Provincial Parties
Most provinces have provincial counterparts to the three national federal parties. However, some provincial parties are not formally linked to the federal parties that share the same name. The New Democratic Party is the only party that has integrated membership between the provincial and federal wings. Some provinces have regional political parties, such as the Saskatchewan Party.
The provincial political climate of Quebec is quite different: the main split is between sovereignty, represented by the Parti Québécois, and federalism, represented primarily by the Quebec Liberal Party. From March 2007 to December 2008, the Official Opposition was the Action démocratique du Québec, which advocates what it calls "autonomy", a middle-of-the-road option supporting localized power in the federal structure. They have no corresponding federal party, but polls show their base to align with the federal Conservative Party of Canada.
The provincial Progressive Conservative parties are also now separate from the federal Conservative Party, which resulted from a merger between the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance. In British Columbia, the Liberal Party separated from the federal Liberal Party and is now an independent entity.
| Province | Lieutenant-governor/ commissioner |
Premier | Party in government | Majority/Minority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | David Onley | Dalton McGuinty | Ontario Liberal Party | Minority |
| Quebec | Pierre Duchesne | Pauline Marois | Parti québécois | Minority |
| Nova Scotia | John James Grant | Darrell Dexter | Nova Scotia New Democratic Party | Majority |
| New Brunswick | Graydon Nicholas | David Alward | New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party | Majority |
| Manitoba | Philip S. Lee | Greg Selinger | New Democratic Party of Manitoba | Majority |
| British Columbia | Steven Point | Christy Clark | British Columbia Liberal Party | Majority |
| Prince Edward Island | Frank Lewis | Robert Ghiz | Prince Edward Island Liberal Party | Majority |
| Saskatchewan | Vaughn Solomon Schofield | Brad Wall | Saskatchewan Party | Majority |
| Alberta | Donald Ethell | Alison Redford | Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta | Majority |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | John Crosbie | Kathy Dunderdale | Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador | Majority |
| Northwest Territories | George Tuccaro | Bob McLeod | Consensus government | None |
| Yukon | Doug Phillips | Darrell Pasloski | Yukon Party | Majority |
| Nunavut | Edna Elias | Eva Aariak | Consensus government | None |
Read more about this topic: Provinces And Territories Of Canada
Famous quotes containing the words provincial and/or parties:
“With respect to a true culture and manhood, we are essentially provincial still, not metropolitan,—mere Jonathans. We are provincial, because we do not find at home our standards; because we do not worship truth, but the reflection of truth; because we are warped and narrowed by an exclusive devotion to trade and commerce and manufacturers and agriculture and the like, which are but means, and not the end.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“It is best for all parties in the combined family to take matters slowly, to use the crock pot instead of the pressure cooker, and not to aim for a perfect blend but rather to recognize the pleasures to be enjoyed in retaining some of the distinct flavors of the separate ingredients.”
—Claire Berman (20th century)