Does Canada have a major bigoted party like the GOP?

[_Jumper_]

Is there a major racist, sexist, xenophobia, homophobia, etc. party in Canada similar to the GOP here?

[whirlygigspin]

1. yup

it's called the canadian alliance,
or "white people like me are good and let's hate
all the rest party".

[_Jumper_]

3. Thanks

If they are the party of hate which party is the party of tolerance? How does the dominant Liberal Party fare on the issue of tolerance?

[Maple]

5. The Liberal Party

which has governed Canada for most of it's existence, and which is about to win again, is the one decriminalizing marijuana and bringing in same-sex marriage.

[_Jumper_]

7. I know that the Liberal Party is tolerant

Is it the most tolerant, though? I'm not trying to badger you, I am just curious.

Do minorities bloc vote in Canada like they do here?

[Minstrel Boy]

8. To the left of the Liberals is the

New Democratic Party (NDP). It's never won federally but has been very influential, and it's formed numerous provincial governments. The NDP's ancestor, the CCF, formed North America's first socialist government when it won Saskatchewan in the '40s. It's thanks to the NDP Canada has universal healthcare.

I'm expecting a good showing from the NDP next federal election. Our new leader (yes, I'm a member), Jack Layton, is extremely competent and commanding, and Paul Martin is going to tack the Liberals further right, leaving the left and even centre-left for the picking.

For the curious:

http://www.ndp.ca/index.php3?language=english

[_Jumper_]

10. Thanks

n/m

[Lisa]

12. yes, but the CA's "attractive" handpuppet fell on his face!

His name was Stockwell Day, and his handlers put him in all kinds of macho photo-ops. But he looked so goofy in them that all the major news organizations made fun of him ....

[ElsewheresDaughter]

2. yes..

[Maple]

4. The 'Canadian Alliance' party

is only at 13% in the polls tho...and 8% or less in the two most populated provinces, provinces they'd need to win in order to form a govt.

They are now frantically trying to join with another party in order not to be wiped out altogether.

[_Jumper_]

6. The Canadian Alliance

That is a primarily Western Canada party, right? Are the Tories still a force in Canada?

[Maple]

9. The CA

is confined to a small group in Alberta...the west.

They lost favor pretty much everywhere else once people realized what they were about....they started out wanting a better deal for the west, and fiscal responsibility...so they did well to start with.

But now the veil has dropped...so to speak....

The Tories are still around....just a lot smaller than they used to be....a series of poor leaders.

The CA is trying to merge the two parties. Tories are torn....not keen on the CA...but low in the polls and wanting a boost.

[Avatar13]

11. The CA tries to pass themselves off as a regionalist party

They capitalize on the percieved or true apathy the government (the Liberals and their power base in Ontario) holds towards the Western provinces, despite having a platform not that dissimilar to the GOP in principle. They have been trying to gain a foothold east of Saskatchewan, especially in Ontario, but have failed miserably in the past few elections. What started as a the "The West wants in" party is trying to transform itself into a national far-right party, as a credible alternative to both the Grits and the Tories. Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for Canada, they have only managed to split the conservative vote and keep the Liberals elected and electable.

The Tories are struggling to re-attract the moderates in the CA and Liberals, and have recently been in talks to cooperate with the former to avoid aplitting the right wing vote. Tactics like joint candidates and non-competition campaigns have been discussed, but so have mergers. There are various factions in both parties that have divregent visions of what the partnership will look like, and they just can't come to any sort of agreement, and that's where they stand today.