Analysis
The abundance of issues discussed during the election can be overwhelming for an average voter. Some believe that there is no significant difference between the stands of the major federal political parties. Canadian government encounters this problem as well. The choice between the three major Canadian political forces: the Conservative party of Canada, the Liberal party of Canada, and, finally, the New Democratic Party, is often perceived as inconsequential. However, while these three parties share some similar policies, there are many differences in the parties’ ideologies and strategies.
According to Bickerton and Gagnon (2014), one can find many similarities in the parties’ ideologies. First of all, the three political movements share a similar intention to provide more jobs to Canadian citizens. This similarity in strategies focuses on the youth of Canada, promising to assist young Canadians in their employment (Quadri, 2015). The topic of family and medical care is also treated similarly by the parties because they agree that it is important to maintain and expand health care benefits for people of all ages (Quadri, 2015).
The differences between the parties may be perceived as substantial or unnoticeable depending on the person’s views. For example, according to Johnson (2016), the Conservative party stresses the importance of provinces’ leadership on the matters of health and education policies. The Democrats and the NDP, on the other hand, believe in the joined efforts of the provinces to achieve an agreement on the policies. The Conservatives are also historically more inclined to value traditions, while the New Democratic and Liberal parties attempt to move away from traditional values (Quadri, 2015).
Conclusion
All in all, there are many differences between the ideologies of the three major political forces in Canada. While the parties share some similar policy preferences, they find different points of view on most of the issues. It is important for every citizen to learn about the main topics of discussion to evaluate his or her political stance.
References
Bickerton, J., & Gagnon, A. G. (Eds.). (2014). Canadian politics (6th ed.). Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
Johnson, D. (2016). Thinking government: Public administration and politics in Canada (4th ed.). Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
Quadri, O. (2015). Platform comparison: Where the parties stand on the top campaign issues. The Globe and Mail.