Liberal Party of Canada: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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| name = Liberal Party of Canada

| logo = Liberal Party of Canada Logo 2014.svg

| logo_size = 175

| colorcode = {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}

| abbreviation = LPC PLC{{~~unbulleted list~~efn|~~LPC~~French ~~(English)|PLC (French)~~abbreviation}}

| president = Sachit Mehra

| foundation = {{nowrap|{{start date and age|1867|7|1}}}}

| membership = {{increase}} 300,000<ref>{{cite web |title=Liberal Party says membership numbers have skyrocketed under Trudeau |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/liberal-party-says-membership-numbers-have-skyrocketed-under-trudeau-1.2142400?cache=yes%3Fclipid%3D104056%3FclipId%3D375756 |website=[[CTV News]] |publisher=[[The Canadian Press]] |date=10 December 2014 |access-date=1 August 2023 |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801183659/https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/liberal-party-says-membership-numbers-have-skyrocketed-under-trudeau-1.2142400?cache=yes%3Fclipid%3D104056%3FclipId%3D375756 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Update inline|date=August 2023}}

| membership_year = 2014

| ideology =  [[Liberalism]] ([[Liberalism in Canada|Canadian]]) [[Social liberalism]]<ref name="SocialLiberalism">{{bulleted list|

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| seats2_title = [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]]

| seats1 = {{Composition bar|0|105|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|#6B6B6B}}}}

| seats1_title = [[Senate of Canada|Senate]]{{efn|All Liberal senators were expelled from the party's parliamentary caucus in 2014. Those senators, who had been appointed by Liberal prime ministers up to and including Paul Martin, sat from 2014 to 2019 as the [[Senate Liberal Caucus]], which was not affiliated to or recognized by the Liberal Party. The Senate Liberal Caucus was dissolved in 2019 and replaced by the [[Progressive Senate Group]].<ref>{{cite news |title=One-time Liberal senators rename themselves as Progressive Senate Group |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/one-time-liberal-senators-rename-themselves-as-progressive-senate-group-1.4685456 |access-date=November 25, 2020 |agency=The Canadian Press |publisher=CTV News |date=November 14, 2019 |archive-date=December 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217231626/https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/one-time-liberal-senators-rename-themselves-as-progressive-senate-group-1.4685456 |url-status=live }}</ref> Senators appointed since 2015 by Justin Trudeau have affiliated with an independent parliamentary group or sat as non-affiliated members.<ref name="LibSenate">{{cite web |url = http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/justin-trudeau-kicks-senators-out-of-liberal-caucus-in-bid-to-show-hes-serious-about-cleaning-up-red-chamber |title = Justin Trudeau kicks all 32 Liberal senators out of caucus in bid for reform |work = National Post |date = January 29, 2014 |access-date = October 18, 2015 |last = Spencer |first = Christina |archive-date = October 30, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151030042724/http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/justin-trudeau-kicks-senators-out-of-liberal-caucus-in-bid-to-show-hes-serious-about-cleaning-up-red-chamber |url-status = live }}</ref>}}

| seats2 = {{Composition bar|~~155~~153|338|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}}}

}}

The '''Liberal Party of Canada''' ('''LPC'''; {{lang-fr|Parti libéral du Canada|region=CA}}, '''PLC''') is a federal [[political party in Canada]]. The party espouses the principles of [[liberalism]],<ref name="BittnerKoop2013" /><ref name="Liberal Party">McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson. [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/liberal-party "Liberal Party".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005085850/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/liberal-party |date=October 5, 2013 }} ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''.</ref><ref name="Dyck">{{cite book |last=Dyck |first=Rand |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BUOoN8e5Ps0C |title=Canadian Politics: Concise Fifth Edition |publisher=Nelson Education |year=2012 |isbn=978-0176503437 |pages=217, 229}}</ref> and generally sits at the [[Centrism|centre]]<ref name="BittnerKoop2013">{{cite book|author1=Amanda Bittner|author2=Royce Koop|title=Parties, Elections, and the Future of Canadian Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TdFTCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA300|date=March 1, 2013|publisher=UBC Press|isbn=978-0-7748-2411-8|pages=300–|access-date=August 3, 2018|archive-date=March 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331005406/https://books.google.com/books?id=TdFTCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA300|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Olive2015">{{cite book|author=Andrea Olive|title=The Canadian Environment in Political Context|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bvw_CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA55|year=2015|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-1-4426-0871-9|page=55}}</ref><ref name="Rayside2011">{{cite book |author = David Rayside |title = Faith, Politics, and Sexual Diversity in Canada and the United States |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=oYXU_1WwNKUC&pg=PA22 |year = 2011 |publisher = UBC Press |isbn = 978-0-7748-2011-0 |page = 22 }}</ref> to [[Centre-left politics|centre-left]]<ref name="Rayside2011"/><ref name="CollinMartin2012">{{cite book |author1 = Richard Collin |author2 = Pamela L. Martin |title = An Introduction to World Politics: Conflict and Consensus on a Small Planet |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-vSlx-_Z408C&pg=PA138 |year = 2012 |publisher = Rowman & Littlefield |isbn = 978-1-4422-1803-1 |page = 138 }}</ref> of the [[Politics of Canada|Canadian political spectrum]], with their main rival, the [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative Party]], positioned to their [[Right-wing politics|right]] and the [[New Democratic Party]] positioned to their [[Left-wing politics|left]].<ref name="BittnerKoop2013" /><ref name="BaumerGold2015">{{cite book |author1=Donald C. Baumer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uBbvCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT152 |title=Parties, Polarization and Democracy in the United States |author2=Howard J. Gold |date=2015 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-25478-2 |pages=152– |access-date=October 28, 2018 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331010054/https://books.google.com/books?id=uBbvCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT152 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url = https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/liberal-party |title=Liberal Party |encyclopedia = The Canadian Encyclopedia |year=2015 |access-date=October 28, 2018 |archive-date=August 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813191213/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/liberal-party |url-status=live }}</ref> The party is described as "[[big tent]]",<ref name="CartyTent">{{cite book |author=R. Kenneth Carty |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D-c0CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA16 |title=Big Tent Politics: The Liberal Party's Long Mastery of Canada's Public Life |date=2015 |publisher=UBC Press |isbn=978-0-7748-3002-7 |pages=16–17 |access-date=November 7, 2018 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331005406/https://books.google.com/books?id=D-c0CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA16 |url-status=live }} [https://www.ubcpress.ca/asset/9447/1/9780774829991.pdf PDF copy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306234413/https://www.ubcpress.ca/asset/9447/1/9780774829991.pdf |date=March 6, 2021 }} at UBC Press.</ref> practising "brokerage politics",{{efn|name=politics|Brokerage politics is "a Canadian term for successful [[big tent]] parties that embody a [[Pluralism (political philosophy)|pluralistic]] catch-all approach to appeal to the median Canadian voter ... adopting centrist policies and [[electoral coalitions]] to satisfy the short-term preferences of a majority of electors who are not located on the ideological fringe."<ref name="MarlandGiasson2012">{{cite book|author1=Alex Marland|author2=Thierry Giasson|author3=Jennifer Lees-Marshment|title=Political Marketing in Canada|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GSeSaYPa2A4C&pg=PA257|year=2012|publisher=UBC Press|isbn=978-0-7748-2231-2|page=257|access-date=December 13, 2020|archive-date=March 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331010034/https://books.google.com/books?id=GSeSaYPa2A4C&pg=PA257|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CourtneySmith2010">{{cite book|author1=John Courtney|author2=David Smith|title=The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5KomEXgxvMcC&pg=PA195|year=2010|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=978-0-19-533535-4|page=195|access-date=December 13, 2020|archive-date=March 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331010040/https://books.google.com/books?id=5KomEXgxvMcC&pg=PA195|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Brooks2004">{{cite book|author=Stephen Brooks|title=Canadian Democracy: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DeQnPIXV5CEC|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-541806-4|page=265|quote= Two historically dominant political parties have avoided ideological appeals in favour of a flexible centrist style of politics that is often labelled brokerage politics.|access-date=December 13, 2020|archive-date=March 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331010051/https://books.google.com/books?id=DeQnPIXV5CEC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Johnson2016c">{{cite book|author=David Johnson|title=Thinking Government: Public Administration and Politics in Canada, Fourth Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I_HzDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA13|year=2016|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-1-4426-3521-0|pages=13–23|quote=... most Canadian governments, especially at the federal level, have taken a moderate, centrist approach to decision making, seeking to balance growth, stability, and governmental efficiency and economy ... .|access-date=December 13, 2020|archive-date=March 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331010046/https://books.google.com/books?id=I_HzDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA13|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Smith2014">{{cite book|author=Miriam Smith|title=Group Politics and Social Movements in Canada: Second Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iG4rAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA17|year=2014|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-1-4426-0695-1|page=17|quote=Canada's party system has long been described as a "brokerage system" in which the leading parties (Liberal and Conservative) follow strategies that appeal across major [[Cleavage (politics)|social cleavages]] in an effort to defuse potential tensions.|access-date=December 13, 2020|archive-date=March 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331010047/https://books.google.com/books?id=iG4rAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA17|url-status=live}}</ref>}} attracting support from a broad spectrum of voters.<ref name="Olive2015c">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bvw_CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA55|title=The Canadian Environment in Political Context|author=Andrea Olive|date=2015|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-1-4426-0871-9|page=55}}</ref> The Liberal Party is the longest-serving and oldest active federal political party in the country, and has dominated federal [[politics of Canada]] for much of its history, holding power for almost 70 years of the 20th century.<ref name="Carlisle2005">{{cite book |author=Rodney P. Carlisle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bpx2AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA274 |title=Encyclopedia of Politics: The Left and the Right |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-4522-6531-5 |page=274 |access-date=November 11, 2018 |archive-date=November 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110011730/https://books.google.com/books?id=Bpx2AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA274#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="BaumerGold2015" /> As a result, it has sometimes been referred to as Canada's "natural governing party".<ref name="JamesKasoff2007">{{cite book |author1=Patrick James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1bs3Zktu4PkC&pg=PT70 |title=Canadian Studies in the New Millennium |author2=Mark J. Kasoff |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-4426-9211-4 |page=70}}</ref><ref name="CartyTent" /><ref name="o894">{{cite book | last=Carty | first=R. Kenneth | title=The Government Party | chapter=A Century of Dominance: The Liberal Party of Canada | publisher=Oxford University Press | date=2022-03-30 | isbn=978-0-19-285848-1 | doi=10.1093/oso/9780192858481.003.0002 | pages=16–31}}</ref>

The party first came into power in 1873 under [[Alexander Mackenzie (politician)|Alexander Mackenzie]], but were voted out [[1878 Canadian federal election|five years later]] due to the economic conditions at the time. They would not come back to office until 1896; [[Wilfrid Laurier]] was [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime minister]] from that year until the party's [[1911 Canadian federal election|defeat in 1911]] and his tenure was marked by several compromises between [[English Canada|English]] and [[French Canada|French]] Canada. From the early 1920s until the mid-1950s,{{efn|Party was briefly out of power from 1930 to 1935.}} the Liberal Party under Prime Ministers [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]] and [[Louis St. Laurent]] gradually built a Canadian [[welfare state]].

