Canada's Political and Governmental System

Canada’s political and governmental systems, while much like our own here in the U.S., is rather different and, of course, has its own unique story and parties that clash for control during debates and elections. Much like our country, Canada’s two main political parties are the Liberals and Conservatives, but more have sprung up over the years, and the country has come up from a two party system to the multi party system it calls its own today.

Canada’s governmental system, as you may already know, is one of democracy. Its early system consisted of two parties, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party. John A. Macdonald led the Conservatives for the first few years after the forming of their first government, but the Liberal party took power after an event known as the Pacific Scandal occurred.

The Pacific Scandal was an unfortunate happening where a man named Sir Hugh Allan had bribed the Conservative party when they were in a time of financial need. They rewarded him with a contract to build a railway, on the condition that he would remove any American hold on the contract- however, he couldn’t meet this requirement, as he had used American money to fund the Conservatives’ campaign in the first place.

After the Liberal party revealed the scandal in April of 1873, Macdonald was forced to resign and the Liberals entered power. However, in 1878, Macdonald returned and headed the Conservative party until his death in 1891. After his death, the Conservative party began to crumble and switched leaders several times, before 1896 when the Liberal party, with Wilfrid Laurier in the chair, once again took the power back.

When the 1920s rolled around, more parties began to form, creating a sort of “two-and-a-half party system....

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...lowing 35 years, the French colonies suddenly expanded, rivalling the populations of its foreign counterparts. Countries continued to push for space, expanding their settlements until Canada’s eventual independence in 1867.

Canada is a country with a rich history and a strong political system. Its history and systems mirror the United States’ in many ways, but Canada is most definitely a country of its own. It was influenced by many different European countries over the years, through colonization and immigration, and the people speaking out through their political parties have shaped the country to become the Canada we know today.

Works Cited

http://mapleleafweb.com/features/political-parties-and-party-system-canada-history-operation-and-issues http://www.canada.ca/aboutgov-ausujetgouv/structure/menu-eng.html http://www.slmc.uottawa.ca/?q=european_colonization