Political Parties and Elections in Canada - Provinces and Territories -

Les élections et les partis politiques au Canada - Provinces et territoires -

Updated June 10, 2009
Page révisée le 10 juin 2009

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[ Go to Canadian Social Research Links Home Page ]

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Jump directly to a specific jurisdiction: (this link takes you further down on the page you're now reading) Provinces and territories: Newfoundland and Labrador Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia<===Election - June 9, 2009 (see "NEW" below) New Brunswick Québec Ontario Manitoba Saskatchewan Alberta British Columbia Yukon Northwest Territories Nunavut ----------------

NOTE: this page covers only links to provincial and territorial government elections and political parties. For 2008 federal election links, go to http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics_2008_fed_election.htm For 2004 federal election links, go to http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics_2004_fed_election.htm For 2006 federal election links (plus a selection of general political links), go to http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics.htm

June 9, 2009
"Nova Scotia has its first NDP government — and a majority government at that — ending a decade of rule by the Progressive Conservatives, who have been reduced to third-party status."
NOTE:
I guess this is what you call a seminal moment in Nova Scotia --- as of 6:30am on June 10, there are , predictably ranging from "Yayyyyyyyyyyy for the good side!" to "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!".

Related links:

- from

- from

- from

Provincial and Territorial ("P/T")
Election and Political Party Websites

BRITISH COLUMBIA/COLOMBIE-BRITANNIQUE

The British Columbia general election took place on Tuesday, May 12, 2009.

May 13, 2009
B.C. Liberal Leader Gordon Campbell has won an historic third straight term as the province's premier. The results in Tuesday's B.C. election show Campbell's Liberals leading with 45.7 per cent of the popular vote, ahead of Carole James's NDP at 42.2 per cent. (...) By midnight Tuesday, the Liberals were ahead in 47 ridings, having been elected in 45. The NDP led in 38 ridings, with New Democrats declared elected in 34 of those. Six new seats were added to the provincial legislature in Victoria for this election, raising the total number of seats to 85. That means to win a majority, a party needs to elect candidates in at least 43 ridings.
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May 12, 2009
Newly elected Premier Gordon Campbell says he will not disappoint British Columbians during his third term leading the province. "We will not let them down. We will build small business, build jobs and economic opportunities in every corner of this province." The Liberals have won a majority government for a third straight term, beating out the New Democrats. (...) The Liberals were elected or leading in 48 ridings, surpassing the 43 seats needed to form a majority in the 85-seat B.C. legislature. The NDP remain the official provincial opposition; candidates were leading or had won 37 seats.
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Final voting results will not be available until after the conclusion of final count, which will commence on May 25, 2009.
- incl. general election results by party and by candidate, along with results of the referendum on elctoral reform by electoral district (see below)
Source:

- govt. site, includes links to info about parties, candidates, ridings and other election logistics

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- from

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Comment:
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Fool me thrice, WTF?
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The Single Transferable Vote Referendum:

The 2009 referendum on electoral reform was held together with the May 12, 2009 provincial general election. During this referendum, voters were asked which electoral system British Columbia should use to elect members to the Legislative Assembly: the existing electoral system (First-Past-the-Post) or the single transferable vote electoral system (BC-STV) proposed by the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.
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See also:
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British Columbians rejected voting reform for the second time Tuesday night, decisively rejecting the referendum on Single Transferable Vote. Voters were asked whether or not to abandon the First-Past-The-Post voting system, also known as the "winner takes all" method, in favour of proportional representation in the form of the Single-Transferable-Vote, or STV. The referendum required 60 per cent support, and at least 50 per cent support in 51 per cent of ridings, in order to pass. As of 11:00 p.m. local time, fewer than 40 per cent of British Columbians appear to have embraced the reform.
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Related links:

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From :

- blog

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By Charlie Smith
Source:
- "Vancouver's online source for news, arts, entertainment, culture and lifestyle"

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British Columbia Provincial election coverage from Straight.com:

May 1, 2009
[ Author Adrienne Montani is the provincial coordinator of ]
No matter which way you slice it, child poverty in British Columbia has gotten worse under the two terms of Liberal government starting in 2001. The numbers tell the story. B.C.’s child poverty rate has been the highest rate of any province for five consecutive years. The most recent data, from 2006, puts it at 22 percent (before-tax measure), or 16 percent (after-tax measure). And these provincial numbers mask the even higher child poverty rates in various cities and towns and among especially vulnerable populations. Half of the children in families led by single mothers are poor. High poverty rates among aboriginal and new immigrant and refugee families push the numbers up.