The Liberals' signature policies and legislative decisions include [[universal health care]], the [[Canada Pension Plan]], [[Student loans in Canada|Canada Student Loans]], the establishment of the [[Royal Canadian Navy]], [[multilateralism]], [[official bilingualism]], official [[multiculturalism]], [[gun control]], the [[patriating|patriation]] of the [[Constitution of Canada]] and the establishment of the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]'', the ''[[Clarity Act]]'', legalizing [[same-sex marriage]], [[Euthanasia in Canada|euthanasia]], and [[Cannabis Act|cannabis]], national [[Carbon price|carbon pricing]], and expanded access to [[Abortion in Canada|abortion]].<ref name="Liberal Party"/><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title = Liberal Party of Canada |url = https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339142/Liberal-Party-of-Canada/230901/History |encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date = April 19, 2013 |archive-date = December 19, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131219015812/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/339142/Liberal-Party-of-Canada/230901/History |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Lévesque |first=Catherine |title=Justin Trudeau revient sur l'avortement à Montréal |url=https://www.lapresse.ca/elections-federales/201909/13/01-5241048-justin-trudeau-revient-sur-lavortement-a-montreal.php |website=La Presse |language=fr |date=September 13, 2019 |access-date=September 14, 2019 |archive-date=September 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915000600/https://www.lapresse.ca/elections-federales/201909/13/01-5241048-justin-trudeau-revient-sur-lavortement-a-montreal.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Gun Control — Our Platform|url=https://www2.liberal.ca/our-platform/gun-control/|access-date=August 3, 2020|website=2.liberal.ca|language=en-CA|archive-date=July 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722115819/https://www2.liberal.ca/our-platform/gun-control/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Liberal Party, led by [[Justin Trudeau]] since 2013, won a [[majority government]] in the [[2015 Canadian federal election|2015 federal election]]. In both the federal elections of [[2019 Canadian federal election|2019]] and [[2021 Canadian federal election|2021]], the party was re-elected with a minority government.

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In their early history, the Liberals were the party of [[continentalism]] and opposition to [[imperialism]]. The Liberals also became identified with the aspirations of Quebecers as a result of the growing hostility of French Canadians to the Conservatives. The Conservatives lost the support of French Canadians because of the role of Conservative governments in the execution of [[Louis Riel]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Duffy |first1=John |title=Fights of our Lives Elections, Leadership, and the Making of Canada |date=2002 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=9780002000895 |page=41}}</ref> and their role in the [[Conscription Crisis of 1917]], and especially their [[Manitoba Schools Question|opposition to French schools]] in provinces besides Quebec.

It was not until [[Wilfrid Laurier]] became leader that the Liberal Party emerged as a modern party. Laurier was able to capitalize on the [[Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942)|Conservatives]]' alienation of French Canada by offering the Liberals as a credible alternative. Laurier was able to overcome the party's reputation for [[anti-clericalism]] that offended the still-powerful [[Catholicism in Canada|Quebec Roman Catholic Church]]. In English-speaking Canada, the Liberal Party's support for [[Reciprocity (Canadian politics)|reciprocity]] made it popular among farmers, and helped cement the party's hold in the growing [[prairie provinces]].<ref name="Laurier">{{cite web |title = Sir Wilfrid Laurier Biography |url = http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/2/4/h4-3181-e.html |publisher = Library and Archives Canada |access-date = November 24, 2011 |archive-date = December 26, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111226010623/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/2/4/h4-3181-e.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

Laurier led the Liberals to power in the [[1896 Canadian federal election|1896 election]] (in which he became the first Francophone Prime Minister) and oversaw a government that increased [[immigration]] to settle [[Western Canada]]. Laurier's government created the provinces of [[Saskatchewan]] and [[Alberta]] out of the [[North-West Territories]] and promoted the development of Canadian industry.<ref name="Laurier"/>

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As a result of the party's defeats in the [[1911 Canadian federal election|1911]] and [[1917 Canadian federal election|1917]] federal elections, Laurier attempted to organize the party on a national level by creating three bodies: the Central Liberal Information Office, the National Liberal Advisory Committee, and the National Liberal Organization Committee. However, the advisory committee became dominated by members of Parliament and all three bodies were underfunded and competed with both local and provincial Liberal associations and the national caucus for authority. The party did organize the [[Liberal Party of Canada leadership elections|national party's second convention in 1919]] to elect [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]] as Laurier's successor (Canada's first [[leadership convention]]), yet following the party's return to power in the [[1921 Canadian federal election|1921 federal election]] the nascent national party organizations were eclipsed by powerful ministers and local party organizations largely driven by [[patronage]].

As a result of both the party's defeat in the [[1930 Canadian federal election|1930 federal election]] and the [[Beauharnois scandal]], which highlighted the need for distance between the Liberal Party's parliamentary wing and campaign fundraising,<ref name="encyc">[http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0000604 Beauharnois Scandal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514003713/http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0000604 |date=May 14, 2007 }} at ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''</ref> a central coordinating organization, the National Liberal Federation, was created in 1932 with [[Vincent Massey]] as its first president. With the Liberal return to power, the national organization languished except for occasional national committee meetings, such as in 1943 when Mackenzie King called a meeting of the federation (consisting of the national caucus and up to seven voting delegates per province) to approve a new platform for the party in anticipation of the end of World War II and prepare for a post-war election.<ref>{{cite web |title = Federal Election Question May Be Settled Shortly |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G_guAAAAIBAJ&pg=5119,3289151&dq=liberal-federation+canada&hl=en |newspaper = Ottawa Citizen |date = September 20, 1943 |access-date = October 18, 2015 |archive-date = August 17, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210817003605/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G_guAAAAIBAJ&pg=5119,3289151&dq=liberal-federation+canada&hl=en |url-status = live }}</ref> No national convention was held, however, until 1948; the Liberal Party held only three national conventions prior to the 1950s – in 1893, 1919 and 1948.<ref>John W. Lederle. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/137623?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents "The Liberal Convention of 1893"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001814/http://www.jstor.org/stable/137623?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents |date=February 2, 2017 }}. ''The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science''. Vol. 16, No. 1 (Feb. 1950), pp. 42–52.</ref> The National Liberal Federation remained largely dependent on provincial Liberal parties and was often ignored and bypassed the parliamentary party in the organization of election campaigns and the development of policy. With the defeat of the Liberals in the [[1957 Canadian federal election|1957 federal election]] and in particular [[1958 Canadian federal election|1958]], reformers argued for the strengthening of the national party organization so it would not be dependent on provincial Liberal parties and patronage. A national executive and Council of presidents, consisting of the presidents of each Liberal riding association, were developed to give the party more co-ordination and national party conventions were regularly held in biennially where previously they had been held infrequently. Over time, provincial Liberal parties in most provinces were separated from provincial wings of the federal party and in a number of cases disaffiliated. By the 1980s, the National Liberal Federation was officially known as the Liberal Party of Canada.<ref>{{cite journal |last = Koop |first = Ryan |title = The Elusive Nature of National Party Organization in Canada and Australia |url = https://sfu.academia.edu/RoyceKoop/Papers/414297/The_Elusive_Nature_of_National_Party_Organization_in_Canada_and_Australia |journal = Paper Presented at the Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference. University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC. 4–6 June 2008 |access-date = June 17, 2012 |archive-date = July 8, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230708191422/https://sfu.academia.edu/RoyceKoop/Papers/414297/The_Elusive_Nature_of_National_Party_Organization_in_Canada_and_Australia |url-status = live }}</ref>

====Canadian sovereignty====

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====Social safety net====

In the period just before and after the [[Second World War]], the party became a champion of 'progressive social policy'.<ref>{{cite book |author = David Johnson |title = Thinking Government: Public Sector Management in Canada |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TcL80sSautgC&q=progressive+social+policy+mackenzie+king&pg=PA100 |year = 2006 |publisher = University of Toronto Press |isbn = 978-1-5511-1779-9 |pages = 99–103 |access-date = October 5, 2020 |archive-date = September 13, 2024 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240913225355/https://books.google.com/books?id=TcL80sSautgC&q=progressive+social+policy+mackenzie+king&pg=PA100#v=snippet&q=progressive%20social%20policy%20mackenzie%20king&f=false |url-status = live }}</ref> As ~~Prime~~prime ~~Minister~~minister for most of the time between 1921 and 1948, King introduced several measures that led to the creation of Canada's [[social safety net]]. Bowing to popular pressure, he introduced the mother's allowance, a [[Baby bonus|monthly payment]] to all mothers with young children. He also reluctantly introduced [[old age pension]]s when [[J. S. Woodsworth]] required it in exchange for his [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation]] party's support of King's [[minority government]].

