Lesson 4: Political Parties

What is a political party? A political party is a group of people who have similar beliefs and a shared vision for their province or country. People who belong to a political party are called party members. Party members work together to achieve power through an election, form government and create meaningful political change.

B.C. Political Parties There are 25 registered political parties in British Columbia: Advocational Party, BC First, Marijuana Party, BC NDP, BC Refed, Conservative Party, Excalibur Party, BC Liberal Party, Libertarian, BC Party, Patriot Party, Social Credit Party, Christian Heritage Party (CHP), Communist Party, Green Party, Helping Hand Party, New Wave, People’s Front, The Platinum Party, Progressive Nationalists, BC Reform, Unparty, Western Canada Concept, Work Less Party, Your Political Party (YPP).

What is a party platform? While every political party may agree that education is important, they each have a different opinion about how it should be improved or what to focus on. A party platform outlines the party’s beliefs and policies on the major issues. Parties announce their platform through announcements, advertising and events, to attract support from voters.

How does a party form government? Political parties select individuals (called candidates) to join their team and compete for the job of elected representative (MLA) for their local area. Candidates are responsible for spreading their party’s platform and convincing people to vote for them. The party that elects the most number of representatives usually forms government. At the provincial level, the leader of the party that forms government becomes the premier.

Final Thoughts What have you learned about political parties? Why are political parties important? Would you ever join a political party?