The Liberal party of Canada is a major Political party of the federal scene to the Canada. It currently forms the Official opposition with the House of Commons of Canada following its defeat by the Conservative party of Canada at the time of the Canadian federal election of 2006; it formed a Minority government previously, directed by the Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Certain people called the controlling Liberal party “party the natural of Canada” (Natural Governing Party) because it was with the capacity in Canada for the major part of the last century. It is one of the two only parties which directed Canada since the Canadian Confédération, the other being the Parti progressist-conservative (and its various preceding incarnations). All chiefs of the Liberal party since his creation (of which all those of the 20th century) became Prime Minister, except for Edward Blake. It is also to note that the majority of the liberal chiefs were member of the Cabinet of their predecessor. For example, the former chief Paul Martin was in the Cabinet of Jean Chrétien, which was in the Cabinet of Pierre Trudeau, from which also John Turner is resulting.

The March 19th 2006, the Liberal party of Canada engaged a process to choose a chief after the resignation of Paul Martin. After a long campaign, it is finally Stephan Dion which is elected chief of the party at the time of the congress of nomination on December 2nd, 2006 and which will carry out the party at the time of the next general election.

History

Origins

The liberals are descendants of the reformists of the 19th century who exigaient the responsible Gouvernement through British North America. They included George Brown, Robert Baldwin, William Lyon Mackenzie and the " Clear Grits" in the High-Canada, like Joseph Howe in Nova Scotia Patriotic, and and red in the Low-Canada directed by people like Louis-Joseph Papineau.

See also: Rebellion of the Patriots

Confederation

At the time of the confederation of the old British colonies of Canada (maintaining the Ontario, the Quebec, the New Brunswick and the Nova Scotia), the radical liberals were marginalized by the preserving coalition of John A. Macdonald, more pragmatic. In the thirty years following the confederation, the Liberal party was relegated in the opposition, except one only mandate to the capacity, in 1873. Alexander Mackenzie was able to demolish the MacDonald government thanks to the Scandale of the Pacific. MacKenzie gained the election of 1874 but was then demolishes by Macdonald at the time of the following election in 1878.

The era of Wilfrid Bay-tree

In their beginnings, the liberals were the party of the continentalism (Libre-échange with the the United States) and were in opposition to the British Impérialisme. The liberals were also identified with the aspirations of the Quebec with the growing hostility of the French Canadian towards the preserving . At the end of the 19th century, and at the beginning of the 20th century, the Conservative party alienated its French-speaking support mainly because of three events: the hanging of Louis Riel, suppression of the rights of the out-Quebec French-speaking people and the crisis of the conscription of 1917.

It was with the émergeance of Wilfrid Laurier as chief of the Party that the liberals really became a modern political party. Bay-tree was able to capitalize on the alienation of the conservatives to the French Canada by presenting the Liberal party like an credible alternative. It succeeds in overcoming at that time the reputation anti-cléricaliste party which offended the Catholic church, always powerful in Quebec. With the English Canada, the position of the Libre-échange of the Liberal party made it popular near the farmers and allowed an important support in the meadows in full expansion.

Bay-tree led the liberals to the capacity in the federal election of 1896 and was given like priority to colonize the Western Canadian. The government of Wilfrid Laurier created the provinces of the Saskatchewan and the Alberta starting from the Territoires of the North-West, and encouraged the development of Canadian industry. The Liberal party was demolishes at the time of the election of 1911 because of the opposition to the liberal policies on the reciprocity (free trade) and creation of a Canadian navy.

The crisis of the conscription divided the party at the time, because several liberals of English Canada supported the unionistic government of Robert Laird Borden. Many liberal candidates presented themselves to the elections as unionistic, or liberal-unionistic with the support of the provincial liberal parties in several provinces; the liberals of Bay-tree were reduced to a tail almost entirely Québécois. In the long run, this fragmentation carried benefit to the liberal party, which could count on the French-speaking vote during several decades. The conservative party was thus virtually striped electoral map in Quebec during almost a century.