[[Louis St. Laurent]] succeeded King as Liberal leader and ~~Prime~~prime ~~Minister~~minister on November 15, 1948. In the [[1949 Canadian federal election|1949]] and [[1953 Canadian federal election|1953]] federal elections, St. Laurent led the Liberal Party to two large majority governments. As ~~Prime~~prime ~~Minister~~minister he oversaw the joining of [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] in Confederation as Canada's tenth province, he established [[Equalization payments in Canada|equalization payments]] to the provinces, and continued with social reform with improvements in pensions and health insurance. In 1956, Canada played an important role in resolving the [[Suez Crisis]], and contributed to the United Nations force in the [[Korean War]]. Canada enjoyed economic prosperity during St. Laurent's premiership and wartime debts were paid off. The [[Pipeline Debate]] proved the Liberal Party's undoing. Their attempt to pass legislation to build a [[natural gas pipeline]] from [[Alberta]] to central Canada was met with fierce disagreement in the House of Commons. In 1957, [[John Diefenbaker]]'s [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservatives]] won a minority government and St. Laurent resigned as ~~Prime~~prime ~~Minister~~minister and Liberal leader.<ref>{{cite web |title = Louis St. Laurent Biography |url = http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/2/4/h4-3306-e.html |publisher = Library and Archives Canada |access-date = November 23, 2011 }}</ref>

[[Lester B. Pearson]] was easily elected Liberal leader at the party's [[1958 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election|1958 leadership convention]]. However, only months after becoming Liberal leader, Pearson led the party into the [[1958 Canadian federal election|1958 federal election]] that saw Diefenbaker's Progressive Conservatives win the largest majority government, by percentage of seats, in Canadian history.<ref>{{cite web |title = John Diefenbaker Biography |url = http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/2/4/h4-3331-e.html |publisher = Library and Archives Canada |access-date = November 23, 2011 |archive-date = November 7, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111107231549/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/2/4/h4-3331-e.html |url-status = live }}</ref> The Progressive Conservatives won 206 of the 265 seats in the House of Commons, while the Liberals were reduced to just 48 seats. Pearson remained Liberal leader during this time and in the [[1962 Canadian federal election|1962 election]] managed to reduce Diefenbaker to a minority government. In the [[1963 Canadian federal election|1963 election]] Pearson led the Liberal Party back to victory, forming a minority government. Pearson served as prime minister for five years, winning a second election in [[1965 Canadian federal election|1965]]. While Pearson's leadership was considered poor and the Liberal Party never held a majority of the seats in parliament during his premiership, he left office in 1968 with an impressive legacy.<ref>{{cite web |title = Lester Pearson Biography |url = http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/2/4/h4-3356-e.html |publisher = Library and Archives Canada |access-date = November 23, 2011 |archive-date = January 24, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120124114042/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/2/4/h4-3356-e.html |url-status = live }}</ref> Pearson's government introduced [[Medicare (Canada)|Medicare]], a new immigration act, the Canada Pension Plan, Canada Student Loans, the [[Canada Assistance Plan]], and adopted the [[Flag of Canada|Maple Leaf]] as Canada's national flag.<ref>{{cite book |author = Andrew Cohen |title = Extraordinary Canadians: Lester B. Pearson |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JyBrNgMJELIC&q=for+this%2C+little+credit |year = 2008 |publisher = Penguin Canada |isbn = 978-0-1431-7269-7 }}</ref>

====Pierre Trudeau====

[[File:Pierre Trudeau (1975).jpg|thumb|left|140px|[[Pierre Elliott Trudeau]], Prime Minister of Canada (1968–1979, 1980–1984)]]

Under [[Pierre Trudeau]], the mission of a progressive social policy evolved into the goal of creating a "[[just society]]".<ref>{{cite web |first1= Allison|last1= Calwell |title= Former Canadian PM dies |url= http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/stories/s193185.htm|date= September 29, 2000|publisher= Australian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date= November 13, 2015|archive-date= September 13, 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240913225258/https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/worldtoday|url-status= live}}</ref> In the late 1970s, Trudeau stated that his Liberal Party adhered to the "[[Radical centrism|radical centre]]".<ref name=Graham>Graham, Ron, ed. (1998). ''The Essential Trudeau''. McClelland & Stewart, p. 71. {{ISBN|978-0-7710-8591-8}}.</ref><ref>Thompson, Wayne C. (2017). ''Canada''. Rowman & Littlefield, p. 135. {{ISBN|978-1-4758-3510-6}}.</ref>

The Liberal Party under Trudeau promoted [[Official bilingualism in Canada|official bilingualism]] and passed the ''[[Official Languages Act of Canada|Official Languages Act]]'', which gave French and English languages equal status in Canada.<ref name="hist"/> Trudeau hoped that the promotion of bilingualism would cement Quebec's place in Confederation, and counter growing calls for an independent Quebec. The party hoped the policy would transform Canada into a country where English and French Canadians could live together, and allow Canadians to move to any part of the country without having to lose their language. Although this vision has yet to fully materialize, official bilingualism has helped to halt the decline of the French language outside of Quebec, and to ensure that all federal government services (including radio and television services provided by the government-owned [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]/[[Radio-Canada]]) are available in both languages throughout the country.<ref>{{cite web |first1= Tamara|last1= Baluja|first2= James|last2= Bradshaw|title= Is bilingualism still relevant in Canada?|url= https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/is-bilingualism-still-relevant-in-canada/article4365620/?page=all|date= June 22, 2012|newspaper= The Globe and Mail|access-date= November 13, 2015|archive-date= September 13, 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240913225326/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/is-bilingualism-still-relevant-in-canada/article4365620/?page=all|url-status= live}}</ref>

The Trudeau Liberals are also credited with support for [[Multiculturalism in Canada|state multiculturalism]] as a means of integrating immigrants into Canadian society without forcing them to shed their culture,<ref>{{cite book|author1= Stephen Tierney|author2= Hugh Donald Forbes|title= Multiculturalism and the Canadian Constitution|url= http://www.ubcpress.ca/books/pdf/chapters/2007/multiculturalismandthecanadianconstitution.pdf|year= 2007|publisher= UBC Press|isbn= 978-0-7748-1445-4|pages= 27–41|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151117033156/http://www.ubcpress.ca/books/pdf/chapters/2007/multiculturalismandthecanadianconstitution.pdf|archive-date= November 17, 2015|df= mdy-all}}</ref> leading the party to build a base of support among recent immigrants and their children.<ref>Blais, André. [http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=364576 "Accounting for the Electoral Success of the Liberal Party in Canada"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117052953/http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=364576 |date=November 17, 2015 }}. ''Journal of Political Science,'' Dec 2005, Vol. 38#4. pp 821–840.</ref> This marked the culmination of a decades-long shift in Liberal immigration policy, a reversal of pre-war racial attitudes that spurred discriminatory policies such as the [[Chinese Immigration Act of 1923]]<ref>{{cite web |title = Chinese Immigration Act, 1923|url = http://www.pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/chinese-immigration-act-1923|publisher = Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21|access-date = April 30, 2017|archive-date = May 2, 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170502034523/http://www.pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/chinese-immigration-act-1923|url-status = live}}</ref> and the [[MS St. Louis|MS St. Louis incident]].<ref>{{cite news|author = Stephanie Levitz|title = Liberals working on apology for 1939 decision to turn away Jewish refugees|url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/liberals-working-on-apology-for-1939-decision-to-turn-away-jewish-refugees/article36410599/|newspaper = The Globe and Mail|date = September 27, 2016|access-date = September 28, 2017|archive-date = November 15, 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171115172738/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/liberals-working-on-apology-for-1939-decision-to-turn-away-jewish-refugees/article36410599/|url-status = live}}</ref>[[File:Liberal Party logo 1968.svg|thumb|Trudeau-era wordmark and logo]]

The most lasting effect of the Trudeau years has been the [[patriation]] of the [[Constitution of Canada]] and the creation of the ''[[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]]''.<ref>{{cite book|author1= Lois Harder|author2= Steve Patten|title= Patriation and Its Consequences: Constitution Making in Canada|url= http://www.ubcpress.ca/books/pdf/chapters/2015/PatriationAndItsConsequences.pdf|year= 2015|publisher= UBC Press|isbn= 978-0-7748-2861-1|pages= 3–23|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151117032743/http://www.ubcpress.ca/books/pdf/chapters/2015/PatriationAndItsConsequences.pdf|archive-date= November 17, 2015|df= mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first= Linda|last= McKay-Panos|title= The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: An Integral Part of our Constitution|url= http://www.lawnow.org/the-canadian-charter-of-rights-and-freedoms-an-integral-part-of-our-constitution/|newspaper= LawNow|access-date= November 12, 2015|date= January 1, 2013|archive-date= September 13, 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240913225258/http://www.lawnow.org/the-canadian-charter-of-rights-and-freedoms-an-integral-part-of-our-constitution/|url-status= live}}</ref> Trudeau's Liberals supported the concept of a strong, central government, and fought [[History of the Quebec sovereignist movement|Quebec separatism]], other forms of [[Quebec nationalism]], and the granting of "[[distinct society]]" status to Quebec; however, such actions served as rallying cries for sovereigntists, and alienated many Francophone Quebeckers.

The other primary legacy of the Trudeau years has been financial. Net federal debt in fiscal 1968, just before Trudeau became ~~Prime~~prime ~~Minister~~minister, was about $18 billion [[Canadian dollar|CAD]], or 26 percent of gross domestic product; by his final year in office, it had ballooned to over 200 billion—at 46 percent of GDP, nearly twice as large relative to the economy.<ref>{{cite web |first1= Jean|last1= Soucy|first2= Marion G.|last2= Wrobel |title = Federal Deficit: Changing Trends|url = http://publications.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/CIR/887-e.htm|publisher= Parliamentary Research Branch, Economics Division, Library of Parliament|access-date= November 12, 2015|date= April 11, 2000|archive-date= September 13, 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240913225309/https://publications.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/CIR/887-e.htm|url-status= live}}</ref>

====John Turner====

[[File:Liberal Party of Canada logo, 1984.svg|thumb|Liberal Party logo in 1984]]

After Trudeau's retirement in 1984, many Liberals, such as [[Jean Chrétien]] and [[Clyde K. Wells|Clyde Wells]], continued to adhere to Trudeau's concept of federalism. Others, such as [[John Turner]], supported the failed [[Meech Lake Accord|Meech Lake]] and [[Charlottetown Accord|Charlottetown Constitutional Accords]], which would have recognized Quebec as a "distinct society" and would have increased the powers of the provinces to the detriment of the federal government.

