Dominant by demand: an historical investigation of the role for the party leader in Canada's federal political parties

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2006
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Abstract
Canada's federal party leaders enjoy a place of pre-eminence in the country's current day politics. No other politicians are better recognized, their words more listened to or their influence more substantial than those who claim this job description for their own. But why do party leaders enjoy such pre-eminence? And why, despite differences in persons, parties, and periods, is this pre-eminence so constant, characterized always by a dominance in elections, policy, and Parliament. The following is an historical investigation of the dominant role for the party leader from its origins to the present, with emphasis both on the continuity of the role and on the fate of parties that have tried to defy the norm. The results reveal a role motivated by Canada's institutions of responsible parliamentary government; a response by Canada's political parties to what these institutions require in order that parties achieve their greatest political success.
Description
Bibliography: p. 115-119
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Citation
Young, L. J. (2006). Dominant by demand: an historical investigation of the role for the party leader in Canada's federal political parties (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/349
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