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Our great country, the true north. Canada began its confederacy back in 1867, and federalism was a much smaller operation then. At the time of confederacy there were just four provinces stretching from Ontario to Nova Scotia. The Conservatives, led by Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, made up the first government of Canada. Since
confederation our two-party system has seen either the Conservatives (in some form) or the Liberals (once called the Clear Grits) in power.
Today, there lies 9,997,010 square kilometers of land within Canada, divided into ten provinces and three territories. Federalism is a much larger and trickier operation now; this vast and diverse land is represented by no more than 308 seats in the House of Commons. Currently Stephen Harper's Conservatives are enjoying a long stretch of minority power, with Michael Ignatieff's Liberals as the Official Opposition. Canada also has a healthy range of third parties that do their share of landscaping in Canadian politics. Currently, Gilles Duceppe's Bloc Quebecois hold the third most seats in the House, followed by Jack Layton's New Democratic Party. Elizabeth May's Green Party has recently secured federal funding and are quickly gaining relevance. Of course, the current players in Ottawa could change as early as this spring. Stay tuned... |
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