List of federal political parties in Canada
In contrast with the political party systems of many nations, Canadian political parties at the federal level are often only loosely connected with parties at the provincial level, despite having similar names. One exception is the New Democratic Party, which is organizationally integrated with most of its provincial counterparts including a shared membership.
Contents
Current parties
These are all of the political parties registered with Elections Canada as of October 2015[update].[1]
| Name | Founded | Ideology | Leader | MPs | Most MPs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Party of Canada Parti libéral du Canada |
1867 | liberalism | Justin Trudeau | 184 | 179 / 245 (1940) |
|
| Conservative Party of Canada (II) Parti conservateur du Canada |
2003 | conservatism, economic liberalism | Rona Ambrose (Interim) | 99 | 166 / 308 (2011) |
|
| New Democratic Party Nouveau Parti démocratique |
1961 | social democracy | Thomas Mulcair | 44 | 103 / 308 (2011) |
|
| Bloc Québécois | 1991 | Quebec sovereignty, social democracy | Rheal Fortin (Interim) | 10 | 54 / 295 (1993) |
|
| Green Party of Canada Le Parti vert du Canada |
1983 | Green politics | Elizabeth May | 1 | 2 / 308 (2013) |
|
| Alliance of the North Alliance du Nord |
2015 | social conservatism | François Bélanger | 0 | ||
| Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada | 2005 | environmentalism, animal rights | Liz White | 0 | ||
| The Bridge Party of Canada Parti pour nouer des liens entre Canadiens |
2015 | non-partisan | David Berlin | 0 | ||
| Canada Party (II) Parti Canada |
2015 | Jim Pankiw | 0 | |||
| Canadian Action Party Parti action canadienne |
1997 | populism, anti-globalization | Jeremy E. Arney | 0 | ||
| Christian Heritage Party of Canada Parti de l'Héritage Chrétien du Canada |
1986 | social conservative, Christian right | Rodney L. Taylor | 0 | ||
| Communist Party of Canada Parti communiste du Canada |
1921 | communism | Liz Rowley | 0 | 3 / 245 (1945)[2] |
|
| Democratic Advancement Party of Canada Parti pour l'Avancement de la Démocratie au Canada |
2014 | Stephen J. Garvey | 0 | |||
| Libertarian Party of Canada Parti Libertarien du Canada |
1973 | libertarianism | Tim Moen | 0 | ||
| Marxist–Leninist Party of Canada Parti Marxiste–Léniniste du Canada |
1970 | Marxism–Leninism | Anna Di Carlo | 0 | ||
| Marijuana Party Parti Marijuana |
2000 | cannabis | Blair Longley | 0 | ||
| Party for Accountability, Competency and Transparency Parti pour la Responsabilisation, la Compétence et la Transparence |
2010 | direct democracy | Michael Nicula | 0 | ||
| Pirate Party of Canada Parti Pirate du Canada |
2009 | copyright law reform | Roderick Lim | 0 | ||
| Progressive Canadian Party Parti Progressiste Canadien |
2004 | Red toryism | Sinclair Stevens | 0 | ||
| Rhinoceros Party (II) Parti Rhinocéros |
2006 | satirical party | Sébastien Corriveau | 0 | ||
| Seniors Party of Canada Parti des aînés du Canada |
2014 | Margaret Fairbairn | 0 | |||
| Strength in Democracy Forces et Démocratie |
2014 | social democracy, regionalism | Jean-François Fortin | 0 | 2 / 308 (2014) |
|
| United Party of Canada Parti Uni du Canada |
2009 | centrism | Bob Kesic | 0 |
Past names of current parties
The second Conservative Party of Canada was a merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party. The Progressive Conservative Party was, in turn, a renaming of the first Conservative Party of Canada.
During Robert Borden's coalition government of 1917-1920, the Liberal Party of Canada split into two groups: the Liberal–Unionist who supported the coalition and the Laurier Liberals who opposed it.
The Communist Party of Canada changed its name multiple times in its history. It was founded as the Communist Party of Canada in 1921. From 1938 until 1943 its candidates ran under the banner Unity or United Progressive. In 1943 it adopted the name Labor-Progressive Party. It won one seat under this name in 1945. In 1959 it reverted to the name Communist Party of Canada and has kept that name to the present.
The Marxist–Leninist Party of Canada unofficially uses the name "Communist Party of Canada (Marxist–Leninist)", but Elections Canada does not allow it to be registered by that name because of potential confusion with the Communist Party of Canada.
The first Rhinoceros Party disbanded in 1993. When it was revived in 2006 it used the name "neorhino.ca". The party changed its name to Rhinoceros Party in 2010.
The Party for Accountability, Competency and Transparency was originally called the Online Party of Canada.
Historical parties
Past names of historical parties
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation used the name New Party from 1958-1961 while it was transitioning to become the New Democratic Party. In French, the party used a literal translation of its name, Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, from until 1955.