See also:

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April 28, 2009
[ Author Rita Chudnovsky is a consultant with the ]

*
April 27, 2009
[ Author Vi-Anne Zirnhelt is the president of ]

Source:

[ - "Vancouver's online source for news, arts, entertainment, culture and lifestyle" ]

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From the :

(PDF - 644K, pages)
Spring 2009, Volume 12, Number 2
April 21, 2009
Inside this pre-election special edition:
BC’s Growing Gap
Vanilla, No Sprinkles: A Review of BC Budget 2009
A Closer Look at Single Transferable Vote
* An STV Primer
* The Case for STV
* The Case Against STV
* Reflections on the Citizens’ Assembly
* STV is Worth Trying
* The Ghost of Elections Past: STV in the 1952 and 1953 BC Elections
Source:

[ ]
[ (CCPA)]

Related links found in the above BC Commentary:

No to BC-STV:

British Columbians for STV:

Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform:

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April 14, 2009
Ministry of Attorney General
VICTORIA – The British Columbia general election has now been called as the Lieutenant Governor has published a proclamation dissolving the 38th parliament of the Legislative Assembly. British Columbia voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 12.

- govt. site, includes links to info about parties, candidates, ridings and other election logistics

The 2009 referendum on electoral reform will be held together with the May 12, 2009 provincial general election. During this referendum, voters will be asked which electoral system British Columbia should use to elect members to the Legislative Assembly: the existing electoral system (First-Past-the-Post) or the single transferable vote electoral system (BC-STV) proposed by the Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform.

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From The Tyee:

- "Political News, Freshly Caught. A Tyee Blog."
- includes blogs on the following topics:
* BC Politics * Federal Politics * Municipal Politics * Election Central * 2010 Olympics * Aboriginal Affairs * Education * Environment * Food + Farming * Health * Housing * Labour + Industry * Media * Rights + Justice * transportation

By Crawford Kilian
April 18, 2009
Never before has a B.C. provincial election been blogged like this one. To ensure that voters are informed on all issues, The Hook offers a rough guide to blogs covering the current campaign. We've organized them in clusters: Election-dedicated blogs and websites; politics blogs by individuals, advocacy groups, and communities; and media blogs.

BC Libs created 'overly complex' maze that kept needy off rolls: ombudsman
By Andrew MacLeod
April 13, 2009
The good news is the provincial government is promising to fix the welfare system.
The bad news is they broke it really, really badly and much damage is already done.
[NOTE: includes five links to related resources and four links to related Tyee articles.]

Source:

"...your independent alternative daily newspaper reaching every corner of B.C. and beyond"

More BC election 2009 links
():

- independent perspectives on the events, people and issues that make up British Columbia's zany political life

- Go to the BC Government Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk.htm

ALBERTA

From :

Progressive Conservatives gain 11 more seats in worst turnout in provincial history
March 4, 2008
Despite an apparent appetite for change, voters in Alberta stuck with tried-and-true blue, giving the Progressive Conservative party an unprecedented 11th consecutive majority government in Monday night's provincial election. (...) Various polls showed anywhere from 20 to 45 per cent of voters were undecided during a campaign that saw few sparks. Voter turnout dropped even further from a dismal 44.7 per cent in the 2004 campaign to about 41 per cent on Monday night, the worst turnout in Alberta history, according to preliminary numbers.
Source:

- incl. results, leader profiles and party platforms, riding and voter information, candidates and issues, and much more...
* <=== links to dozens of Alberta Election 2008 articles and analyses!

Also from CBC:

February 4, 2008
After weeks of election speculation in Alberta, it's official: there will be a provincial election March 3. Conservative Leader Ed Stelmach made the announcement less than an hour after the speech from the throne outlined his government's plans, including eliminating health care premiums over four years, increasing the number of health care workers and spending more on crime reduction.

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March 4, 2008
The Conservatives won their 11th straight election last night, in what could be considered -- on the surface -- an impressive victory. But when you add up the numbers, they don't exactly paint a picture of a content electorate. Out of a possible 2,252,104 votes possible this year, the Stelmach government received just 501,028. However, the combination of low voter turnout and Alberta's first-past-the-post system means that even with such a low number of actual supporters, the Conservatives ended up with a majority government.
Source:

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MANITOBA

By Sid Frankel and Marianne Cerelli
Winnipeg Free Press
May 4, 2007
AS the provincial parties unveil their platforms piece by piece — ensuring that each announcement is louder, flashier and more awe-inspiring than the last — we can be quite sure that one issue will be left off the agenda. Despite the fact that Manitoba continues to have one of the highest rates of child and family poverty in the country (19.2 per cent), one of the highest proportions of full-time working families who fall below the poverty line (11 per cent), and some of the lowest average weekly earnings in Canada (only Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia are lower), the issue of poverty remains a whisper. It is as if our strategy to reduce poverty is to ignore it. Unfortunately, not talking about it has only made matters worse.
Source:
(magazine)

was Tuesday, May 22.

