “group think,” in which Press Gallery coverage becomes highly homogeneous in its content and analysis. Furthermore, Press Gallery journalists often spend large amounts of time with the political actors they are covering. This can, in turn, result in the development of close personal relationships that may colour a journalist’s interpretation of Parliamentary events.

Parliamentary Press Gallery Membership

Benefits & Oversight of Press Gallery Membership

Benefits of Press Gallery Membership

Membership in the Press Gallery is important in that it includes press accreditation as well as the ability to access the Parliamentary buildings and grounds. Other benefits include access to media facilities and services provided by the government or by the Press Gallery itself, as well as regular updates and schedules of Parliamentary events.

Furthermore, journalists also have the benefit of member solidarity. While Press Gallery journalists work for different media organizations, and are typically competitors within the media industry, they do share similar interests and concerns as Parliamentary reporters. Such commonalities would include, for example, having open access to the political actors and events they are covering, as well as being able to gather relevant information from government departments and agencies. As a collective association, Press Gallery members can more effectively exert pressure on government officials to ensure these interests are being met.

It is important to note, however, that membership in the Press Gallery, while highly beneficial, is not necessary to cover the Canadian Parliament. Journalists may apply directly to Parliament to gain access to the grounds and buildings, simply as members of the general public. Furthermore, many Parliamentary proceedings, such as House of Commons debates and Parliamentary committee meetings, are broadcast live for the public to view.

Press Gallery Membership & the Speaker of the House

In order to gain membership, journalists apply directly to the Parliamentary Press Gallery itself. This represents one of the Parliamentary Press Gallery's most important administrative responsibilities as an association: deciding which journalists may receive parliamentary press accreditation and the benefits of Press Gallery membership. It is important to note, however, that the Parliamentary Press Gallery is not the final authority on who may gain access to Parliament buildings and facilities; this is the responsibility of the Speaker of the House.

The Speaker of the House is an elected Member of Parliament chosen by fellow MPs to be the administrative head of the House of Commons. The Speaker is not a political leader (like the Prime Minister or Cabinet Ministers), but is simply an administrator. S/he moderates discussion and debate between MPs within the House chamber, in addition to overseeing the general administration of the House, including its staff and operating budget, as well as public and press access to facilities and grounds.

For more information on the Speaker of the House:

Parliament of Canada: About the Speaker of the House of Commons

In practice, however, the Speaker usually grants the Parliamentary Press Gallery independence over its own membership and which journalists may access the Parliamentary grounds and media facilities. This independence is generally observed on the grounds of freedom of the press, and the notion that members of the media must have independence from government officials if they are to investigate and report on political actors and events in a full and impartial manner. If the Speaker were to oversee Press Gallery membership, he or she could, for example, exclude members of the media that were critical of House administrators, the government, or the political party to which the Speaker belonged.

Politicians & Press Gallery: Interdependence & Conflict

The Complicated Relationship Between Politicians & the Press Gallery

Canadian federal politicians and the Parliamentary Press Gallery have a very complicated relationship. On the one hand, each depends greatly on the other for their livelihood. Press Gallery journalists need access to politicians in order to gather the information they need for their news stories. At the same time, politicians need Press Gallery journalists in order to communicate with Canadians.

Despite the symbiotic relationship that exists between these two entities, there is also great potential for conflict. While politicians will pursue Parliamentary press coverage, they prefer to control the image and messages presented in order to maximize positive coverage. Conflict often occurs when a politician feels (rightly or wrongly) that Press Gallery journalists are exercising bias, or are being unfairly critical of his/her actions and views, or those of the political party to which s/he belongs.

In order to control their media image, politicians and political parties will often develop sophisticated communication strategies. These include developing specific sorts of messages that they will communicate to Press Gallery journalists; for example, simple and memorable catch phrases that newspapers quote or for television or radio sound bites. They may also develop “talking points” that party members and officials can use when speaking with Press gallery journalists, which keep the focus on the positive aspects of a given issue. In extreme cases, political actors will even limit Press Gallery access to them, and will even look for ways to bypass the Press Gallery and communicate directly to Canadians themselves.

There have been several instances of this sort of conflict between politicians and the Parliamentary Press Gallery. During his tenure as Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, a Liberal, often had strong disagreements with the Parliamentary Press Gallery about the stories its members reported. As a result, Trudeau attempted to control media questions during press conferences, granted preferential access to particular journalists and media organizations, and often had heated exchanges with Press Gallery members. Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper has also had conflicts with the Parliamentary Press Gallery; in 2006 he alleged an anti-Conservative bias on the part of some Press Gallery members and attempted to manage press conferences by dictating which journalists would be allowed to ask questions. The Press Gallery, as a group, staged a protest by walking out of a Harper press event.

