The Evolution of Candidate Vetting in the Liberal Party of Canada 1993-2015
Date
2023-03
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Abstract
Candidate selection for political parties in Canada plays a critical role in the democratic process. As part of candidate selection, most parties require candidates for nomination to go through a vetting exercise. This exercise is little known, however, and has not been widely reviewed in academic literature. Using a series of interviews with senior Liberal Party of Canada campaign personnel, this thesis will review the vetting exercise for candidates of the Liberal Party of Canada from 1993 to 2015. This thesis considers the evolution of candidate review, or “green lighting,” within the context of theories of party organization in Canada. It argues that the green lighting process has contributed to the weakening of a dynamic interplay between areas of authority at the local level that has provided equilibrium against the power of the leader within Canadian political parties. It argues that the stratarchical imperative within the franchise model of party organization in Canada that had provided the capacity for local autonomy as exercised uniquely and individually by constituencies is diminished by the entrenchment of the green lighting process. As a result, the green lighting exercise has contributed to the continuing centralization of power of the leader. As arguably the only brokerage political party in Canada, the candidate selection process of the Liberal Party of Canada is important, given how often it forms government, and how many Liberal Members of Parliament may be elected during each election. The vetting process across parties in general also directly affects representation in Parliament and in government.
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Canadian politics, candidate review, Liberal Party of Canada, party organization, candidate selection
Citation
Thorkelson, R. (2023). The evolution of candidate vetting in the Liberal Party of Canada 1993-2015 (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.