The Conservative Party used several different names during its existence:
- Liberal-Conservative Party (some MPs until 1911),
- Unionist Party (1917-1921),
- National Liberal and Conservative Party (1920-1921),
- National Government (1940),
- Progressive Conservative Party (1942-2003)
Labour Party candidates ran under numerous different designations:
- Conservative-Labour (1872-1875)
- Farmer Labour
- Farmer-United Labour
- Labour-Farmer
- Liberal-Labour (1926-1968)
- National Labour (1940)
- United Farmers-Labour (1920)
- United Farmers of Ontario-Labour (1919-1940)
Some Liberal-Progressive candidates used the designations:
- Liberal-Labour-Progressive or
- National Liberal Progressive.
Some candidates for the Progressive Party of Canada used United Farmer designations:
- Farmer (1925 & 1930),
- United Farmers of Canada,
- United Farmers of Alberta, or
- United Farmers of Ontario.
Some Ralliement créditiste used the name Ralliement des créditistes from 1963 to 1967. One candidate used the designation Candidats des électeurs in 1957 and 1958.
In the 1940 election, 17 candidates ran jointly with the Social Credit Party under the name New Democracy.
Other designations
Designations used by single candidates
- All Canadian Party (John Darby Naismith), 1962-1962
- Anti-Communist (I) (Jean Tissot), 1935
- Anti-Communist (II) (Patrick Walsh), 1953
- Anti-Conscriptionist (Louis-Gérard Gosselin), 1940
- Autonomist candidate (Paul Massé), 1947
- Canadian Democrat (Gerry Goeujon), 1957
- Capital familial (Henri-Georges Grenier), 1957-1962
- Christian Democrat Party of Canada (Sydney Thompson), 1981
- Christian Liberal (Howard A. Prentice), 1953
- Co-operative Builders of Canada (Edgar-Bernard Charron), 1962
- Droit vital personnel (Henri-Georges Grenier), 1965
- Esprit Social (Henri-Georges Grenier), 1967-1971
- Franc Lib (I) (Alfred Edward Watts), 1930
- Franc Lib (II) (Jean-Roger Marcotte), 1968
- League for Socialist Action, 1961-1977
- Liberal Conservative Coalition (George Rolland), 1957
- Locataire (Louis Seigneur), 1953
- National Credit Control (John Bernard Ball), 1957
- National Socialist (Martin K. Weiche), 1968
- National-Unity (Robert Rae Manville), 1940
- Nationalist Liberal (Fleming Blanchard McCurdy), 1920 — McCurdy won a by-election under the Nationalist Liberal designation, but sat with the National Liberal and Conservative Party causcus
- Nationalist Party of Canada (Bob Smith), founded 1977
- New Canada Party (Fred Reiner), 1968
- Parti humain familial (Henri-Georges Grenier), 1964
- Parti national social chrétien (Robert Rae Manville), 1934-1940
- Parti ouvrier canadien (Jean-Jacques Rouleau), 1958
- Progressive Workers Movement (Jerry Le Bourdais), 1965
- Prohibition Party (Edwin Clarke Appleby), 1930
- Protectionist (Joseph-Édouard Moranville), 1926
- Social Credit-National Unity (Harry Watson Arnold), 1940
- Technocrat (Joseph McCrae Newman), 1935
- Trades Union (Nigel Morgan), 1945
- Verdun (Hervé Ferland), 1935
- Veterans Party (Alloys Reginald Sprenger), 1935
Unofficial designations
The following parties do not appear on the federal election archive.[8] They either did not run candidates in any election or ran candidates as independents.
- Aboriginal Peoples Party of Canada (founded in 2005)
- Absolutely Absurd Party (founded in 2003)
- United Canadian Socialist Party (being launched in 2016)
- Action Canada (founded in 1971)
- Canadian Clean Start Party (founded in 2000)
- Canadian Democratic Movement (founded in 2000)
- Canadian Labour Party, 1917-1929
- Canadian Party for Renewal, 1993
- Canadian Union of Fascists, 1930s
- Christian Credit Party, 1982-1983
- Christian Freedom Party of Canada, c. 1988-c. 1996 (an extension of the Social Credit Party)
- Freedom Party of Canada, founded 2001
- Forward Canada Party, 1997
- Ginger Group 1924-1932
- Grey Party of Canada (founded in 2002)
- Movement for an Independent Socialist Canada, 1974
- National Alternative Party (founded in 2002)
- National Party of Canada (I), 1979-1980s
- New Constitution Party of Canada (an unregistered party founded in 2015)
- North American Labour Party, 1970s
- National Unity Party, 1938-1949
- Parti Populaire des Putes (founded in 2000)
- People's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation 1945
- Ontario Party of Canada (founded in 2002)
- Option Canada (founded in 1991)
- Patriot Party of Canada (founded in 2001)
- Rest of Canada Party (founded in 2002)
- Revolutionary Workers League, 1977-1989
- Revolutionary Workers Party, 1945-1953
- Sex Party, 2005-2012
- Social Democratic Party of Canada, 1911-1920
- Unity Party of Canada (founded in 2001)
- Western Canada Concept (founded in 1980)
- Western Independence Party (founded in 1987)
- Workers' Communist Party of Canada, 1972-1980
Pre-confederation political parties
- Reform Party (pre-Confederation)
See also
References
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- ↑ http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/FederalRidingsHistory/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=C