Sources & Links to Further Information

List of Article Sources & Links for More on the Press Gallery, Media & Politics

Sources Used for this Article

Book & Periodical Sources

Siegal, A. Politics and the Media in Canada (2nd Edition). Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1996.

Electronic Sources

Cummin, C. “Parliamentary Press Gallery.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. 14 July 2006
<http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006105>.
“About the Speaker.” Parliament of Canada. 14 July 2006.
<http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/House/Speaker/role_duties/index_e.html>.
“Gauthier v. Canada.” United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 22 March 1999. 14 July 2006.
<http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/65d8b4f465596f1b80256782004b16f8?Opendocument>.

Links for More Information

Coalition Governments in Canada

Jay Makarenko — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Coalition governments have been rare in Canadian history; however, the ones that have existed had have important impacts on Canadian politics. This article describes the nature of coalition governments in Canada, including a basic definition of coalition governments, an overview of different types of coalitions, and a historical perspective on coalition governments in Canada.

Introduction to Coalition Government in Canada

What are coalition governments?

Types of Canadian Coalition Governments

Why are coalition governments formed?

Canadian Coalition Governments in History

Important coalition governments in Canadian history.

Links to Further Information on Coalition Governments

Find more information on coalition governments.

Introduction to Coalition Government in Canada

What are coalition governments?

Generally speaking, coalition governments are ones in which two or more political parties enter into a formal agreement to govern together. The parties form a coalition with one another - hence the term "Coalition Government." In understanding this type of government further, it is important to examine key concepts in Canadian Parliamentary politics, such as the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the notion of responsible government, and the role of political parties in forming governments .

Prime Minister and Cabinet as Government

In Canada, the term “government” refers to the Prime Minister and his/her Cabinet (in the case of provincial/territorial legislatures, "government" refers to the Premier and their Cabinet). These persons lead the nation and decide important issues of governance; for example, how much money the state should tax and spend, what the nation's laws should be, and what programs and services the state should offer. In essence, the Prime Minister and Cabinet represent the pinnacle of executive political power in Canada.

For more information on the head of government in Canada:

Mapleleafweb: The Federal Cabinet and PM of Canada

Notion of Responsible Government

The Prime Minister and Cabinet, however, are not completely free to govern the country as they wish. Rather, they are responsible to Canadian voters indirectly through a process called "responsible government." Under this process, the Prime Minister and Cabinet can only govern so long as they the support of the majority of Members of Parliament (or "MPs") in the nationally elected legislature, which is called the House of Commons. These MPs, in turn, are responsible to the voters during general elections – voters may decide to re-elect their incumbent MP or vote for a new representative. It is through their democratically elected MPs, then, that the government in Canada is responsible to, and held accountable by, the Canadian people.

For more on information on responsible government in Canada:

Mapleleafweb: Practice of Responsible Government

Political Parties and Government

What does all of this have to do with coalition governments? The answer lies with the relationship between responsible government and another key political concept - political parties. Most MPs in the House of Commons belong to a particular political party, for example, the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, or the New Democratic Party. Membership in a political party is not mandatory. Over time, however, political parties have developed in such a way as to become essential to persons desiring a successful political career. Moreover, political parties exert an incredible amount of control over their MPs in the House. This is due in large part to a practice called “party discipline,” in which the leadership of a political party will use certain tactics, such as the threat of demotion within the party hierarchy, to ensure that MPs ”toe the party line.”

Political parties thus play an important role in the process of forming and maintaining governments; the political party with the most MPs elected to the House usually forms the government, and the leader of that party usually becomes the Prime Minister. Why is this the case? Remember, under Canada's system of responsible government, the Prime Minister and Cabinet must have the support the majority of MPs in the House of Commons. As such, the leader of political party with the most MPs in the House generally has the best chance of gaining this majority support. S/he can use party discipline to ensure the greatest amount of votes in the legislature.

Majority & Minority Governments

In most cases in Canada’s parliamentary history, a single political party has had more than half of all the MPs in the House of Commons. This is called a majority government because the governing political party has a “clear majority” in the House. Majority governments are usually very stable: since more than half of the MPs in the House belong to the same political party as the Prime Minister, s/he can simply use party discipline to ensure that the government always has majority support in the legislature.

In some cases, however, no single political party has a clear majority of MPs in the House. The political party with the most MPs, nevertheless, may decide to form the government on its own. This is called a minority government because the governing political party only has a “minority” of MPs in the legislature. A minority government governs much differently than majority ones: because it does not have a clear majority in the House, the government cannot simply use party discipline to guarantee support in the legislature. Instead, it must negotiate with opposition parties to gain their support for government legislation. This is usually done on a legislation-by-legislation basis. The government may, for example, strike a deal with one opposition party to gain the support it needs for one piece of legislation, and then negotiate with a different political party on another piece of legislation.

