Contents:
Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Canada)
Introduction to Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Canada), major political party in Canada. The Liberals dominated Canadian national politics for much of the 20th century, thus earning their nickname of “the government party.” The party grew out of several reform groups that arose in the early 19th century in the legislatures of the then British colonies of largely French-speaking Lower Canada (now Québec province) and English-speaking Upper Canada (now Ontario province).
Prior to the 1840s, the chief reform that these groups sought was responsible government. This meant government by elected bodies, as opposed to government by a governor and council who were appointed in Britain and who could not be turned out of office by Canadian voters. More broadly, the reformers opposed traditional antidemocratic sources of authority.” (1)