Canadian sovereignty

Under Bay-tree and its sucessor, William Lyon Mackenzie King, the liberals made the promotion of Canadian sovereignty and a greater independence within the framework of the British Empire. In the imperial conferences held during the years 1920, the liberal governments ensured themselves to convince that the the United Kingdom and the dominions should have an equal statute. They also decided against a imperial Parlement , which would have like objective to decrease Canadian independence. After the Affaire King-Byng in 1926, the Liberal party argued that the General governor of Canada should not be named any more with the recommendation of the British Crown. The imperial conferences will give the Statut of Westminster, one year after the defeat of the liberals to the federal elections.

The liberals as introduced the idea as Canada was to have its own foreign politics and of national defense. Initially, it is the United Kingdom which decided foreign affairs for the dominion. In 1905, Laurier created the Département of the foreign affairs, and in 1909 it named the first secretary of foreign affairs in the Cabinet. It was also Laurier which proposed the creation of a Canadian navy, in 1910. Mackenzie King named Vincent Massey like first Canadian Ambassadeur in Washington, in 1926. This act proved that Canada preferred to have direct relationships with the the United States, instead of letting the the United Kingdom act for Canada.

Liberals and the Welfare state

During a certain time before the Second world war, the party was a champion of the policies progressists. The liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King introduced several measurements which created the Canadian État-providence. King founded a maternal allowance, a monthly payment with all the mothers who have young children. When it was in coalition with J.S. Woodsworth and the seats of the party Co-operative the Commonwealth Federation, King also introduced the old-age pensions. Later, Lester B. Pearson introduced the universal access to the health care, the plan of insurance reprocesses Canadian, the loans with the students and the plan of Canadian assistance (which contributed to the provincial social programs).

The Trudeau era

Under Pierre Trudeau, the mission of the Liberal party was adjusted in order to create a company right . On the other hand, the recent attacks against the party are related to the fact that the liberals " make countryside on the left and control " on the right;.

The trudeauists became the champions of the official bilingualism, by creating the Loi on the official languages , which gave to the French and the English a statute equal to Canada. Trudeau hoped that the promotion of bilingualism would satisfy Quebec as for its place in the Canadian Confédération and would help the cause of the Canadian Fédéralisme. This policy especially aimed at transforming the government of Canada so that it can communicate effectively as much with the english-speaking that the French Canadian, making it possible any Canadian to obtain services in its language where which it lives with the country. Although this policy did not succeed perfectly, official bilingualism helped to slow down the decline of the French language except Quebec, and as ensured as all the services of the federal government are available in the two official languages. For example, the Company Radio-Canada and CBC (which belong to the government) make sure that the services of radio and television are available in English and French everywhere in the country. In Quebec, it is mainly law 101 of 1977 of the government of Rene Lévesque who reinforced the French language, returning it single official language of the province on all the levels.

The trudeauists are also responsible for the support with the official Multiculturalisme, especially as a means of integrating the immigrants into the Canadian company without them having to give up their culture of origin. The result of this policy made it possible the Liberal party to reconcile many supports coming from the immigrant communities through the country.

The effect more dominating of the Trudeau years was undoubtedly the repatriation of the Canadian Constitution and the creation of the Canadian Charte of the rights and freedoms. Trudeau supported the concept of a central government and strong, and lengthily fought against the Québécois souverainism, other forms of Québécois Nationalisme, as well as the recognition of Quebec like a distinct Société.

After-Trudeau and years with the opposition

After the retirement of Trudeau in 1984, several liberals, like Jean Chrétien or Clyde Wells, continued to adhere to the vision federalism of Trudeau. Other liberals, like John Turner, supported the Accord of the lake Meech and the Accord of Charlottetown which would have recognized that Quebec formed a distinct Société and who would have increased the capacity of the provinces to the detriment of the federal government.

With the new chief, John Turner, the liberals lost the capacity in the election of 1984, and were tiny room to 40 seats in the House of Commons. The liberals carried out a long process of rebuilding.