Trudeau stepped down as ~~Prime~~prime ~~Minister~~minister and party leader in 1984, as the Liberals were slipping in polls. At that year's leadership convention, Turner defeated Chrétien on the second ballot to become ~~Prime~~prime ~~Minister~~minister.<ref>Terence McKenna. [http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/jean-chretien-losing-the-liberal-leadership "Jean Chrétien: Losing the Liberal leadership"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119191817/http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/jean-chretien-losing-the-liberal-leadership |date=November 19, 2015 }}. CBC's ''The Journal'', February 27, 1986. Retrieved November 12, 2015.</ref> Immediately, upon taking office, Turner called a snap election, citing favourable internal polls. However, the party was hurt by [[You had an option, sir|numerous patronage appointments]], many of which Turner had made supposedly in return for Trudeau retiring early. Also, they were unpopular in their traditional stronghold of Quebec because of the constitution repatriation which excluded that province. The Liberals lost power in the [[1984 Canadian federal election|1984 election]], and were reduced to only 40 seats in the House of Commons. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority of the seats in every province, including Quebec. The 95-seat loss was the worst defeat in the party's history, and the worst defeat at the time for a governing party at the federal level. What was more, the [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|New Democratic Party]], successor to the [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation]], won only ten fewer seats than the Liberals, and some thought that the NDP under [[Ed Broadbent]] would push the Liberals to third-party status.<ref>{{cite book |author = Brooke Jeffrey |title = Divided Loyalties: The Liberal Party of Canada, 1984–2008 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8dBHhzra5mQC&q=ed+broadbent+ten+seats+liberals+1984&pg=PT20 |year = 2010 |publisher = University of Toronto Press |isbn = 978-1-4426-6019-9 |access-date = October 5, 2020 |archive-date = September 13, 2024 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240913225333/https://books.google.com/books?id=8dBHhzra5mQC&q=ed+broadbent+ten+seats+liberals+1984&pg=PT20#v=snippet&q=ed%20broadbent%20ten%20seats%20liberals%201984&f=false |url-status = live }}</ref>

The party began a long process of reconstruction.<ref name="hist"/> A small group of young Liberal MPs, known as the [[Liberal Party of Canada Rat Pack|Rat Pack]], gained fame by criticizing the Progressive Conservative government of [[Brian Mulroney]] at every turn. Also, despite public and backroom attempts to remove Turner as leader, he managed to consolidate his leadership at the 1986 review.

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[[File:Liberal Party of Canada L logo-Parti Liberal du Canada logo de L (1990s-2004).svg|thumb|Liberal Party logo, 1992–2004]]

While the Chrétien Liberals campaigned from the left, their time in power is most marked by the cuts made to many social programs, including health transfers, in order to balance the federal budget.<ref>{{cite news |title = Chrétien rejects health-care pleas from provinces |newspaper = Globe and Mail |date = April 2000 |url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/chretien-rejects-health-care-pleas-from-provinces/article1038283/ |access-date = October 30, 2019 |last1 = Scoffield |first1 = Heather |archive-date = August 3, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200803032602/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/chretien-rejects-health-care-pleas-from-provinces/article1038283/ |url-status = live }}</ref> Although Chrétien had supported the Charlottetown Accord while in opposition, in government he opposed major concessions to Quebec and other provincialist factions. In contrast to their promises during the 1993 campaign, they implemented only minor changes to NAFTA, embraced the free trade concept and—with the exception of the replacement of the GST with the [[Harmonized Sales Tax]] in some Atlantic provinces—broke their promise to replace the GST.

After a proposal for Quebec independence was narrowly defeated in the [[1995 Quebec referendum]], the Liberals passed the "[[Clarity Act]]", which outlines the federal government's preconditions for negotiating provincial independence.<ref>{{cite web |title = Clarity Act |publisher = Government of Canada Privy Council Office |url = http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/aia/index.asp?lang=eng&page=federal&doc=constitution/clarityact/ClarityAct_e.htm |access-date = November 9, 2011 |archive-date = December 7, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081207062905/http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/aia/index.asp?lang=eng&page=federal&doc=constitution%2Fclarityact%2FClarityAct_e.htm |url-status = dead }}</ref> In Chrétien's final term, he supported [[same-sex marriage in Canada|same-sex marriage]],<ref>{{cite news |author = Melissa Cheung |url = ~~http~~https://www.cbsnews.com/~~stories~~news/~~2003~~canada-will-legalize-gay-marriage/~~06/18/world/main559147.shtml~~ |title = Canada Will Legalize Gay Marriage |publisher = CBS News |date = June 18, 2003 |access-date = November 9, 2011 |archive-date = October 29, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141029034027/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/canada-will-legalize-gay-marriage/ |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/18/world/canadian-leaders-agree-to-propose-gay-marriage-law.html?pagewanted=1 |title = Canadian leaders agree to propose gay marriage law |work = The New York Times |date = June 18, 2003 |access-date = November 9, 2011 |first = Clifford |last = Krauss |archive-date = March 31, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190331193002/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/18/world/canadian-leaders-agree-to-propose-gay-marriage-law.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status = live }}</ref> [[Decriminalization|decriminalizing]] the possession of small quantities of marijuana,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2003-10-03 |title=Chrétien jokes about trying pot once it's decriminalized |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/chretien-jokes-about-trying-pot-once-its-decriminalized/article20451387/ |access-date=2023-06-15 |archive-date=June 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615205943/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/chretien-jokes-about-trying-pot-once-its-decriminalized/article20451387/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and ratified the [[Kyoto Protocol]].<ref name="CBC_2002_12">{{cite news |date=December 16, 2002 |title=Kyoto ratification 'important for future generations' |work=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kyoto-ratification-important-for-future-generations-1.325123 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205224931/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2002/12/16/kyotosign021216.html |url-status=live |archive-date=December 5, 2006 |access-date=January 9, 2013}}</ref> On March 17, 2003, Chrétien announced that [[Canada and the Iraq War|Canada would not support the invasion of Iraq]],<ref>{{cite news |title = Chrétien restates opposition to Iraq war |url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/chrtien-restates-opposition-to-iraq-war-1.405182 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071030095455/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2003/03/18/chretieniraq030318.html |url-status = live |archive-date = October 30, 2007 |access-date = November 9, 2011 |publisher = Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date = March 18, 2003 }}</ref> which caused friction with the United States.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sayle |first=Timothy A. |date=2015 |title="But he has nothing on at all!" Canada and the Iraq War, 2003 |journal=Canadian Military History |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=18–19}}</ref> However, a poll conducted by [[EKOS Research Associates|EKOS]] for the ''[[Toronto Star]]'' and ''[[La Presse (Canada)|La Presse]]'' shortly afterwards showed widespread approval of Chrétien's decision by the Canadian public: 71 percent of those questioned approved of the government's decision to not enter the United States-led invasion, with 27 percent expressing disapproval.<ref name="Harper">{{Cite news |last = Harper |first = Tim |title = Canadians back Chrétien on war, poll finds |newspaper = Toronto Star |date = March 22, 2003 |url = http://25461.vws.magma.ca/admin/articles/torstar-24-03-2003c.html |access-date = November 9, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110706184537/http://25461.vws.magma.ca/admin/articles/torstar-24-03-2003c.html |archive-date = July 6, 2011 |df = mdy-all }}</ref>

In Chrétien's final weeks as prime minister, he introduced legislation to reduce the maximum allowable donation to a political party or candidate to $5,000. The move came as a surprise even to Liberal supporters, as Chrétien had not done anything about election financing at any other point in his ten years in office. Political observers suggested that the move allowed Chrétien to retire on a positive note while saddling Martin, his longstanding rival and successor, with the burden of having to fight an election under the strict new rules.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/realitycheck/gray/20060613.html |author=Gray, John |publisher=CBC News |title=Realists and idealists and a bag of hammers |access-date=January 1, 2016 |date=June 13, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008121550/http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/realitycheck/gray/20060613.html |archive-date=October 8, 2010 }}</ref>

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The political situation changed with the revelation of the [[sponsorship scandal]], in which advertising agencies supporting the Liberal Party received grossly inflated commissions for their services. Having faced a divided conservative opposition for the past three elections, Liberals were seriously challenged by competition from the newly united [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative Party]] led by [[Stephen Harper]]. The [[2003–2004 Liberal Party of Canada infighting|infighting between Martin and Chrétien's supporters]] also dogged the party. Nonetheless, by criticizing the Conservatives' social policies, the Liberals were able to [[strategic voting|draw progressive votes]] from the NDP, which made the difference in several close races. In the [[2004 Canadian federal election|2004 election]], the Liberals retained enough support to continue as the government, though they were reduced to a minority.

In the midst of various court rulings in 2003 and 2004 that allowed for the legalization of [[Same-sex marriage|same-sex marriages]] in seven provinces and one territory, the Martin government proposed a bill to legalize [[Same-sex marriage in Canada|same-sex marriage across Canada]]. The House of Commons passed the ''[[Civil Marriage Act]]'' in late June 2005 in a late-night, last-minute vote before Parliament closed down, the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]] passed it in July 2005, and it received [[Royal Assent]] on July 20. This made Canada the fourth country in the world to allow same-sex marriages.<ref>{{cite news |author=CBC News |date=June 29, 2005 |title=The Supreme Court and same-sex marriage |publisher=CBC |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/samesexrights/ |access-date=April 26, 2014 |archive-date=April 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427000106/http://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/samesexrights/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-05-29 |title=Same-sex marriage around the world |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/same-sex-marriage-around-the-world-1.799137 |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=[[CBC News]] |archive-date=November 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125125134/http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/05/26/f-same-sex-timeline.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2005, the Martin government brokered a deal between first ministers and aboriginal leaders known as the [[Kelowna Accord]], which sought to improve the education, skills training, housing and health care of aboriginal peoples by providing $5 billion in funding over five years.<ref>{{cite web |date=2007-03-04 |title=Charest calls on Harper to honour Kelowna aboriginal accord |url=http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=01b6e6af-f4dd-4baa-84b1-7cfc317d5699 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013094942/http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=01b6e6af-f4dd-4baa-84b1-7cfc317d5699 |archive-date=2013-10-13 |access-date=2012-07-24 |publisher=Canada.com}}</ref>

Following the release of the first [[Gomery Report]], the Liberals dropped in polls. Nonetheless, Martin turned down the NDP's conditions for continued support, as well as rejecting an opposition proposal which would schedule a February 2006 election in return for passing several pieces of legislation. The Liberals thus lost a confidence vote on November 28, and Martin advised Governor General [[Michaëlle Jean]] to dissolve Parliament and call an election for [[2006 Canadian federal election|January 2006]].