For more information on minority governments:

Mapleleafweb: Minority Government in Canada

Coalition Governments

Coalition governments are different from majority and minority governments in that they involve two or more political parties forming the government together (whereas the other two involve only one political party sitting as government). In coalition governments, members from each coalition party will fill government offices. It may be the case, for example, that the Prime Minister is from one political party, while the Minister of Finance is from another. The coalition parties will work closely together to develop government policy, and their MPs will vote in unison in the House of Commons.

Coalition governments can occur when no single political party has a majority of MPs - two or more parties will form a coalition and together exercise a majority in the House. These types of coalitions, however, should not be confused with minority governments. In the latter case, a single political party forms the government alone and then seeks the support of different opposition parties on a case-by-case basis. In coalition governments, two or more political parties enter into a long-term agreement to form the government together, to the exclusion of all other parties in the legislature.

Moreover, it is important to note that a coalition can be formed even when a single political party has a majority of MPs in the House. It may be the case that the majority party desires complete unity in the legislature, for example, during war or some national crisis, and, as a result, asks other political parties to join it in government.

Types of Coalition Governments in Canada

Why are coalition governments formed?

Coalitions to Form Government

Coalition governments, be it in Canada or in other parliamentary democracies, are formed for several different reasons. One sort of coalition government occurs in parliamentary systems when no single party holds a majority of seats in the national legislature. Instead of forming a minority government, two or more political parties enter into a formal agreement to form the government together. In most cases, such coalition governments will involve a major political party entering into a coalition with a minor party, or several minor parties, to gain the few seats it needs to enjoy a majority in the legislature. Such coalitions are often very unequal, with the larger, dominant coalition partner holding the majority of key government positions and exerting greater influence on government policy.

Why would a major political party in this situation prefer to form a coalition government instead of governing with a minority? Such decisions depend, in large part, on the make-up of the legislature following an election. If the major political party is only a few seats shy of a majority in the legislature, and there is a smaller potential coalition partner that holds a similar ideology and enough seats to make up the difference, then a coalition government may make more sense than a minority one. The major political party gets the benefit of playing the dominant role in a stable government, with a like-minded – but weaker – partner. The smaller party, in return, gets to participate directly in government decision-making to a greater extent than may have otherwise been the case.

Coalition governments are very common in countries that have long traditions with a proportional representation electoral system. This type of electoral system can often produce a fractured legislature in which no single political party has a majority of seats. In Germany, for example, the two major political parties, the Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), have rarely been able to form majority governments. During the 1980s and 1990s, the CDU governed in a coalition with the smaller Free Democratic Party. Then, from 1998-2005, the SPD formed a coalition government with the smaller German Green Party.

Coalitions in National Crises

Coalition governments are also, on occasion, formed when a single party has a clear majority in the legislature. This type of coalition usually occurs as the result of a national crisis or emergency, such as war or widespread civil unrest, which requires difficult and potentially divisive political decisions. The governing party will seek complete unity in the legislature in dealing with the crisis by inviting opposition parties into government through a coalition. Members of the former opposition parties will take up key government positions and participate in government decision-making.

The purpose of this type of coalition government is quite different from those formed under minority situations. The objective here is not to secure enough seats to form the government; the governing party already possesses a majority in the legislature. Rather, the objective is to organize the legislature in such a way that it can deal with a national crisis in an effective and unified manner. By bringing all parties into government, partisan politics is temporarily removed from the legislative process, and responsibility for difficult policy decisions is spread amongst most or all of the political parties in the legislature.

Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden’s government during World War I serves as an example of this sort of coalition. The governing Conservative Prime Minister invited Liberal and independent members of Parliament to join his government to present a united front on the divisive issue of conscription.

Canadian Coalition Governments in History

Important coalition governments in Canadian history.

The Great Coalition (1864-1867)

Prior to Confederation, several coalition governments ruled throughout the Canadian colonies. One of the more important of these was the Great Coalition of 1864-67, which was formed in the Province of Canada. This was a large coalition involving most political parties in the Colony’s legislature at the time. It was formed in order to overcome legislative deadlock that had plagued the Colony for several decades, and eventually led the Colony into Confederation.

At that time, the Province of Canada consisted of Canada West (present day Ontario) and Canada East (present day Quebec), and was heavily divided along linguistic, religious, and ethnic lines. English-speaking Protestants, with strong ties to the British Empire, dominated Canada West. In contrast, Canada East was a former colony of France, and was predominately French-speaking and Catholic.

When the British formed the Province of Canada under the Act of Union, 1840, it gave the Colony a “unitary” parliamentary government in which there was only one level of government with a single legislative assembly. Moreover, the British instituted a double majority rule to govern the operation of the Colony’s assembly. Most parliamentary systems operate under a simple majority rule whereby the government only needs the support of a majority of all members of the assembly to pass legislation. Under the double majority rule, however, the Canadian colonial government needed two majorities. It had to gain the support of the majority of assembly members from Canada West, as well as the majority of members from Canada East.