Source:

Google Search Results Links - always current results!
Using the following search terms (without the quote marks):
"manitoba elections, 2007"



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ONTARIO

Nodice Elections: Ontario

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Source:

Oct 12, 2007
Carol Goar
They took a leap of faith and they still don't know where they're going to land. But two days after the election, the leaders of Ontario's anti-poverty movement are feeling unusually positive. They have a commitment from Premier Dalton McGuinty to introduce firm poverty reduction targets and a conviction that their voices are finally beginning to count. During the campaign, they resolved to set aside their differences, their shopping lists and their doubts to press for a legislated poverty reduction plan. Today, they have a pledge that one will come.
Source:

Related Web/News/Blog links:

Google Search Results Links - always current results!
Using the following search terms (without the quote marks):
"Ontario provincial election 2007"
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From the :

October 6, 2007
Poverty will always be with us. You've heard the refrain. You've seen the helpless shrug. But does it have to be that way? A growing number of social activists say no. And they point to countries in Europe and provinces right here at home that have cut poverty by drafting plans, setting goals, dedicating funds – and measuring progress.

(PDF file - 320K, 1 page)
- *Health * Environment * Economy * Education * Poverty * Cities

October 02, 2007
More than 1 million Ontarians live in poverty but a key step in changing that was promised yesterday by Premier Dalton McGuinty, anti-poverty groups say. If the Liberals are re-elected, McGuinty said he'll make poverty reduction a priority and he'll introduce firm reduction targets within a year so the government can be measured on its progress.

October 1, 2007
On a mixed-member proportional representation ballot, voters are asked to make two marks: one for a party (on the left) and one for a local candidate (on the right). The local candidate with the most votes is elected as with the current system, but additional seats are apportioned based on the party vote. This is a sample only - Elections Ontario would design its own if MMP is approved.
Source:

September 30, 2007
"(...) No one suggests that first-past-the post is perfect. But Ontario's current system is democratic and robust, delivering strong, stable government that works. Why strain to "fix" what isn't broken?"

COMMENT: I dunno about you, but I'm starting to get dizzy from the contradictory analysis and advice we're getting about MMP - the left-leaning Toronto Star trashes the MMP, but the 103 impartial Ontario citizens who studied all of the issues as part of the recommended in their report "that Ontario adopt a Mixed Member Proportional system, specifically designed to meet the unique needs of Ontario." I'm going with the Citizens' Assembly recommendation. Read their report, One Ballot, Two Votes: A New Way to Vote in Ontario, below. Read the background report on the Citizens' Assembly (Democracy at Work), also below, if you're not sure whether these people can be trusted.

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- Govt. of Ontario website about the Mixed Member Proportional voting system

(PDF file - 912K, 32 pages)
Final Report and Recommendation of the Ontario Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform
May 15, 2007
[ ]

Background report on the Citizens' Assembly:

(PDF file - 3.5MB, 280 pages)
May 2007
Democracy at Work documents the Citizens' Assembly process in detail and describes the Mixed Member Proportional electoral system the Assembly has recommended. This report complements One Ballot, Two Votes: A New Way to Vote in Ontario.

By Emily Chung
September 21, 2007
"(...)Proportional representation vs. First-Past-The-Post
The first-past-the-post system is used in federal elections in Canada, the United States, Australia and many other countries around the world, but most European countries, New Zealand and Japan have either mixed or proportional representation systems. In proportional representation, parties receive a number of seats that is proportional to their share of the popular vote — the percentage of votes they receive. MMP is a particular kind of proportional representation that maintains local electoral districts and is used in places such as Germany and Scotland. Proportional representation typically results in more power for parties with a smaller share of the popular vote and is more likely to produce a minority government..."
Source:

September 27, 2007

OntarioMMP.blogspot.com is not affiliated with either side of the referendum. It is dedicated to providing a forum for discussion on the proposed mixed member proportional system to be voted on in the Ontario referendum this fall.
Source:

"On next October 10th, as part of the next provincial election, Ontarians will be asked if they want to replace our current electoral system with a Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) form of voting. This site is designed to help you make your decision in this important Referendum. If we decide to change, we will have to live with that decision for a long, long time. Please use this site to learn more about our current system and the pitfalls of MMP voting."