The Liberal campaign was dogged from start to finish by the sponsorship scandal, which was brought up by a [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP) criminal investigation into the leak of the income trust announcement. Numerous gaffes, contrasting with a smoothly run Conservative campaign, put Liberals as many as ten points behind the Conservatives in opinion polling. They managed to recover some of their momentum by election night, but not enough to retain power. They won 103 seats, a net loss of 30 from when the writs were dropped, compared to 123 for the Tories. Martin resigned as Liberal leader on March 18.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2006-03-16 |title=Martin to officially resign as party leader |work=[[CBC News]] |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/martin-to-officially-resign-as-party-leader-1.603650 |access-date=2023-06-15 |archive-date=June 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230615201146/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/martin-to-officially-resign-as-party-leader-1.603650 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Struggles in opposition====

[[File:Liberal rally Brampton 2008 election 82.jpg|thumb|[[Stéphane Dion]] makes a speech on October 10, 2008, in [[Brampton West (federal electoral district)|Brampton West]]. Former Prime Minister [[Jean Chrétien]] was among notable Liberals at this rally; this was his first time campaigning for anyone since retirement.]]

The [[2006 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election|ensuing leadership election]] was set for December 2, 2006, in [[Montreal]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Rock says no to Liberal leadership |url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=c50b0f26-e061-46d1-a559-e4f63bdd7f69&k=1732 |access-date=November 12, 2011 |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=February 3, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214202931/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=c50b0f26-e061-46d1-a559-e4f63bdd7f69&k=1732 |archive-date=February 14, 2012 }}</ref> Eight candidates entered the contest, but only [[Michael Ignatieff]], [[Bob Rae]], [[Stéphane Dion]] and [[Gerard Kennedy]] were considered to be the capable of garnering enough support to be able to win the leadership, with Ignatieff and Rae being considered the [[front-runner]]s.<ref>{{cite news |title = Canadians Place Rae as Best Liberal Leader |url = http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/7107/canadians_place_rae_as_best_liberal_leader/ |publisher = Angus Reid |access-date = November 12, 2011 |date = October 20, 2006 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120121130424/http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/7107/canadians_place_rae_as_best_liberal_leader/ |archive-date = January 21, 2012 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = Rae Seen as Best Future Liberal PM in Canada |url = http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/7050/rae_seen_as_best_future_liberal_pm_in_canada/ |access-date = November 12, 2011 |publisher = Angus Reid |date = October 23, 2006 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120121143357/http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/7050/rae_seen_as_best_future_liberal_pm_in_canada/ |archive-date = January 21, 2012 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Although Ignatieff lead on the first two ballots, on the third ballot Dion picked up enough support from the eliminated Kennedy to leapfrog both Rae and Ignatieff, eliminating Rae. On the fourth and final ballot, Dion defeated Ignatieff to become leader of the Liberal Party.<ref>{{cite news |title = The Liberal Leadership Race |url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/who-librecap/ |publisher = Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date = November 12, 2011 |archive-date = January 19, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120119143626/http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/who-librecap/ |url-status = live }}</ref>

Dion campaigned on environmental sustainability during the leadership race, which later evolved into the "Green Shift": a proposal for a national [[carbon tax]] that would be offset by reductions to income tax rates.<ref>{{cite news |title = The Green Shift |url = http://www.cbc.ca/newsatsixns/pdf/liberalgreenplan.pdf |publisher = Liberal Party of Canada |access-date = November 13, 2011 |archive-date = December 21, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111221073942/http://www.cbc.ca/newsatsixns/pdf/liberalgreenplan.pdf |url-status = live }}</ref> The plan was a key policy for the party in the [[2008 Canadian federal election|2008 federal election]], but it was not well received and was continuously attacked by both the Conservatives and NDP.<ref>{{cite news |last = Morris |first = Chris |title = Liberal Green Shift is 'green shaft,' says Harper |url = https://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/478887 |access-date = November 13, 2011 |newspaper = Toronto Star |date = August 14, 2008 |archive-date = August 18, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080818041819/http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/478887 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = Harper hopes Green Shift will turn Liberal voters Tory blue |url = http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=b593fd8c-22bd-4805-97d8-a66dee44e5de |access-date = November 13, 2011 |newspaper = Canwest News Service |date = October 5, 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120214195835/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=b593fd8c-22bd-4805-97d8-a66dee44e5de |archive-date = February 14, 2012 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Galloway |first = Gloria |title = Layton lays into Green Shift |url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/article708340.ece |access-date = November 13, 2011 |newspaper = The Globe and Mail |date = September 11, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Green Shift touted as both saviour and damnation |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/green-shift-touted-as-both-saviour-and-damnation/article1061161/ |access-date=November 13, 2011 |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=September 11, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151127044738/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/green-shift-touted-as-both-saviour-and-damnation/article1061161/ |archive-date=November 27, 2015 }}</ref> On election night, the Liberal Party won 26.26 percent of the popular vote and 77 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons. At that time, their popular support was the lowest in the party's history, and weeks later Dion announced he would step down as Liberal leader once his successor was chosen.<ref>{{cite news |title = Dion resigns but will remain as leader for now |url = https://www.thestar.com/federalelection/article/520583 |access-date = November 13, 2011 |newspaper = Toronto Star |date = October 20, 2008 |first1 = Bruce |last1 = Campion-Smith |first2 = Les |last2 = Whittington |archive-date = March 13, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110313094318/http://www.thestar.com/federalelection/article/520583 |url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:41stElectionPollingResults.png|thumb|Graph of opinion polls conducted between the 2008 and 2011 elections]]

However, the [[2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute]] made Dion's continued leadership untenable: an agreement to form a [[coalition government]] between the with NDP faced public opposition if it meant Dion was to be become prime minister, even if only until the leadership election.<ref>{{cite news|title=Results of CBC News Survey |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/pdf/1069-cbc-results-dec4-final.pdf |publisher=EKOS Research |access-date=November 14, 2011 |date=December 4, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209235541/http://www.cbc.ca/news/pdf/1069-cbc-results-dec4-final.pdf |archive-date=December 9, 2008 }}</ref> Dion thus resigned as leader on December 8, with caucus selecting Ignatieff as interim leader.<ref name="interim2">{{cite news |date=December 10, 2008 |title=Ignatieff named interim Liberal leader |publisher=CBC News |url=~~http~~https://www.cbc.ca/~~canada~~news/~~story/2008/12/10~~canada/newly-named-liberal-leader-ignatieff-~~caucus~~ready-to-form-coalition-1.~~html~~698452 |access-date=10 December 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216061905/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/12/10/ignatieff-caucus.html |archive-date=2008-12-16}}</ref> However, Harper [[Prorogation in Canada|prorogued]] Parliament before a [[Motion of no confidence|confidence vote]] could be scheduled. When parliament resumed on January 28, 2009, the Ignatieff Liberals agreed to support the budget as long as it included regular accountability reports, which the Conservatives accepted. This ended the possibility of the coalition government with the New Democrats.<ref>{{cite news |title = Ignatieff okays budget, with conditions |url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/article968692.ece |access-date = November 14, 2011 |newspaper = The Globe and Mail |date = January 28, 2009 |first1 = Campbell |last1 = Clark |first2 = Jane |last2 = Taber |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110126185559/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/article968692.ece |archive-date = January 26, 2011 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Ignatieff was [[2009 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election|formally named leader on May 2, 2009]].<ref>{{cite news |date=May 2, 2009 |title=Ignatieff slams Harper for 'failure to unite Canada' |publisher=CBC News |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ignatieff-slams-harper-for-failure-to-unite-canada-1.775666 |access-date=16 May 2018 |archive-date=June 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230616082756/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ignatieff-slams-harper-for-failure-to-unite-canada-1.775666 |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff speaks during a news conference in Toronto.jpg|thumb|left|[[Michael Ignatieff]] speaks during a news conference in Toronto on March 28, 2011]]

