[{"key":"dc.contributor.author","value":"Drukier, Cindy Carol","language":null},{"key":"dc.coverage.spatial","value":"Canada","language":"en"},{"key":"dc.date.accessioned","value":"2009-02-14T01:12:25Z","language":null},{"key":"dc.date.available","value":"2009-02-14T01:12:25Z","language":null},{"key":"dc.date.issued","value":"1996","language":null},{"key":"dc.identifier.uri","value":"http:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/2429\/4575","language":null},{"key":"dc.description.abstract","value":"This thesis marks the first attempt to systematically study Canadian minor parties. Minor\r\nparties, as distinct from third parties, are those that acquire less than 5 percent of the\r\nnational vote (usually much less than one percent) and have never sent an MP to Ottawa.\r\nWe know little about parties as a group except that their numbers have steadily\r\nproliferated over the last 20 years and that this growth shows no signs of abating. The\r\ngoal of this paper is fill the knowledge gap surrounding minor parties and to assess the\r\nhealth of electoral democracy in Canada.\r\nSpecifically, nine minor parties are studied through the experiences of their\r\ncandidates during the 1993 federal election. The findings presented are based on data\r\ncollected from government sources and on surveys and interviews administered to a\r\nsample of minor party candidates who ran in the greater Vancouver area.\r\nThe dissemination of political beliefs not represented in mainstream politics was\r\nthe dominant reason candidates gave for participating in elections. Winning is a long term\r\nambition, but not expected in the short run for the majority of parties. Despite their\r\nmodest aims, minor parties and candidates are unduly fettered in their ability to effectively\r\ncompete in elections and communicate with the public. Minor party campaigns typically\r\nhave scant political resources, including money, time and workers; electoral laws \u2014\r\nconcerning registration thresholds, broadcasting time allotments and campaign\r\nreimbursements \u2014 designed to promote fairness, disadvantage the system's weakest players; and subtle biases on the part of the press, debate organizers and potential donors\r\nclose important channels of communication.\r\nOf these factors, money emerged as the most important, with media exposure \u2014 or\r\nthe lack of it \u2014 a close second in terms of determining a party's competitiveness. The\r\nNational Party, with superior resources, was often an exception to the above\r\ncharacterization, but ultimately, media neglect sealed its fate as a marginal party.\r\nNotwithstanding the great odds facing minor parties, winning is not impossible given the\r\nright alignment of factors. The Reform Party did it in 1993, providing other small parties\r\nwith hope and an example to follow.","language":"en"},{"key":"dc.format.extent","value":"6957566 bytes","language":null},{"key":"dc.format.mimetype","value":"application\/pdf","language":null},{"key":"dc.language.iso","value":"eng","language":"en"},{"key":"dc.publisher","value":"University of British Columbia","language":null},{"key":"dc.rights","value":"For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms_of_use.","language":null},{"key":"dc.title","value":"Life at the fringes of Canadian federal politics: the experience of minor parties and their candidates during the 1993 general election","language":"en"},{"key":"dc.type","value":"Text","language":null},{"key":"dc.degree.name","value":"Master of Arts - MA","language":"en"},{"key":"dc.degree.discipline","value":"Political Science","language":"en"},{"key":"dc.degree.grantor","value":"University of British Columbia","language":null},{"key":"dc.date.graduation","value":"1996-11","language":"en"},{"key":"dc.type.text","value":"Thesis\/Dissertation","language":"en"},{"key":"dc.description.affiliation","value":"Arts, Faculty of","language":null},{"key":"dc.description.affiliation","value":"Political Science, Department of","language":null},{"key":"dc.degree.campus","value":"UBCV","language":"en"},{"key":"dc.description.scholarlevel","value":"Graduate","language":"en"}]