Lesson 4: Political Parties

What is a political ideology? A political ideology is a set of shared ideas or beliefs about how politics and government should work. Common ideologies include liberalism, conservatism, and socialism. Others include communism and fascism.

What is the political spectrum? The political spectrum characterizes beliefs, values and priorities, and provides a framework in which to view and evaluate political parties and policies. A linear spectrum is represented as a horizontal line, with parties on the left embracing change, bigger government and more services, and parties on the right usually favouring tradition, small government and lower taxes.

Political Spectrum Questions Do you agree or disagree with the following? Should the minimum wage be increased or decreased? Should the government spend more or less on our armed forces? Should wealthier people pay more or less taxes?

What is a political party? A political party is a group of like-minded individuals with a shared vision and political ideology. Anyone above the required age can be a member of a political party — for most parties the age is 14. Party members work together to achieve power through an election and create meaningful political change. Each party also selects a leader, usually through a leadership contest or vote.

Alberta Political Parties There are 9 political parties Alberta. –Alberta First Party –Alberta Liberal Party –Alberta New Democratic Party –Alberta Party –Alberta Social Credit Party –Communist Party - Alberta –Green Party of Alberta –Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta –Wildrose Party

Alberta Political Parties

What is a party platform? A series of declared principles and policies on jurisdictional issues concerning government and the public. While all the political parties may agree that education is a priority, they may have different ideas about how to improve the system or which aspects to focus on. Political parties announce their platform through announcements, advertising and events, and share their ideas 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 2012 provincial election, the Progressive Conservatives formed government because they had 61 out of 87 legislative seats.

2012 Provincial Election Results Political PartyCandidates Elected Popular Vote Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta % Wildrose Party % Alberta Liberal Party59.89% Alberta New Democratic Party49.82% Alberta Party01.33% Evergreen Party of Alberta00.39% Alberta Social Credit Party00.02% Communist Party – Alberta00.01% The Separation Party of Alberta00.01% Independent candidates00.27%

2012 Provincial Student Vote Results Political PartyCandidates Elected Popular Vote Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta % Wildrose Party % Alberta Liberal Party518.06% Alberta New Democratic Party412.97% Alberta Party12.78% Evergreen Party of Alberta02.28% Alberta Social Credit Party00.05% Communist Party – Alberta00.14% The Separation Party of Alberta00.05% Independent candidates00.89%

Final Thoughts Why are political parties important? What advantages and disadvantages are there to running for a party compared to running as an independent? Would you ever join a political party? Why or why not?