By the time Ignatieff was confirmed as party leader, the Liberal Party had a comfortable lead over the governing Conservatives.<ref>{{cite news |url = ~~http~~https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/~~story/2009/05/02/liberal~~ignatieff-~~convention~~slams-harper-for-failure-to-unite-canada-1.~~html~~775666 |title = Ignatieff slams Harper for 'failure to unite Canada' |date = May 2, 2009 |publisher = CBC News |access-date = November 9, 2011 |archive-date = January 7, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140107204643/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ignatieff-slams-harper-for-failure-to-unite-canada-1.775666 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = Close Federal Race Continues – Tories Down in Quebec Up in Ontario |url = http://www.nanosresearch.com/library/polls/POLNAT-S09-T369E.pdf |access-date = November 14, 2011 |newspaper = Nanos Research |date = May 2, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111016121527/http://www.nanosresearch.com/library/polls/POLNAT-S09-T369E.pdf |archive-date = October 16, 2011 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Close federal race continues |url = http://www.nanosresearch.com/library/polls/POLNAT-S09-T380E.pdf |publisher = Nanos Research |access-date = November 14, 2011 |date = June 27, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111016113948/http://www.nanosresearch.com/library/polls/POLNAT-S09-T380E.pdf |archive-date = October 16, 2011 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Support fell over the summer as Ignatieff was characterized of "missing in action", and Ignatieff announced on August 31, 2009, that the Liberals would not support the minority Conservative government when Parliament resumed.<ref>{{cite news |last = Siddiqui |first = Haroon |title = If Harper is Bush, then Ignatieff is John Kerry |url = https://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/690191 |access-date = November 14, 2011 |newspaper = Toronto Star |date = September 3, 2009 |archive-date = September 13, 2024 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240913225305/https://www.thestar.com/ |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Hebert |first = Chantal |title = Absent opposition gives the PM a holiday |url = https://www.thestar.com/canada/columnist/article/686513 |access-date = November 14, 2011 |newspaper = Toronto Star |date = August 26, 2009 |archive-date = September 13, 2024 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240913225305/https://www.thestar.com/ |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = Liberals won't raise taxes: Ignatieff |url = ~~http~~https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/~~story/2009/09/02/opposition~~liberals-~~election~~won-t-raise-taxes-ignatieff-1.~~html~~815328 |access-date = November 9, 2011 |publisher = Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date = September 2, 2009 |archive-date = October 16, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151016201454/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/liberals-won-t-raise-taxes-ignatieff-1.815328 |url-status = live }}</ref> A month later, on October 1, the Liberals put forth a non-confidence motion; however, the NDP abstained from voting and the Conservative government survived.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCATRE58T4BE20091001 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110715175324/http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCATRE58T4BE20091001 |url-status = dead |archive-date = July 15, 2011 |title = Canada's government survives non-confidence motion ~~| Canada~~ |work = Reuters |date = October 1, 2009 |access-date = April 28, 2010 }}</ref> The attempt to force an election, just a year after the previous one, was viewed as a miscalculation, as polls showed that most Canadians did not want another election.<ref>{{cite web |title = Parties Virtually Tied as Election Nears in Canada |url = http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/37078/parties_virtually_tied_as_election_nears_in_canada/ |publisher = Angus Reid |access-date = November 14, 2011 |date = September 4, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120121181708/http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/37078/parties_virtually_tied_as_election_nears_in_canada/ |archive-date = January 21, 2012 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Afterwards, popularity for Ignatieff and his party continued to fall.<ref>{{cite news |last = MacDonald |first = Ian |title = Harper tickles while Ignatieff burns |url = http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/features/viewpoints/story.html?id=0e1cf966-d164-43b2-873a-76b828a82999 |access-date = November 9, 2011 |newspaper = Montreal Gazette |date = October 9, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130314151902/http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/features/viewpoints/story.html?id=0e1cf966-d164-43b2-873a-76b828a82999 |archive-date = March 14, 2013 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Over the next year and a half, with the exception of a brief period in early 2010, support for the Liberals remained below 30 percent, and behind the Conservatives.<ref>{{cite web |title = Conservatives retain 7-point lead as parties enter election campaign |url = http://www.ekospolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/full_report_march_25_2011.pdf |publisher = EKOS Politics |access-date = November 15, 2011 |date = March 25, 2011 |archive-date = May 16, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110516035013/http://www.ekospolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/full_report_march_25_2011.pdf |url-status = live }}</ref>[[File:Liberale Partei Kanadas Logo.svg|thumb|The Liberal Party logo used from 2010 to 2014. In this and the subsequent logo, the stem of the maple leaf forms an [[acute accent]], used in the word ''Libéral'' in French|left]]

Shortly after the Harper government was found to be in [[Contempt of Parliament]] over the [[Canadian Afghan detainee issue]], Ignatieff successfully introduced a motion of no confidence against the government, beginning the [[2011 Canadian federal election|2011 election]].<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/world/americas/26canada.html |title = Canadian Government, Beset by Scandal, Collapses |date = March 25, 2011 |access-date = October 18, 2015 |work = The New York Times |first = Ian |last = Austen |archive-date = September 24, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180924215516/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/world/americas/26canada.html |url-status = live }}</ref> The Liberals had considerable momentum when the writ was dropped, and Ignatieff successfully squeezed NDP leader [[Jack Layton]] out of media attention by issuing challenges to Harper for one-on-one debates.<ref>{{cite news |title = Chance of Harper vs. Ignatieff debate fades |url = https://www.ctvnews.ca/chance-of-harper-vs-ignatieff-debate-fades-1.626022 |access-date = November 14, 2011 |publisher = CTV News |date = March 31, 2011 |archive-date = June 22, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150622093939/http://www.ctvnews.ca/chance-of-harper-vs-ignatieff-debate-fades-1.626022 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Whittington |first = Les |title = Ignatieff's appeal improving but Harper still leads, poll says |url = https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/970557--ignatieff-s-appeal-improving-but-harper-still-leads-poll-says |access-date = November 14, 2011 |newspaper = Toronto Star |date = April 7, 2011 |archive-date = April 10, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110410204307/http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/970557--ignatieff-s-appeal-improving-but-harper-still-leads-poll-says |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Galloway |first = Gloria |title = Layton remains game despite polls showing he's the odd man out |url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/layton-shows-strain-as-polls-suggest-hes-the-odd-man-out/article1978060/ |access-date = November 14, 2011 |newspaper = The Globe and Mail |date = April 8, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110412213210/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/layton-shows-strain-as-polls-suggest-hes-the-odd-man-out/article1978060/ |archive-date = April 12, 2011 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> However, opponents frequently criticized Ignatieff's perceived political opportunism, particularly during the [[Leaders' debate]]s when Layton criticized Ignatieff for having a poor attendance record for Commons votes: "You know, most Canadians, if they don't show up for work, they don't get a promotion." Ignatieff failed to defend himself against these charges, and the debates were said to be a turning point in the campaign.<ref>{{cite news |url = ~~http~~https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/~~story/2011/05/02/cv~~ignatieff-~~election~~s-liberals-lose-official-opposition-status-1.~~html~~1055540 |publisher = Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |title = Ignatieff's Liberals lose Official Opposition status |date = May 3, 2011 |access-date = September 3, 2024 |archive-date = June 4, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230604143311/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ignatieff-s-liberals-lose-official-opposition-status-1.1055540 |url-status = live }}</ref>

On election day, the Liberals took the biggest loss in their history. The result was a third-place finish, with only 19 percent of the vote and returning 34 seats in the House of Commons. Notably, their support in Toronto and Montreal, their power bases for the last two decades, all but vanished. The Conservatives won 40 percent of the vote and formed a majority government, while the NDP won 31 percent of the vote and formed the Official Opposition.<ref>{{cite web |title = Official Voting Results – Forty-First General Election 2011 |url = http://elections.ca/scripts/ovr2011/default.html |publisher = Elections Canada |access-date = May 21, 2012 |archive-date = May 21, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120521211804/http://www.elections.ca/scripts/ovr2011/default.html |url-status = live }}</ref> It marked the first time the Liberals were unable to form either government or the official opposition. Ignatieff was defeated in his own riding, and announced his resignation as Liberal leader shortly after. Bob Rae was chosen as the [[Interim leader (Canada)|interim leader]] on May 25, 2011.<ref name="twoyears">{{cite news |title = Federal Liberals won't pick new leader for full two years |url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/federal-liberals-wont-pick-new-leader-for-full-two-years/article2066673/ |access-date = June 19, 2011 |newspaper = The Globe and Mail |date = June 19, 2011|first = Joan |last = Bryden }}</ref>

Pundits widely viewed the 2011 election as a [[political realignment]] and questioned the Liberal Party's viability.''[[The Economist]]'' said, "the election represents the biggest realignment of Canadian politics since 1993";<ref>''Economist'' May 3, 2011</ref> ''[[Maclean's]]'' writer [[Andrew Coyne]] wrote that "the Conservatives are now in a position to replace the Liberals as the [[natural governing party]] in Canada."<ref>Andrew Coyne, "The West is in and Ontario has joined it: How the election led to an unprecedented realignment of Canadian politics", [http://www.macleans.ca/2011/05/06/a-new-power-couple/ ''Maclean's'' May 6, 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601091534/http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/05/06/a-new-power-couple/ |date=June 1, 2013 }}</ref> Books such as ''The Big Shift'' by [[John Ibbitson]] and [[Darrell Bricker]], and [[Peter C. Newman]]'s ''When the Gods Changed: The Death of Liberal Canada'', asserted that the Liberals had become an "endangered species".<ref>{{cite news |last=McLeod |first=Paul |date=October 22, 2015 |title=Book Review: The Big Shift Explains Why Stephen Harper Will Keep Winning |publisher=Buzzfeed |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/paulmcleod/book-review-the-big-shift-why-stephen-harper-will-keep-winni#.kk8WgyWkW |access-date=October 22, 2015 |archive-date=October 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023222156/http://www.buzzfeed.com/paulmcleod/book-review-the-big-shift-why-stephen-harper-will-keep-winni#.kk8WgyWkW |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Valpy |first=Michael |date=November 25, 2011 |title=Is a Liberal comeback mission impossible? |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/is-a-liberal-comeback-mission-impossible/article4246976/ |access-date=October 22, 2015 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304223625/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/is-a-liberal-comeback-mission-impossible/article4246976/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Justin Trudeau====

[[File:Justin Trudeau (2023).jpg|thumb|[[Justin Trudeau]], Prime Minister of Canada (2015–present)]]

On April 14, 2013, [[Justin Trudeau]], son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was [[2013 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election|elected leader]] of the Liberal Party on the first ballot, winning 80% of the vote.<ref>{{cite news |title = Justin Trudeau sweeps Liberal leadership with 80% support |url = ~~http~~https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/~~story/2013/04/14/pol~~trudeau-to-face-off-against-harper-in-question-~~liberal~~period-~~leadership~~today-~~results~~1.~~html~~1317124 |access-date = April 15, 2013 |publisher = Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |date = April 14, 2013 |archive-date = September 29, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130929153612/http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-to-face-off-against-harper-in-question-period-today-1.1317124 |url-status = live }}</ref> Following his win, support for the Liberal Party increased considerably, and the party moved into first place in public opinion polls.<ref>{{cite news |last = Berthiaume |first = Lee |title = Tory attack ads may be backfiring in favour of Trudeau's Liberals as support rises, new poll shows |url = http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/05/07/tory-attack-ads-may-be-backfiring-in-favour-of-trudeaus-liberals-as-support-rises-new-poll-shows/ |access-date = June 7, 2013 |newspaper = National Post |date = May 7, 2013 |archive-date = September 13, 2024 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240913225306/https://nationalpost.com/category/news/ |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Visser |first = Josh |title = Trudeau's Liberals hit historic highs as senate scandal has 'drastic effect' on Tories: poll |url = http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/05/23/trudeaus-liberals-hit-historic-highs-as-senate-scandal-has-drastic-effect-on-tories-poll/ |access-date = June 7, 2013 |newspaper = National Post |date = May 23, 2013 |archive-date = June 7, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130607130721/http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/05/23/trudeaus-liberals-hit-historic-highs-as-senate-scandal-has-drastic-effect-on-tories-poll/ |url-status = live }}</ref> In response, the Conservatives ran a series of ads attempting to "[paint] him as a silly dilettante unfit for public office" and the surge levelled off in the following year.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Warnica |first1=Richard |date=October 23, 2015 |title=The Liberal Resurrection: How a Liberal 'lightweight' faced with the longest election campaign in history beat down a Tory majority |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/features/the-liberal-resurrection |access-date=October 25, 2015 |work=National Post |archive-date=November 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130131312/https://nationalpost.com/category/news/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2014, Trudeau removed all Liberal senators from the Liberal Party caucus. In announcing this, Trudeau said the purpose of the unelected upper chamber is to act as a check on the power of the prime minister, but the party structure interferes with that purpose.<ref name="LibSenate" /> Following this move, Liberal senators chose to keep the designation "Liberal" and sit together as a caucus, albeit not one supported by the Liberal Party of Canada. This independent group continued to refer to itself in publications as the [[Senate Liberal Caucus]] until 2019.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Crawford|first1=Allison|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/senate-liberals-caucus-speaker-1.3347265|title=Senate Liberals unsure how to work with Trudeau government|access-date = January 1, 2016 |publisher= CBC News|date = December 3, 2015|archive-date=September 13, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240913225350/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/senate-liberals-caucus-speaker-1.3347265|url-status=live}}</ref>

