This article is part of or related
to the Liberalism series
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This article gives an overview of liberalism in Canada. It includes a brief history liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ means a reference to another party in that scheme. For inclusion in this scheme it isn't necessary so that parties labeled themselves as a liberal party.
Liberal parties
Introduction
Liberal parties developed in both the Francophone and English speaking parts of Canada and led to the formation of the Liberal Party of Canada. On provincial level separate liberal parties exist, but these are not included here.
In Canada, a "capital-L" liberal refers to the policies and ideas of the Liberal Party of Canada/Parti Libéral du Canada (member LI), the most frequent governing party of Canada for the last century and one of the largest liberal parties around the world. The Quebec Liberal Party (Parti libéral du Québec) combines liberalism with more conservative ideas. Only federal parties are included in the timeline.
Timeline
Canadian Party / Patriot Party / Red Party
- 1806: Liberals in the Francophone part of Canada formed the Canadian Party (Parti canadien)
- 1826: The party is renamed Patriot Party (Parti Patriote) and is led by Louis-Joseph Papineau
- 1848: The party is further reorganised into the Red Party (Parti rouge)
- 1867: The PR merged into the present-day ⇒ Liberal Party of Canada
Reform Party
- 1841: The Upper Canada Reform Party is formed
- 1855: Radical members formed the ⇒ Clear Grits.
- 1867: The Reform Party merged into ⇒ Liberal Party of Canada
Clear Grits / Liberal Party of Canada
- 1855: Radical members of the ⇒ Reform Party formed the Clear Grits
- 1867: The Clear Grits merged with the ⇒ Reform Party, the ⇒ Red Party and provincial liberal parties into the present-day Liberal Party of Canada
Liberalism as an ideology
Historically, Canada has been considered one of the more liberal nations in the world, and certainly one of the most liberal in the Americas. Liberalism in Canada, often noted as "small-l" liberal (to differentiate it from the Liberal Party of Canada) is better compared to European politics than to the more conserative United States. Canada has had a long history of Liberalism, thanks to reformers such as Lester Bowles Pearson, Tommy Douglas, Pierre Trudeau, Joe Clark and Jean Chretien. They have helped transform Canada into a country that generally supports peace over war, and have implemented social reforms such as Universal medicare, gay rights, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, etc., which can be contrasted to the United States which has held back on many of these issues, and is generally considered more of a war-mongering nation, especially under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
Liberal leaders
Liberal thinkers
In the List of thinkers contributing to liberal theory the following Canadian thinkers are included:
Reference
p.m.
See also
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