The History of Political Parties in Canada

Greg Marchildon interviews Nelson Wiseman about his new book Partisan Odysseys: Canada’s Political Parties, published by the University of Toronto Press in 2020. Wiseman is professor of political science at the University of Toronto and a scholar with deep historical interests. Professor Wiseman explains why the Conservative and Liberal parties became and remain Canada’s establishment parties at the federal level and in many provinces. He also traces the origins and evolution of parties of protest and regional parties such as the CCF-NDP and the Bloc Québécois – what he calls “disrupter” parties – and how they came to challenge the dominant parties in some parts of the country. He also delves into the history of minority governments and the separation between the federal and provincial wings of political parties.

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