By the time the [[2015 Canadian federal election|2015 federal election]] was called, the Liberals had fallen back to third place. Trudeau and his advisors mounted a campaign based on economic stimulus in the hopes of regaining the mantle of being the party that best represented change from the New Democrats.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Raj|first1=Althia|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/10/25/justin-trudeau_n_8382304.html|title=Justin Trudeau's Liberals: 'We Had A Plan And We Stuck To It.' And They Won|access-date = October 31, 2015 |work = Huffington Post|date = October 25, 2015}}</ref> The campaign was successful, and the Liberals won the election in a dramatic fashion: with 39.5 percent of the popular vote and 184 seats, it was the first time a party had won a parliamentary majority after placing third in a previous general election.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34578213|title = Canada election: Liberals sweep to power|access-date = October 20, 2015 |work = BBC News|date = October 20, 2015|archive-date = October 20, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151020035211/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34578213|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/canada/11941852/Canada-election-Liberals-poised-to-win-sweeping-victory-over-Conservatives.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/canada/11941852/Canada-election-Liberals-poised-to-win-sweeping-victory-over-Conservatives.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title = Canada election: Liberals win sweeping victory over Conservatives|access-date = October 20, 2015 |newspaper = The Daily Telegraph|date = October 20, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|publisher=CBC News|date=October 19, 2015|access-date=October 20, 2015|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-results-federal-election-2015-1.3278830|title = Stunning Liberal gains in Quebec as Trudeau wins majority government|archive-date=October 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020024320/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-results-federal-election-2015-1.3278830|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Chantal Hébert]] deemed the result "a Liberal comeback that is headed straight for the history books",<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.thestar.com/news/federal-election/2015/10/20/liberal-comeback-headed-for-history-books-hbert.html|title = Liberal comeback headed for history books|access-date = October 25, 2015 |work = Toronto Star|date = October 20, 2015|archive-date = October 24, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151024000551/http://www.thestar.com/news/federal-election/2015/10/20/liberal-comeback-headed-for-history-books-hbert.html|url-status = live}}</ref> while [[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]]'s Josh Wingrove and Theophilos Argitis similarly described it as "capping the biggest political comeback in the country’s history."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Argitis |first1=Theophilos |last2=Wingrove |first2= Josh |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=October 19, 2015 |access-date=October 27, 2015 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-20/trudeau-s-liberals-projected-to-win-canada-vote-networks-say |title=Trudeau's Liberals Oust Harper With Surprise Canada Majority |archive-date=October 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027135308/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-20/trudeau-s-liberals-projected-to-win-canada-vote-networks-say |url-status=live }}</ref> Spencer McKay, writing for the ''[[National Post]]'', suggested that "maybe we've witnessed a revival of Canada's 'natural governing party'".<ref>Spencer McKay, "The Great Liberal Comeback" [http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/spencer-mckay-the-great-liberal-comeback ''National Post'' Oct 29 2015] {{Webarchive|url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20151119074616/http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/spencer-mckay-the-great-liberal-comeback|date=2015-11-19}}</ref>

At the [[2019 Canadian federal election|2019 federal election]], Trudeau's Liberal Party lost 20 seats in the House of Commons (lowering its total from 177 to 157) from the time of dissolution, they still won the most seats of any party—enough seats to allow Trudeau to form a minority government.<ref>{{cite web |last=Da Silva |first=Chantal |author-link=Chantal Da Silva |date=October 22, 2019 |title=Justin Trudeau wins minority government—what does this mean for America? |url=https://www.newsweek.com/justin-trudeau-canadian-election-minority-government-donald-trump-1466845 |website=Newsweek |access-date=March 23, 2022 |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406174906/https://www.newsweek.com/justin-trudeau-canadian-election-minority-government-donald-trump-1466845 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Trudeau says no plans to form a coalition, will push ahead on Trans Mountain|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/6071193/justin-trudeau-minority-government-plan/|website=Global News|access-date=March 23, 2022|archive-date=April 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406173403/https://globalnews.ca/news/6071193/justin-trudeau-minority-government-plan/|url-status=live}}</ref> For the first time since 1979, the party that garnered the largest share of the national popular vote did not win the most seats; the Liberals under Trudeau had 33.1 per cent of the popular vote, while the Conservatives under [[Andrew Scheer]] had 34.4 per cent.<ref name="toronto">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/grenier-election-results-1.5330105|title=Ontario and Quebec keep Liberals in power and Conservatives out|publisher=cbc.ca|date=October 22, 2019|access-date=March 23, 2022|archive-date=April 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406194923/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/grenier-election-results-1.5330105|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://election.ctvnews.ca/historic-opportunity-opposition-leaders-take-stock-after-liberal-minority-win-1.4649796|title='Historic opportunity': Opposition leaders take stock after Liberal minority win|first=Rachel|last=Aiello|date=October 22, 2019|website=Federal Election 2019|access-date=March 23, 2022|archive-date=July 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731183032/https://election.ctvnews.ca/historic-opportunity-opposition-leaders-take-stock-after-liberal-minority-win-1.4649796|url-status=live}}</ref> It was also the first time a government took power with less than 35 per cent of the national popular vote since the Conservatives of [[John A. Macdonald]], in 1867, who had 34.8 per cent of the votes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/election-2019/canadian-federal-election-2019-liberals-justin-trudeau-win|title=All-time low share of popular vote is enough for Liberals to win power | National Post|newspaper=National Post|date=October 22, 2019|last1=Brean|first1=Joseph|access-date=March 23, 2022|archive-date=July 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210706201852/https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/election-2019/canadian-federal-election-2019-liberals-justin-trudeau-win|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[2021 Canadian federal election|2021 federal election]], Trudeau and the Liberals secured a third mandate and his second minority government after winning 160 seats. However, the Liberals again came in second in the national popular vote, behind the Conservatives.<ref>[{{Cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-votes-2021-election-night-highlights-1.6177106 |title=Federal election latest updates", CBC, September 20, 2021.] |access-date=March 23, 2022 |archive-date=March 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303012643/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-votes-2021-election-night-highlights-1.6177106 |url-status=live }}</ref> They received 32.6 percent of the popular vote, the lowest percentage of the national popular vote for a governing party in Canadian history.<ref name="Hopper2">{{cite news|last=Hopper|first=Tristan|date=September 22, 2021|title=First Reading: The Least Popular Canadian Government Ever Elected|work=National Post|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/election-2021/first-reading-the-least-popular-canadian-government-ever-elected}}</ref>

In March 2022, Trudeau's Liberal Party agreed to a [[confidence and supply]] deal with the [[New Democratic Party]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Liberals, NDP agree to confidence deal seeing Trudeau government maintain power until 2025 |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/liberals-ndp-agree-to-confidence-deal-seeing-trudeau-government-maintain-power-until-2025-1.5829116 |website=[[CTV News]] |date=March 22, 2022 |access-date=March 23, 2022 |archive-date=March 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322132559/https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/liberals-ndp-agree-to-confidence-deal-seeing-trudeau-government-maintain-power-until-2025-1.5829116 |url-status=live }}</ref> In September 2024, [[Jagmeet Singh]] announced that he was ending the confidence-and-supply agreement, with NDP sources saying they had "achieved all they could from the agreement."<ref>{{cite web |last1=McKenna |first1=Kate |last2=Zimonjic |first2=Peter |title=How the NDP's deal with the Liberals died |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ndp-liberal-confidence-and-supply-parliament-1.7316227 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=12 September 2024 |date=4 September 2024 |archive-date=September 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912064558/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ndp-liberal-confidence-and-supply-parliament-1.7316227 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Yousif |first1=Nadine |date=September 5, 2024 |title=Why Canadian politics just got more unpredictable |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y3vpp1z91o |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240905235537/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y3vpp1z91o |archive-date=September 5, 2024 |access-date=September 6, 2024 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> Later in the month the Liberals faced a competitive [[List of federal by-elections in Canada|by-election]] in [[2024 LaSalle—Émard—Verdun federal by-election|LaSalle—Émard—Verdun]] in [[Montreal]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Major |first=Darren |date=September 10, 2024 |title=Upcoming federal byelections will put Singh and the NDP brand to the test - NDP looking to both hold a Winnipeg seat and pull another away from the Liberals in Montreal |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ndp-byelections-test-singh-leadership-1.7317935 |website=CBC News |access-date=September 11, 2024 |archive-date=September 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240911151244/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ndp-byelections-test-singh-leadership-1.7317935 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Systems and realignment model===

Scholars and political experts have recently used a [[political realignment]] model to explain what was considered a collapse of a dominant party, and put its condition in long-term perspective. According to recent scholarship, there have been four [[party systems]] in Canada at the federal level since Confederation, each with its own distinctive pattern of social support, patronage relationships, leadership styles, and electoral strategies. Steve Patten identifies four party systems in Canada's political history:<ref>Steve Patten, [https://books.google.com/books?id=CxQpqRY5WcEC&q=steve+patten "The Evolution of the Canadian Party System"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708191424/https://books.google.com/books?id=CxQpqRY5WcEC&q=steve+patten |date=July 8, 2023 }}. in Gagnon, and Tanguay, eds. ''Canadian Parties in Transition'' pp. 57–58</ref>

* The first party system emerged from pre-Confederation colonial politics, had its "heyday" from 1896 to 1911 and lasted until the [[Conscription Crisis of 1917]], and was characterized by local patronage administered by the two largest parties, the Liberals and the Conservatives.