Under first-past-the-post, a party can win 40% of the votes, but capture 60% of the seats and 100% of the power. Mixed-member proportional (MMP) is better for voters and better for our democracy.

Over four years ago, Working Families came together with the goal of making voters aware of policies that were threatening the well-being of working families across Ontario. (...) Working Families is a not for profit organization that represents a cross-section of Ontarians that aims to support, promote and advocate the interests of working families. Our mission is to advocate, educate, and create public awareness around public issues on behalf of working families.

(PDF file - 212K, 21 pages)
LIEN has been working hard to ensure that low-income people have affordable energy bills and access to conservation programs. LIEN has designed a Lobby Kit which offers an introduction to the problem of energy poverty and some simple templates which you can use locally in your advocacy work with politicians and your community. Pay special attention to page 19 which outlines how you can help advocate in the provincial election for commitments from the political parties to address energy poverty, particularly for energy conservation and rate assistance programs for low-income households.
Source:

Working to address the energy needs of Ontario's low-income households

QUEBEC


/

(English follows)
Valérie Dufour
Mise à jour 09/12/2008
Jean Charest a gagné son pari: les électeurs québécois ont élu hier un gouvernement libéral majoritaire, rétabli le Parti québécois, envoyé un premier solidaire à l'Assemblée nationale et servi une sévère correction à l'Action démocratique du Québec à tel point que son chef a jeté l'éponge.
Source:

December 9, 2008
Jean Charest won his gamble on a snap election that nobody else seemed to want as the Liberals were returned to power in yesterday's provincial election with a slim majority of National Assembly seats. With counting nearly complete, the Liberals were elected or leading in 66 of the province's 125 ridings, followed by the Parti Québécois in 51, and the Action démocratique du Québec in seven.
Source:

Québec, November 5, 2008 – Pursuant to an order of the Government of Québec issued today, Marcel Blanchet, Chief Electoral Officer, must hold a general election in Québec on December 8th of this year.
- incl. links to : * List of electors * Voting right * Financing rules * Political parties, candidates and others * Electoral map * Library * Election data and results * Press room * more...
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(English Home page)

- from

- includes links to : Electors - Parties and Candidates - Election Schedule - Info on Electoral Divisions - Documentation and history - Forms and manuals - Latest election news - voting info by postal code - much more...
Source:
(Chief Electoral Officer - English home page)

- liens vers les infos suivantes : Électeurs - Partis et candidats - Agenda électoral - infos sur les circonscriptions - Documentation et historique - Formulaires et manuels - infos sur les scrutins par code postal - beaucoup plus...
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Nodice Elections: Quebec

Source:

Related Web/News/Blog links:

Google Search Results Links - always current results!
Using the following search terms (without the quote marks):
"quebec elections, 2007"



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NEW BRUNSWICK/NOUVEAU-BRUNSWICK

Nodice Elections: New Brunswick

Source:

September 18, 2006
- includes detailed election results, ridings and candidates, polls, historical election results, related links, and more...
Source:

(NOTE: the Nodice Elections page includes links to past, current and future elections in all Canadian jurisdictions)

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From the :

It's Time for a Change - A Liberal Government will:
(...)
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* We will review the current rates paid to recipients and the programs available to people on social assistance with the goal of raising rates to the average for Atlantic Canada.
* We’ll assist in the transition to work by increasing the allowable earnings that can be retained from part-time work for people who are on social assistance.
* We’ll provide enhanced day care assistance for single parents during the transition to full-time work.
* A new Crown Corporation will engage with non-profit and community service groups to create and maintain new housing units, including units for disabled and elderly New Brunswickers.
* We will create more opportunity for skills upgrading by eliminating wait lists for literacy training.

- From
* According to the National Council on Welfare New Brunswick has the lowest social assistance rates in Canada.
* Since 1999 welfare rates in New Brunswick have increased once, and by only 2%.
* The Economic Unit Policy is considered a barrier to the poor, yet the Lord Government will not make any real change to help New Brunswickers.
* On May 25, 2006 the Lord Conservatives defeated a Liberal motion urging government to table a comprehensive housing strategy with clear timelines and targets by October 15, 2006.
* Statistics Canada says 56% of adults in New Brunswick have below acceptable ability in literacy and numeracy.
* The Literacy Coalition for New Brunswick says adult and family literacy programs in this province continue to be under-resourced.
* In seven years, a single person receiving assistance in New Brunswick has seen an increase of only $18 to $264 a month.

