Liberal party

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Liberal Party of Canada Parti libéral du Canada
Leader	Michael Ignatieff
President	Alfred Apps
Founded	July 1, 1867
Headquarters	81 Metcalfe St, Suite 400 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6M8
Ideology	Liberalism Social liberalism
International affiliation	Liberal International
Official colours	Red
Seats in the House of Commons	77/308
Seats in the Senate	59/105
Website
http://www.liberal.ca

The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada), colloquially known as the Grits, is a major political party in Canada. The party sits between the centre-left and centre of the Canadian political spectrum. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in the Parliament of Canada since the 2006 federal election. The Liberal Party has dominated federal politics for much of Canada's history, holding power for almost 69 years in the 20th century, more than any other party in a developed country.

Michael Ignatieff is the leader of the Liberal Party, elected the party's leader at the May 2009 Liberal leadership convention.

Principles and policies

In the present times, the Liberal party has favoured a variety of policies from both right and left of the political spectrum. When it formed the government from 1993 to 2006, it was a strong champion of balanced budgets, and eliminated the deficit completely from the federal budget in 1995 by reducing spending on social programs or delegating them to the provinces, and promised to replace the GST in the party's famous Red Book. It also legalized same-sex marriage and the use of cannabis for medical purposes, and had proposed complete decriminalization of possession of small amounts of it. The party generally holds liberal views on various other social issues like abortion. In spite of this, a socially conservative wing does exist within the party. For example, when the Civil Marriage Act was passed in 2004 (which legalized same-sex marriage), 32 Liberal MPs voted against the act.^[1]

During the 2006 election the Liberal party's platform included an

• Introduction of a national childcare program
• Immediately cut tax for low income earners by 1 point from 16% to 15%
• Tougher firearm laws, including a ban on handguns and semi-automatic rifles
• Reducing wait times for medical treatments
• Increased support and opportunities for seniors, immigrants and the aboriginal populations
• Increased spending on military
• Additional investment in research and higher education.

In June 2008, the Liberal Party unveiled a new policy based on an ecotax called Green Shift.

Regional Liberal parties

Each province and one territory in Canada has its own Liberal Party, although those of Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia have severed ties with the federal liberals.

Current governments and premiers:

• Ontario Liberal Party, Dalton McGuinty, MPP
• New Brunswick Liberal Association, Shawn Graham, MLA
• Prince Edward Island Liberal Party, Robert Ghiz, MLA

Current official oppositions and leaders:

• Nova Scotia Liberal Party, Stephen McNeil, MLA
• Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador, Yvonne Jones, MHA
• Yukon Liberal Party, Arthur Mitchell, MLA

Third party status and leaders:

• Manitoba Liberal Party, Jon Gerrard, MLA

Not represented provincially and leader:

• Saskatchewan Liberal Party, Ryan Bater

The relationship between the federal and provincial Liberal parties in Canada varies across Canada. In the four largest provinces (BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec) the parties are informally linked to varying degrees. In the case of BC and Quebec, the provincial party severed formal ties with the federal party and tends to maintain neutrality in federal politics. In the 6 other provinces and one territory, the provincial parties are direct organizational affiliates with their federal counterpart.

The Quebec Liberal Party was long affiliated with the federal Liberals since Confederation. In the 1940s, the party's fortunes were aided and hindered by close association with the federal Grits over the issue of conscription, winning the 1939 election but losing in 1944. The provincial party, serving a long spell in opposition, partially due to the conscription fallout, formally severed ties in 1955. Since then, relations have been tense between the federal and provincial parties, as exemplified by Pierre Trudeau and Robert Bourassa's arguments over Quebec nationalism.

Some in the Alberta Liberal Party feel it has suffered as a result of federal Liberal policies unpopular in Western Canada, such as the National Energy Program and official bilingualism. The British Columbia Liberal Party ended its own ties with the federal party in 1987.

The Northwest Territories and Nunavut have non-partisan legislatures. Historically the Northwest Territories had political parties between 1898 and 1905. In 1905 the bulk of the populated parts were formed into the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. the Northwest Territories Liberal Party formed the opposition for two elections before 1905.

Electoral history

* In 1917, some Liberals ran under the Unionist banner, figures only count those who ran as "Laurier Liberals"

* 1949-1968 includes one Liberal-Labour MP who sat with Liberal caucus.

History of leaders

Picture	Name	Term start	Term end	Notes
	George Brown	1861	1867	First Leader (Interim)
	Edward Blake	1869	1870	(Interim)
	Alexander Mackenzie	1873	1880	2nd Prime Minister
	Edward Blake	1880	1887
	Wilfrid Laurier	1887	1919	7th Prime Minister
	William Lyon Mackenzie King	1919	1948	10th Prime Minister
	Louis St. Laurent	1948	1958	12th Prime Minister
	Lester B. Pearson	1958	1968	14th Prime Minister
	Pierre Trudeau	1968	1984	15th Prime MInister
	John Turner	1984	1990	17th Prime Minister
	Herb Gray	1990	1990	(Interim)
	Jean Chrétien	1990	2003	20th Prime Minister
	Paul Martin	2003	2006	21st Prime Minister
	Bill Graham	2006	2006	(Interim)
	Stéphane Dion	2006	2008
	Michael Ignatieff	20081	Present

¹Interim leader from December 10, 2008 until May 2, 2009 when ratified as permanent leader.

See also

• Liberalism
• Liberalism worldwide
• Liberal democracy
• Liberalism in Canada
• List of political parties in Canada
• Official Opposition (Canada)
• Liberal leadership conventions

Further reading

• Wallace, W.S. (1948). "History of the Liberal Party of Canada". The Encyclopedia of Canada. IV. Toronto: University Associates of Canada. pp. 75-76. http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/encyclopedia/HistoryoftheLiberalPartyofCanada-CanadianHistory.htm. 
• McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson. "Liberal Party". The Canadian Encyclopedia. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004670. 

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Liberal Party of Canada

• Liberal Party of Canada (official website)
• Liberal Party of Canada channel at YouTube

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