The intent of this rule was to give each part of the Colony a veto on government legislation. At any time assembly members from either Canada West or Canada East could pool their votes together and defeat any piece of government legislation that they felt was against their interests. The effect of the rule, however, was legislative deadlock and the continual defeat of governments. The Colony’s linguistic and religious divisions resulted in assembly members from one part of the Colony constantly pooling their votes to block the legislative proposals of the other side.

In 1864, a consensus was reached in the Colony’s assembly to create a coalition government to reform the political system and end the legislative deadlock. This coalition government, commonly referred to as the “Great Coalition,” included the Conservative Party, the Clear Grits of Canada West, and the Parti Bleu of Canada East. John A. Macdonald, the leader of the Conservative Party, and Étienne-Paschal Taché became joint heads of the government. The only party not to join the Great Coalition was the Parti Rouge of Canada East.

One of the most important outcomes of the Great Coalition was Confederation, which led to the creation of the Dominion of Canada. The Great Coalition saw confederation with the Maritime colonies as a means of reforming the politics of the Province of Canada and of ending its legislative deadlock. With Confederation, the colony would be dissolved and Canada West and Canada East would become separate provinces, each with their own provincial legislatures and jurisdictions. In 1864, representatives from the Great Coalition proposed the idea of confederation to the Maritime colonies. Three years later the new Dominion of Canada was proclaimed. The Coalition Government was disbanded immediately when Confederation was realized.

For more information on the Great Coalition:
Library and Archives Canada: The Great Coalition
Marianopolis College: The Great Coalition Government

The Union Government (1917-20)

Since Confederation there has only been one coalition government in Canada’s history: the Union Government of World War I. This was a coalition between the Conservative Party, led by Robert Borden, and Liberals and independents. The coalition was formed in order to broaden support for the Borden government and its controversial conscription policy.

In 1917, Prime Minister Borden announced that his government was going to introduce conscription to increase troops for the war in Europe. This policy was strongly opposed by many groups in Canada, in particular, French Canadians in Quebec and rural farmers. These groups resented being forced to participate in a British foreign war.

Prime Minister Borden hoped that a coalition government consisting of Conservatives and Liberals would help overcome these growing divisions within the country on this issue. Wilfrid Laurier, then leader of the Liberal Party, was opposed to conscription; he refused to lead his party into a coalition with the Conservatives. Many English-speaking Liberals, however, disagreed with their leader and left the party to join Borden in a coalition commonly referred to as the “Union Government.” Ultimately, the Union Government was successful in wining the general election of 1917 and eventually pushing conscription through Parliament.

With the end of the war in 1918, the primary raison d’être for the Union Government ceased to exist and the coalition began to break apart. Many former Liberals returned to their original political party, and the coalition dissolved completely with Prime Minister Borden’s retirement in 1920.

For more information on the Union Coalition Government:

Links to Further Information on Coalition Governments

Find more information on coalition governments.

Federal Politics

Parliamentary Press Gallery in Canada

Legislatures, Press Galleries & Media Coverage of Politics in Canada

From Exclusive & Partisan to Open & Impartial

Benefits & Oversight of Press Gallery Membership

The Complicated Relationship between Canadian Politicians & Press Gallery

List of Article Sources & Links on the Press Gallery, Media & Politics

What is the Parliamentary Press Gallery?

Press Galleries & Canada’s Legislatures

Parliamentary Press Gallery & the Federal Parliament

Parliamentary Press Gallery as an Association

Changes in Parliamentary Press Gallery Reporting

Early Parliamentary Press Gallery Reporting

Modern Changes to the Parliamentary Press Gallery

Parliamentary Press Gallery Membership

Benefits of Press Gallery Membership

Press Gallery Membership & the Speaker of the House

Politicians & Press Gallery: Interdependence & Conflict

Sources & Links to Further Information

Sources Used for this Article

Book & Periodical Sources

Electronic Sources

Links for More Information

Coalition Governments in Canada

What are coalition governments?

Why are coalition governments formed?

Important coalition governments in Canadian history.

Find more information on coalition governments.

Introduction to Coalition Government in Canada

Prime Minister and Cabinet as Government

Notion of Responsible Government

Political Parties and Government

Majority & Minority Governments

Coalition Governments

Types of Coalition Governments in Canada

Coalitions to Form Government

Coalitions in National Crises

Canadian Coalition Governments in History

The Great Coalition (1864-1867)

The Union Government (1917-20)

Links to Further Information on Coalition Governments

Mapleleafweb Links

Other Links