The election of 1988 was particular since John Turner was savagely opposed to the Accord of free trade canado-American, negotiated by the Prime Minister progressist-conservative Brian Mulroney. In spite of the fact that the Canadians voted mainly for parties being opposed to free trade, the conservatives gained the elections with a majority Gouvernement and gave following free trade.

The era Christian

Turner resigned in 1990 under the pressure of the dissidents of its party dissatisfied with its leadership and was replaced by its principal rival Jean Chrétien, which had been minister under all the liberal governments of 1963 to 1984. Christian made countryside in the election of 1993 on the promise to renegotiate ALENA (Agreement of Nord-Américain free trade), and to replace the Taxe on the products and services (TPS). Just after the release of the elections, the liberals make public the “  Deliver rouge  ”, an exact description of all that the liberals had the intention to make once with the capacity. This was without precedent for a Canadian political party. When Chrétien seized the power, on the other hand, the changes with the ALENA were tiny, and the forever replaced TPS. Christian could capitalize especially on the unpopularity of Brian Mulroney and the blunders of his successeure, Kim Campbell. At the time of this election, the progressist-conservatives were reduced, of their parliamentary majority, with only two seats. It was the election most unbalanced in the history of Canada, like one of the most unbalanced ever recorded in an free election, opened and democratic.

Even if, in its electoral campaigns, the liberals of Jean Chrétien positioned especially towards the political left, their time with the capacity is especially marked by budgetary reductions to rectify the deficit of 40 billion $ left by the conservatives. This policy however proved like a success, since the federal government accumulated budgetary surpluses since 1997.

The vision of the federalism of Christian followed the approach of Trudeau, and he was opposed to major concessions in Quebec and the other provinces. After the federalistic option gained slightly in the Référendum of 1995 in Quebec, the liberals (with Stephan Dion) passed the law on the clearness chief clerk, which defined the federal position on a possible Québécois independence victory.

During his last years with the capacity, Chrétien supported the legislation of the homosexual marriages and the decriminalisation of the detention of minor amounts of marijuana. Christian shocked the the United States when he promised that the Canadian government was not going to support the Americans in the invasion of the Iraq in 2003. In his last days, Chrétien remained very popular near the Canadians, especially because of the fracturing of the opposition parties to the House of Commons.

Recent history

Paul Martin succeeded Jean Chrétien in 2003. In spite of the great well-known competition between the two individuals, Martin was the principal architect of the liberal economic policies as a Minister for Finance of 1993 with 2002. When he became Prime Minister, Paul Martin continued in the same economic policy, but he showed himself more flexible towards the provinces than his predecessor. Martin also concentrated his policies towards the cities and municipalities, whereas Chrétien was rather carried towards regional development.

At the time of the election of June 28th, 2004, the liberals of Paul Martin are take back with the capacity, in spite of a competition much stronger with new the Conservative party of Canada and its chief Stephen Harper. The liberals were tiny room of a majority Gouvernement with a Minority government, partly because of the Scandale of the mixed liability companies. Today, the scandal continues to cause damage with the party; one often allots to this scandal their defeat with the elections of 2006.

Internal battles

The liberals were regarded a long time as an extremely plain party. For example, since Louis the St. Lawrence, each chief/first liberal minister was useful in the Council of Ministers of the preceding chief/first liberal minister. There are for a long time two distinct wings in the party: a federalistic and socially populist wing (represented by Trudeau and Chrétien) and a wing constitutionally more flexible, and more preserving on the tax level (represented by Turner and Martin). However, the arguments between the two wings were generally forgotten very quickly. In contrast, the period ranging between the takeover of Martin and the defeat at the polls of 2006 showed a level without precedent of internal war in the party.

When the liberals were carried to the capacity in 1993, the unit of the party was ensured while placing Martin, demolishes by Chrétien at the time of the race to the direction of the party in 1990, in the crucial role of Minister for Finance. However, Martin would in any event have been ensured of a role the Cabinet as an author of the Red book.