* The second system emerged following the First World War, and had its heyday from 1935 and 1957, was characterized by [[Regionalism (politics)|regionalism]] and saw the emergence of several protest parties, such as the [[Progressives (Canada)|Progressives]], the [[Social Credit Party (Canada)|Social Credit Party]], and the [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation]].

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===2021 party platform===

During the [[2021 Canadian federal election|2021 federal election]], the Liberal Party of Canada introduced their platform, which included a "Gender and Diversity Impact Summary" for each chapter,<ref name="Forward. For Everyone">{{cite web |title=Forward. For Everyone |url=https://liberal.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/292/2021/09/Platform-Forward-For-Everyone.pdf |publisher=Liberal Party of Canada |access-date=12 May 2022 |archive-date=June 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605150609/https://liberal.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/292/2021/09/Platform-Forward-For-Everyone.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> as well as six key categories. These included: the pandemic, housing, health care, the economy, climate change, and reconciliation.<ref name="CTV News 2021 Liberal">{{cite news |last1=Aiello |first1=Rachel |title=Liberals unveil 2021 election platform, promising total of $78 billion for post-pandemic rebuild |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/federal-election-2021/liberals-unveil-2021-election-platform-promising-total-of-78-billion-for-post-pandemic-rebuild-1.5569268?cache=%3FclipId%3D89950 |access-date=12 May 2022 |agency=CTV News |date=1 September 2021 |archive-date=April 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422015537/https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/federal-election-2021/liberals-unveil-2021-election-platform-promising-total-of-78-billion-for-post-pandemic-rebuild-1.5569268?cache=%3FclipId%3D89950 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Liberals unveil 2021 election platform |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/1/canadas-liberals-unveil-massive-investment-plan-ahead-of-vote |agency=Al Jazeera |date=1 September 2021 |access-date=May 12, 2022 |archive-date=May 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526003746/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/1/canadas-liberals-unveil-massive-investment-plan-ahead-of-vote |url-status=live }}</ref>

Key Liberal policies of the 2021 platform included:

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==Provincial parties==

Eight provinces and one territory in Canada have a Liberal Party in their legislatures. Neither [[Nunavut]] nor the [[Northwest Territories]] have party-based electoral and governing systems (both operate with [[consensus democracy]]). British Columbia had a Liberal Party whose name and ideology have shifted, [[BC United]]; Saskatchewan also had a Liberal Party whose name has changed, [[Saskatchewan Progress Party]]. [[Yukon Liberal Party|Yukon]], [[Alberta Liberal Party|Alberta]], [[Manitoba Liberal Party|Manitoba]], [[Ontario Liberal Party|Ontario]] and [[Quebec Liberal Party|Quebec]] each have a Liberal Party that may align ideologically with the federal party but operates as a completely separate entity (though at one time were affiliated): Those provincial parties have separate policies, finances, memberships, constituency associations, executives, conventions and offices. The [[New Brunswick Liberal Association|New Brunswick]], [[Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland and Labrador]], [[Nova Scotia Liberal Party|Nova Scotia]], and [[Prince Edward Island Liberal Party|Prince Edward Island]] provincial Liberals are each politically and organizationally affiliated with the federal Liberal Party.

==Electoral performance==

Line 555 ⟶ 556:

! [[2015 Canadian federal election|2015]]

| align="left" rowspan=46| [[Justin Trudeau]]

| 6,928,055

| 39.47

Line 571 ⟶ 572:

| {{yes2|Minority}}

! rowspan=24| [[2021 Canadian federal election|2021]]

| rowspan=24| 5,556,629

| rowspan=24| 32.62

| rowspan=24| {{Composition bar|160|338|hex={{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}}}

| rowspan=24| {{increase}} 3

| rowspan=24| {{steady}} 1st

~~|{{yes2|Minority}} {{small|(with [[New Democratic Party|NDP]] [[confidence and supply]])}}~~

|{{yes2| Minority (2021-2022)}}

|{{yes2|Minority}} {{small|(with [[New Democratic Party|NDP]] [[confidence and supply]]) (2022-2024)}}{{efn|The New Democratic Party provided [[confidence and supply]] for the Liberal Party government, from March 2022 to September 2024.}}

|{{yes2| Minority (2024)}}

==Party leadership==

To date, only seven Liberal leaders never served as ~~Prime~~prime ~~Minister~~minister, three of whom were interim leaders.

===Leaders===

Line 598 ⟶ 602:

| [[File:George Brown.jpg|60px]] || [[George Brown (Canadian politician)|George Brown]] ||style="text-align:center;"| 1867 || style="text-align:center;"| 1867 || November 29, 1818 || May 9, 1880 || Unofficial (The leader of the [[Clear Grits]], a forerunner of the federal Liberal Party)

|[[File:Portrait of Edward Blake.jpg|60px]] || [[Edward Blake]] ||style="text-align:center;"| 1869 || style="text-align:center;"|1870 || October 13, ~~1833~~1834 || March 1, 1912 || Unofficial

|[[File:Alexander MacKenzie - portrait.jpg|60px]] ||[[Alexander Mackenzie (politician)|Alexander Mackenzie]] || March 6, 1873 || April 27, 1880 || January 28, 1822 || April 17, 1892 || 2nd Prime Minister (1st Liberal Prime Minister)

Line 634 ⟶ 638:

===Deputy Leaders===

* [[Sheila Copps]] ~~1991 - 1993~~1991–1993<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=11520 |title=The Hon. Sheila Maureen Copps, P.C., O.C., M.P. |author= |date= |website=Parlinfo |publisher=Library of Parliament |access-date=2024-06-25 |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625222952/https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=11520 |url-status=live }}</ref>

* Michael Ignatieff 2006–2008<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=4927 |title=The Hon. Michael Ignatieff, P.C., M.P. |author= |date= |website=Parlinfo |publisher=Library of Parliament |access-date=2024-06-25 |archive-date=September 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906223410/https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=4927 |url-status=live }}</ref>

* ~~Michael~~[[Ralph ~~Ignatieff~~Goodale]] ~~2006 - 2008~~2010–2015<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=~~4927~~4487 |title=The Hon. ~~Michael~~Ralph ~~Ignatieff~~Goodale, P.C., M.P. |author= |date= |website=Parlinfo |publisher=Library of Parliament |access-date=2024-06-25 |archive-date=December 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214203616/https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=4487 |url-status=live }}</ref>

~~|author= |date= |website=Parlinfo |publisher=Library of Parliament |access-date=2024-06-25}}</ref>~~

* [[Ralph Goodale]] 2010 - 2015<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=4487 |title=The Hon. Ralph Goodale, P.C., M.P.

~~|author= |date= |website=Parlinfo |publisher=Library of Parliament |access-date=2024-06-25}}</ref>~~

===Presidents===

Line 668 ⟶ 669:

* [[Anna Gainey]] 2014–2018

* [[Suzanne Cowan]] 2018–2023

* [[Sachit Mehra]] 2023–present<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vigliotti |first1=Marco |title=Liberals elect Sachit Mehra as new party president |url=https://www.ipolitics.ca/news/liberals-elect-sachit-mehra-as-new-party-president |access-date=8 May 2023 |work=[[iPolitics]] |date=6 May 2023 |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509171338/https://www.ipolitics.ca/news/liberals-elect-sachit-mehra-as-new-party-president |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==

Line 693 ⟶ 694:

* Gagnon, Alain G., and Brian Tanguay. ''Canadian Parties in Transition'' (3rd ed. 2007), 574pp; university textbook

* Granatstein, J.L. ''Mackenzie King: His Life and World'' (1977).

* Hillmer, Norman, and Steven Azzi. "Canada's Best Prime Ministers", [http://www.macleans.ca/2011/06/10/canadas-best-prime-ministers ''Maclean's'' June 20, 2011 online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202234845/http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/06/10/canadas-best-prime-ministers/ |date=December 2, 2013 }}

* Jeffrey, Brooke. ''Divided Loyalties: The Liberal Party of Canada, 1984–2008'' (2010) [https://www.amazon.com/Divided-Loyalties-Liberal-Canada-1984-2008/dp/1442610654/ excerpt and text search] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321212235/http://www.amazon.com/Divided-Loyalties-Liberal-Canada-1984-2008/dp/1442610654 |date=March 21, 2016 }}

* Jeffrey, Brooke. ''Road to Redemption: The Liberal Party of Canada, 2006-2019'' (2020)

* Koop, Royce. "Professionalism, Sociability and the Liberal Party in the Constituencies." ''Canadian Journal of Political Science'' (2010) 43#04 pp: 893–913.

Line 701 ⟶ 702:

* [[Neatby, H. Blair]]. ''Laurier and a Liberal Quebec: A Study in Political Management'' (1973)

* Whitaker, Reginald. ''The Government Party: Organizing and Financing the Liberal Party of Canada, 1930–1958'' (1977)

* {{Cite encyclopedia |publisher = University Associates of Canada |volume = IV |pages = 75–76 |last = Wallace |first = W.S. |title = History of the Liberal Party of Canada |encyclopedia = The Encyclopedia of Canada |location = Toronto |year = 1948 |url = http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/encyclopedia/HistoryoftheLiberalPartyofCanada-CanadianHistory.htm |access-date = November 25, 2008 |archive-date = March 3, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210702/http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/quebechistory/encyclopedia/HistoryoftheLiberalPartyofCanada-CanadianHistory.htm |url-status = live }}

* Wearing, Joseph. ''The L-Shaped Party: The Liberal Party of Canada, 1958–1980'' (McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1981)