PowerPoint 4: Political Parties

Political Beliefs People develop different opinions about society and how things should be run in their community, province and/or country. A political ideology is a group of shared beliefs or principles about how society and government should work.

What do YOU believe? Do you agree or disagree with the following statements? The government should be small and provide fewer services so we do not have to pay a lot in taxes. Companies that pollute our air and water should suffer consequences. Tradition is a more important than change in our society. We should give more money and aid to poorer countries. 3

What is a political party? A political party is an organized group of people who share similar political beliefs and goals. Parties are made up of ‘members’ from the public. Party members work together to achieve power through an election and try to accomplish their goals. Each party also selects a leader, usually through a leadership contest.

Manitoba Political Parties There are 5 registered political parties in Manitoba: Communist Party of Canada – Manitoba Green Party of Manitoba Manitoba Liberal Party New Democratic Party of Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba

Manitoba Political Parties

What is a party platform? A party platform explains the party’s ideas to deal with major issues and how to make improvements. While all political parties may agree that education is important, they may have different ideas about how to improve the system and the steps that should be taken. During elections, parties share their platform through announcements, advertising and events, and try to attract support from voters.

How does a party form government? The party that elects the most number of representatives or wins the most seats usually forms government. At the provincial level, the leader of the party that forms government becomes the premier. After the 2011 provincial election, the NDP formed government because they had won 37 out of 57 legislative seats.

2011 Provincial Election Results Political Party Candidates Elected Popular Vote New Democratic Party of Manitoba 37 45.94% Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba 19 43.51% Manitoba Liberal Party 1 7.48% Green Party of Manitoba 2.51% Communist Party of Canada - Manitoba 0.04% Independents 0.05% Source: Elections Manitoba 9

2011 Provincial Student Vote Results Political Party Candidates Elected Popular Vote New Democratic Party of Manitoba 36 44.70% Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba 16 33.36% Manitoba Liberal Party 13.36% Green Party of Manitoba 1 7.94% Communist Party of Canada - Manitoba 0.54% Independents 0.09% 10

Final Thoughts Why are political parties important? Would you ever join a political party? Which political party do you like the most and why?