Google Web Search Results:
""
Google News Search Results:
""
Each of the two links above will open a page of Google.ca search results, and this page will always include links to new content.
Source:

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND/ÎLE-DU-PRINCE-ÉDOUARD

Nodice Elections: Prince Edward Island

Source:

June 9, 2009
"Nova Scotia has its first NDP government — and a majority government at that — ending a decade of rule by the Progressive Conservatives, who have been reduced to third-party status."
NOTE:
I guess this is what you call a seminal moment in Nova Scotia --- as of 6:30am on June 10, there are , predictably ranging from "Yayyyyyyyyyyy for the good side!" to "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!".

Related links:

- from

- from

- from

NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR/TERRE-NEUVE ET LABRADOR

Nodice Elections: Newfoundland and Labrador

Source:

from
October 9, 2007

- from the

YUKON

Nodice Elections: Yukon Territory

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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

- from
October 1, 2007

- from the

NUNAVUT

Source:

General Political Websites with Provincial/Territorial content

- from [at ]
"...starting point to information on Canadian federal and provincial (+territorial) elections."
- incl. links to the latest election results, eligibility to vote, voters lists, ridings or electoral districts, and members of parliament and provincial/territorial legislatures, organized by jurisdiction and by topic.

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- incl. links to : Reference Resources - General Information - Federal, Provincial & Local Governments - Federal-Provincial Relations - Foreign Relations - Ethnicity and Politics - Law and Politics - Mass Media/Communications - Elections, Political Parties and Politics - Pressure/Interest Groups - Public Opinion/Methodology - Public Policy and Administration - Canadian Studies
Sample content:

Source :
[
[]

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"Mondo Politico is a site dedicated to providing people in the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland with a non-partisan political podium and audience."
- Political News - Select a country and even (in Canada's case) a province or territory and see the latest political headlines and news, incl. links to full-text articles from the local and national media.
- Discussion Forums for each country and their respective states, provinces, or territories + discussion forums on topics such as taxation, abortion, gun control, etc.
- Library - links to the complete online versions of some of the world's most important historical works. Currently includes : "1984" by George Orwell; "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels; "The Social Contract" by Jean-Jacques Rousseau; and "Common Sense " by Thomas Paine
- Government Elections Web Site Navigator - Links to national (and, in Canada's case, provincial/territorial) election sites
- Political Party Directory - lists of (and links to) all political parties in the USA, Canada (incl. prov/terr.), the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland.

"The Full Text of Some of the World's Most Important Political Books, Online and Free"
Click on the link above to skim through an annotated list of 11 classics of fiction and non-fiction books of a political nature.
Titles uploaded to date include: Thomas Paine's Common Sense - Marx and Engels' Communist Manifesto - Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf - Jean-Jacques Rousseau's The Social Contract - Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations - more...

Two favourites of mine from this list appear below, including the link to the complete book online and a blurb by Mondo Politico:

- by George Orwell
"1984 has long been the first book to which we have turned for a vivid picture of a government that has used war to justify infringement on freedom; that has used speech codes to limit everyone's ability to understand higher concepts or concepts that favour human individuality; that uses powerful media to build unwarranted consensus and rewrite history; and that has used technology to nip political opposition and individualistic or eccentric practices in the bud. Far from being a caricature, it insightfully and skilfully characterizes the tendencies and motivations of unlimited government power, and the horrifying, hopeless result of such government: humanity denied its freedom to think, to be rational, and to dissent...its freedom to be human....."

- by George Orwell
"Written as a 'fairy story' (Orwell titled the book 'Animal Farm: A Fairy Story'), the subject of Animal Farm is very much aimed at an adult audience. Orwell paints a vivid picture of a violent political revolution of farm animals against the farmer who owns all, works the animal population hard, sends their offspring to slaughter, and feeds them little. Arguably not critical of revolution itself, Orwell describes an all-to-familiar corruption that undermines the goal of the revolution: in which those leading the revolution rally the masses not so much for the good of the masses, but so that the leaders can assume the role of master, complete with all of the oppressive conduct that goes with an authoritarian regime...."

More titles to come: *Republic (Plato)* Leviathan (Hobbes)* Locke's Second Treatise of Government* On Liberty (Mill)* Rights of Man (Paine)* Das Kapital (Marx)* Anthem (Rand)

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Listings of political sites available on the Internet sorted by country, with links to Parties, 
Organizations, Governments, Media and more from all around the world 
A must-see megasite - includes

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(from Trevor Tymchuk)

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