The partisans of Martin dominated the organization of the party, positioning Martin to become the next chief of the party. The two men gave appearance to work very well together for a decade. Division extends however to the summer of 2002 when Chrétien announced that it would remain in station like Prime Minister until in 2004, in order to slow down the ambitions with the direction of Paul Martin, who started with impatienter and whose camp was organized already to seize the power. Account-returned divergent on what occurred exactly during this period. Christian claims that Martin resigned of the Cabinet; Martin affirms on the contrary that it was returned by Chrétien. Martin was replaced at the post of minister of finances by the Deputy Prime Minister John Manley, that several saw like the heir having the preference to Jean Chrétien.

The influence of Martin in the party, and the fact that the surveys stated at the time that Martin was a more popular chief near the public than Chrétien, obliged Chrétien to announce its resignation later in the year, earlier than he had hoped for it. Martin demolished the Minister for the Canadian inheritance easily Sheila Copps with the congress with the direction in November 2003, and in December of this same Martin year formed his government as a Prime Minister. Christian and Martin would have hardly spoken themselves since the summer about 2002.

Although the question of the direction of the party had been solved, in the level inferiors of the party, a true internal war had been declared. The majority of the Ministers for the Christian cabinet of the era trouveaint relegated to the back-bench, and of the ministers such as Copps, John Manley, Allan Rock'n'roll, Gift Boudria, David Anderson, Herb Dhaliwal and Stephan Dion were confined in minor roles in the new Martin Cabinet. Good number of them decided to leave the policy for the private sector.

Certain loyal supporters of the Chrétien camp refused to take their retirement, hoping to remain as deputies of back-bench. Contrary to the preceding elections, however, the outgoing liberals were not ensured of the nomination of their party in their respective districts. In many cases, the allies of Christian were to face opponents who accepted the semi-official support of the Martin camp. For example, the redessinement periodic one of the borders of electoral districts had as a result a battle baited between Copps and Tony Valeri, future leader of the government to the House of Commons, for the nomination in a county.

In 2004, Martin expelled the deputy of Mississauga Carolyn Parrish, old a partisane, after she had said to Martin that he could " to go to the diable" ( go to hell ). Other reasons for its expulsion included/understood several comments with character anti-American. Parrish sat as independent at the House of Commons until dissolution of the Parliament in December 2005, but voted with the liberals on almost all the questions. Frictions also appeared between the liberal caucus with the Senate, mainly named by Chrétien, and the office of the Prime Minister. Martin was also criticized to be more close and to have shown favoritism towards new recruits of the Liberal party (such as Jean Lapierre, Scott Brison, Ujjal Dosanjh, Keith Martin and, more recently, Belinda Stronach) instead of the liberal deputies of long time. In April 2005, David Kilgour, one of the two only liberal deputies albertains, announced that it left the party in order to sit like independent deputy with the Communes, in reaction to the allegations of corruption in the Québécois wing of the PLC which made surface in testimonys with the Commission Gomery. It was followed shortly after by the departure of the liberal deputy Pat O' Brien, which was furious decision of the Prime Minister to accelerate the adoption of the bill on the Homosexual marriage with the House of Commons.

In May 2005, the deputy Belinda Stronach took many people by surprised by making defection of the Conservative party to join the Liberal party. Stronach represented a politically important county in suburbs of Toronto, and some believed that its defection would damage the chances of the Conservative party to attract itself the more liberal voters on the social plan, especially in Ontario. Others expressed doubts as for opportunism since it chooses to change allegiance, noting that it was allowed at the Council of Ministers immediately, and that its departure occurred a few days only before one crucial vote of confidence to the Room.

The partisans of Christian suggested that Martin used the scandal of the mixed liability companies like pretexts to eject liberals of Jean Chrétien like André Ouellet, Alfonso Gagliano and Jean Pelletier, their positions with the government, the head of companies of the Crown, and party. The Chrétien camp claims that the Gomery commission was setting-up to discredit them, and that it was not an investigation right. After the deposit of the first report/ratio, Chrétien decides to carry felt sorry for in federal court against Gomery judge, applicant that this last was skewed against him and that some of its conclusions were not founded on the proof.

Chiefs of the party

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